Blog

Hello everyone, my name is Nadia, and I’m absolutely thrilled to write a bit about my recent experiences at the John MacPherson clinics at Sprucehaven Farm. I have ridden in two of his clinics this winter, and have had the good fortune of riding with John in two clinics last winter as well. There is a reason I come to his clinics as often as I can. I am one of those used-to-ride-as-a-kid-and-keep-waiting- for-that-‘natural’-feel-to-come-back-type riders. Well, although riding certainly does take a bit of belief in the impossible at times, I think I’ll be waiting a while. A long while. In the interim, there is no substitute for hard work, consistency, and great coaching. John fosters all of these. I’ve now ridden four different horses with him (I know. Consistency, right?), and with each horse, the specific exercises have been quite different, but the results have been the same: a horse that moves and feels incredibly better by the end of the lesson. And I mean, so much better that I don’t want to get off, so that it doesn’t end. With each horse, John zeroed in immediately on what the problems were that I hadn’t even been able to articulate to myself – let alone ask for help with – and quickly established ground rules for the partnership that never wavered, exercise after exercise.

In the most recent clinic, I rode a nine year-old Hanoverian gelding that I’ve been part-boarding. John immediately asked me to lengthen and shorten stride, turn on the haunches, do transition after transition both within and between gaits, recognizing the innate expertise of this lovable horse to conserve as much energy as possible within his hind end. The ground rules for me and this horse are now very clear – we start working as soon as we enter the arena, we focus on getting his hind end moving more with every step and build on this with clear and immediate transitions. John has a way of fostering a rapport between horse and rider that makes it seem that he has been working with you for years. He just knows what is needed. And there is no question about the purpose of the lesson – to work, to work, and then to work harder until the horse is more supple and active than ever before. With every horse I’ve ridden with John, the focus has always returned to the same principles: activity of the hind end, establishing clear communication, accuracy, and understanding the impact of my position and aids on the entire process (the good, the bad, and the ugly). One of the most beneficial parts of these clinics is that they have been held over two days, with the opportunity to ride both days. It is an very positive experience to build on the previous day, and to recognize the start of a greater understanding between you and your horse as you both ‘remember’ the lessons of the day before. John ‘layers’ the understanding and the focus in a way that makes the building process very clear for each individual horse. Who knew one could put ‘lengthen stride, shorten stride, shoulder-in, leg yield, halt, and ‘trot on’ into a single feel’. And actually have a glimpse of them all together, even just for a second. It’s something to keep striving for, along with shorter reins, quieter heels, and the insight to sometimes just laugh and shake my head at that ‘natural’ feel and flow that we all strive for. It’s layers of understanding, hours of work, and buckets of ‘natural’ sweat… but having a glimpse of the path through wonderful horses and – not only great, but wise – coaching, makes it instantly worthwhile. I have just purchased a new horse, and the experience of these clinics on all of these horses gives me a sense of direction as she and I get to know each other: activate the hind end, learn each other’s language, and be precise. Oh, and videotape, lots of it! But above all, John’s lessons have encouraged me to believe that my horse and I will be able to reach beyond what we think our capabilities are, and be better today than we were yesterday. That’s a powerful belief.