Part #1 The Clinic.

With great anticipation, folks were calling the week before Harry arrived, asking what his clinic format would be. We hadn't hosted Harry before, so we weren't sure what to expect. Well, we soon learned that Harry has no format. The student's questions, the horse's needs, and the rider's abilities would determine it. Harry strongly encouraged folks to ask questions. When we didn't have any he came up with some for us to think about. The clock was a guide for the day, but by no means a measure of a lesson. If your lesson with your horse lasted a half hour, but huge changes took place, than it was best if you and your horse end on a good note and soak on it. Another horse and rider may need more time to learn. But the time is not the point, the change is.

The first day of a clinic is usually full of information. Perceptive teachers give nervous riders and their horses plenty of time to settle by filling in. Harry was no exception. He began by offering each horse and rider individual time in the round pen and as they prepared he talked horsey philosophy. He asked each rider what we wanted to work on and encouraged us to show him what we normally do at home. I wonder why what I normally do at home usually falls apart when I am in front of the teacher? Harry gave us honest, helpful feedback on our groundwork, our riding and our horses. With students he demonstrated how to prepare our horses, from cinchiness found in saddling to groundwork transitions at liberty. Still others practiced their halter work, and Harry showed us how guiding the horse's hindquarters and front ends with the lead rope would translate to our riding. Some rode their horses and this led to discussions on impulsion, arc in the horse's body and soft responses. On his sorrel horse Sandy, Harry showed us what is means when the reins connect to the feet and how to prepare our horses for collection.

Some of us rode boats, not horses. Many of us didn't have a bend in our horse when we traveled in a circle or changed directions. This tied in to a main theme of the weekend: how important it is to teach your horse to travel on an arc with a soft bend through his body, from poll to sacrum. Can you encourage your horse to travel on this arc with all four legs reaching equally? This is preparation for collection. Other riders struggled as their horses were dull, both on the ground and in the saddle. Harry encouraged us to mean what we say, be clear and fair to our horses. Don't nag your horse. Get the change you are asking for and then see how little it takes to get it again. OK, I am getting ahead of myself. But it is easy to do with Harry because he is both generous and clear teacher. As he instructs he rides to demonstrate for everyone what he is teaching, an example of horse and rider moving together as partners.

Harry "No Format" Whitney asked us what we wanted to do after the first day was done. I got the feeling that he has been teaching horsemanship clinics for so long that no matter what we came up with, he would have an idea on how to get it done. After the individual sessions on the first day, the riders were eager to mount up and play with some of what he had shown us. So we were gonna R-I-D-E.

Permit me to digress in this paragraph, to brag about our great group of motivated riders and helpful, supportive auditors. Each morning, before Harry entered the arena riders were already warming up and preparing their horses. Harry said more than once how pleased he was to see folks not waiting on him. The first day in the round pen, riders were honest about their struggles with their horses and they came prepared with goals in mind for the weekend. This honesty pays off big time in getting straight to the heart of the matter with the horse. The rewards are not only reaped by the rider, but all those who witness the change in the horse and rider over the course of the clinic. The auditors were full of support and often clapped as riders had breakthroughs. As we rode by the stands we could feel the encouragement, as if the auditors were right with us in the saddle. Finally, there were a variety of breeds in the horses (Tennessee walker, Fox trotters, Icelandic horse, Arabs, Quarter horses) and experience levels with riders. Nonetheless, a kinship formed with the riders as we learned together. By the fourth day, we were practically a drill team riding in unison.

OK, back to clinic format. The second day began with two more individual sessions, followed by all riders in the big arena for some group riding, then some demonstrations on hands and reins with Harry as the rider and Robert as the horse. Rider Harry picked up the reins, a 20-foot line that Horse Robert held in his hands, and gently but firmly and asked Horse Robert to whoa. Horse Robert felt the stop in Harry's hands and immediately brought his feet to stop, backing up off of the pressure. Harry's hands never moved: Harry never pulled. This is how it should be. We ought to be as fair and firm as a fencepost is, then our horse will learn not to push on us. Then Robert pushed on Harry through the stop and Harry showed us all how to stay steady and stick with the horse, until the horse finds the release. Your hands must stop where you asked for the stop. This lead to a talk on bits, with folks asking Harry's opinions on snaffles, bit function, curb bits, and why the bit doesn't stop the horse. We finished up the day with all nine riders saddled up riding in the arena, coached by Harry. Riders did a lot of walking, backing and turning. Suffice to say you can do a lot with walking, backing and turning your horse. In fact, the basis of developing your horse's movement and responses are here in the quality of your forward, your backward, your hindquarters, your front end and how each responds to the rein and your seat.

