HORSEMANSHIP CLINICS Welcome to Windsong Ranch. Hi! I'm Suzie George. My husband, Gerald and I enjoy putting on fun filled, educational clinics with safety for the rider and their horse as the main focus. Gerald is the clinician and I am his assistant. We've named the clinics, "BUILDING BLOCKS FOR SAFE HORSEMANSHIP" One of the activities is learning round pen skills. From the round pen we'll go into the arena for ground work. Ground work skill will then be applied to the horsemanship skill while in the saddle. Time will then be given to apply these skills to tasks on our obstacle course. It is our hope that practice and refinement of skills learned can be continued at home or on any riding adventure. Our goal is for you to have a safe and enjoyable ride where ever and when ever that may be.   Round Pen Work The round pen is a very safe place to begin working with a colt, starting a horse, working with a troubled horse, or learning new skill. In this picture, Cindy is learning to use eye pressure to drive the horse away from her at a walk, trot or lope, or draw her horse towards her. She can change the direction of her horse by turning her horse outward towards the fence, or inward, away from the fence depending on her body position and pressure on the horse's right or left eye. Pressure can be a slight movement of her hand. This particular round pen work develops a wonderful trust and bond between horse and owner.   Ground Work Ground work is essential. This is our next activity in our horsemanship clinic. All of the maneuvers from the ground, when done correctly with much feel, timing, and balance, will apply directly to riding on the horse with the same feel, timing, and balance. Much can be learned from the ground about the horse's feet placement, and body and head position. The skills and knowledge learned from doing ground work makes riding skills more understandable and successful for the horse as well as the rider.   Horsemanship Skills Focus will be placed on the refinement of basic hosemanship maneuvers, such as flexion, soft feel, disengaging the hind quarters, leading the front quarters across, leg yields, haunches in, and simple lead changes. Each refinement leads to horse and rider riding in harmony.   Application of Skills During the Horsemanship Clinic, time will be spent applying skills to tasks on Windsong's obstacle course. This enables horse and rider to feel comfortable in various situations. Some of the tasks on the course are crossing a stream and pond, riding over a wooden bridge and a teeter-totter bridge, riding through wooded trails with varying sizes of logs to cross, and opening and closing a gate into a round pen. Our goal for you and your horse is to enjoy a relaxed and safe ride during any adventure.