Regular lessons build a foundation of understanding and feel where both the rider and horse are guided along a path of solid physical & emotional development and confidence building.

Clinics open up new ideas and can push us through our resistances.

BOTH are valuable. A clinician that is on the same path as your regular coach is what I recommend for consistency.

Keep your mind open… use the pieces of the puzzle that work for you and just store the others in your inventory of ideas.

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Tamarack Hill FarmJuly 30, 2020

Lessons—

To differentiate between the lessons which are part of a regular series from the same trainer/instructor, and lessons on the occasional drive in or clinic—

If the rider is in an ongoing lesson program, over time, a pattern of training will usually emerge, so that the rider will be both learning specific techniques AND training theory and concepts.

Whereas, in a “one and done” drive in and leave lesson, or at a clinic, the lesson will usually be more aimed at technique.

Broader training concepts usually reveal themselves over time, which is a good reason to ride in a regular program if the goal is to learn how to train, as opposed to learn how to ride.

There is an enormous difference between the two.

Clinics and single lessons are certainly better than no help at all, but should not be seen as a substitute to being in a program. Rather, think of them as add ons, ways to amplify regular sessions with ideas of perhaps different approaches to specific situations.

I know of riders who “bounce” from clinic to clinic, teacher to teacher, and, again, while that is one way to glean riding knowledge, I think that a regular program with a reliable teacher is usually better.

(Not saying don’t go to clinics—-)