The third day began with all 9 riders practicing their halter work, connecting the lead to the horse's feet and directing the feet. We saddled up and rode as a large group, again practicing more walking, backing and turning, with a few of us moving up in to the trot.

Harry gave us a fabulous demonstration on collection, using some student's horses from the clinic as well as his horse's Doc and Sandy. Harry showed us what it looks like when a rider begins to teach a horse to collect himself. The horse first begins to soften at the requests of the reins, when the horse begins to connect the reins to the feet, and then gives to the bit clear through his whole body. Harry demonstrated working in and out of softness with his horse Doc and two of the student's horses, an Icelandic and a QH.

To the casual observer, it appeared that Harry was just stopping and backing his horse. But to the student, we began to see how Harry was picking up his reins and asking for the horse to get soft clear through. If the horse couldn't get soft going forward then Harry would wait on him, allowing him to stop and back up in order to get soft. Each time the horse softens clear through he finds release both inside himself and from Harry. If the rider didn't want to wait on the horse, he might add leg to drive the horse forward. With leg, the rider would run the risk of the horse dividing himself and bunching up. The horse might give his poll and maybe the top of his neck to the reins, but he may not learn to let loose and lift at the base of his neck. Even worse, he might brace his body as drives forward in to pressure. Harry showed us what each of these looks like from observing the muscle response in the horse's neck. The horse must learn to turn off his topline, lift at the base of the neck, soften and rock back all to the cue of your rein. Eventually he will learn how to carry this soft response to your reins when he goes forward at the walk, and then in and out at the trot, canter, etc.

Harry showed us the results of this work on his horse Sandy, who carries Harry, prepared for anything. The changes between the horses as Harry rode and taught them to soften were remarkable and served as a benchmark for me. We also spent some time talking about anatomy, specifically the precious topline of a horse and how a rider would develop and strengthen the horse for longevity and soundness over its lifetime.

The third day we ended with riders divided in to two small groups riding with Harry. Again, Harry gave us honest feedback and answered our questions with a straightforward smile. He asked some revealing questions designed, no doubt, to encourage us to take stock. Questions such as: Where are your seat bones in the turn? Are you leaning? What stride did you begin to prepare your stop? Did you wait until your horse was soft clear through? Was your circle round? Are you using both reins the same the same way at the same time? When you pick up a rein are you getting a change each and every time? Old habits are hard to break, but change will come with time and practice!

On the forth day we rode as a group to warm up, practicing rating our speed, executing smooth turns, and backing soft and smooth. It was time to put what we learned to the test. We divided in to pairs for a little square dancing with our horses. We rode in teams as Harry called out the drill. I think we were all a little surprised at just how darn well we did. Harry kept calling out the changes and we executed each one in time, close to faultless. The lessons started to come together: the responsiveness, the balanced turns with horses arcing to the inside, rating speed, the focus, and working in and out of softness with our horses throughout. The practice of the three days prior paid off.

After lunch Harry broke out his toys: a pedestal, some ½ tires, we drug a tarp in, and from two trees we hung a big plastic sheet that flapped in the wind. Suddenly the arena was a big playground. With each of these toys, Harry encouraged us to incorporate the exercises we had learned connecting reins to hindquarters, getting the life up in the horses and riding it, directing the feet, etc. Harry opened the afternoon up to whatever folks wanted to do. Duster and I dragged the tarp. Shawn began teaching Noche how hobble. Peggy continued to show Tiger how to bow. Harry's horse Doc was a little concerned about the tarp, so Harry joined us in the group to help Doc through his worry. Horses and riders were motivated and the crowd of auditors watched, grinning at our antics and cheering our successes. We had horses perched on pedestals, colts learning to face their flapping plastic fears as the riders controlled their hindquarters and invited them to move their feet. Riders directed their horse's feet through pits of tires and over poles. Harry showed the auditors once again how he teaches his horses to pick him up off the fence. The mood in and outside the arena was one of encouragement, admiration, and support. I just don't think you could ask for much more in a clinic setting. We rode off in to afternoon sun with Harry, riders taking a break from the arena to enjoy a trail ride together as a perfect end to a great weekend.

A special thanks to our friends Peggy and Bernie Martin for co-hosting this clinic with us and for helping at every turn. How fortunate we are to have you beside us. And thanks Harry for sharing your time, your humor, and for raising the bar for what is possible with our horses.

Part #2: Quotes from Harry -Gems of Horsemanship

"3 things not to get caught up on: facilities, equipment, technique."

A Half halt is the 1st ½ of a good halt. Rock back and prepare.

When riding, at any step you should be able to ask hind end to step under and front end step over and walk out in a circle, all 4 feet moving equally.

Engagement- horse steps under himself & is ready. Engages with your thought. He is prepared to go with your thought.

Disengagement- disengages horses thought. Horse is thinking about something, and you ask him to step over in the HQ, now you have asked him to make your thought his thought and respond by stepping under himself

One rein stop, ask horse to disengage his HQ. As he does this, release before the stop! You are not releasing for the stop, you are connecting the rein to the HQ, and so release as his back hind foot responds to your leg.

What is contact? A line of communication.

What happens when the horse is "correct/on the bit"? For every change in your reins there is an equal change in the HQs. It is all connected, from front to back and back to front, a circle.

HW- "I never back a horse 10 steps, but I will back my horse one step at a time 10 times."

Progression of training:

1. At first when you go work your horse, you come back and you are really sweaty, horse is not.

2. After a while, you come back and both of you are sweaty.

3. Finally, you return from a ride and you are dry and your horse is sweaty. (little joke here folks)

Note on cowhorses: we like it when they pin their ears when they work a cow, but not when they work another horse. But what is the difference to the horse?

Holding tight and resisting takes a whole lot out of a horse. It drains their energy quickly. Heaviness is resistance. Horse has muscles working that he doesn't need to.

People don't have trouble turning on the horse's muscles they need for a job, they have trouble turning off muscles not needed.

When horses paw- brain is somewhere else. If his brain were where his feet are, he would just stand there. Proof: next time a horse is pawing on crossties, just go on over and unsnap the crossties and see where he goes. See Dr. Deb's Birdie Theory.

Not much interested in alpha/herd dynamics. But this is true: the leader of the herd always gets a response from the other horse, always gets a change.

Harry's soapbox- if you stand in the center of the ring and horse goes around and around, how does it apply to riding? Everything you do with your horse should be "with you" If you do nothing in the saddle, your horse should do nothing. SO when you are standing in the center of the ring and your horse is running around, you are doing nothing and your horse is doing something. You are not teaching your horse to respond to you, you are teaching him to ignore you and GO.

Horses are not bicycles! Don't lean! Example: Human carries a 40-pound backpack and leans in to the turn. See how that feels? Then try to turn while you are leaning. You may stumble, trying to move that backpack out of the way in order to make your turn. A horse's spine will always work to get under the weight. It is self-preservation so he won't fall. He can't turn and arc his body if you are leaning in to the turn.

Each time you pick up a rein you must get a bend in your horse or a change in his feet.

In a snaffle fit, DON"T USE BOTH REINS THE SAME WAY AT THE SAME TIME. This way you wont be engaging both sets of muscles on his topline at the same time in the same way. The horse will find softness easier and give better if you direct him with one rein. Support with the other if needed, but always direct with only one rein.

Last day HW reviewed, we worked on forward, backward, front end, hind end. Which is the one we did least? Front end. Why? Because when you get the back end connected to a rein and working well, the front end will be there. IT will come easily to the horse. (I remember this from Bill Dorrance & Leslie Desmond's book, too)