A Pictorial View of my first clinic (LONG!)

So last friday night was my first ever clinic.  It was pretty good.  There were 50 people that had RSVP'd, and I think we probably had close to that show up.  I was busy all day cleaning up the girls, trimming bridle paths, and scrubbing them till they sparkled.  It was definitely a long day for me, but it was awesome.  The pictures below should pretty much lay out what happened at the clinic.  It will almost be like you were there!  Just be a little considerate of how funny I look in many of the pictures.  Most shots were snapped while I was talking and explaining things, so I look rather funny.

 

 Things started with an introduction.  I introduced myself, and learned quickly that I didn't need a mic, because I have a loud voice.

 After introducing myself, I introduced the girls.  I had Rachel up front, and I used her to introduce the group to the Belgian Breed.  She's a very capable model and she sure looked good for the event.  Pat Chase walked Rachel around for me.

 

Next came an introduction to the collar/hames style harness.  I used my pretty nylon harness for this.

I tried to be as photogenic as Rachel was

Questions before we harness up Rachel?

Up Next ... Harnessing Rachel  (Isn't she a gorgeous model?)  Pat was a great extra set of hands!

Collar on, making front adjustments

Explaining about the harness

Adjusting the speider and breeching

Putting on the bridle

And here she is, a harnessed horse

Next was ground driving.  I did a lap of example, and then my friend Yvonne took the lines.  Yvonne is a lifelong horse person, but has never driven.  She got to try everything I did after I showed her what to do.

More Ground driving

And more ground driving.

After ground driving, I set up to pull a tire around the arena.  Jodi Fry did great at holding the lines for me while I got set up.

Explaining the single tree and how it works

Starting to work

More tire pulling

More tire pulling

Yvonne demonstrating the tire pull

Next thing to do is hook up a sled.  I hooked the sled up.

 

Next I gave a few instructions and then drove the sled around.  This was followed by Yvonne demonstrating the sled.

At this point, I told the audience we could either talk about team ground driving, or I could hitch up the wagon.  We decided on the wagon, and hitched up.  Roger Barnes, Pat Chase, and Mike Featherstone helped so we got it done quickly.

I then showed how to walk the horse with a wagon so they can get used to the sounds and noises it makes.

Next I hopped inside the wagon and drove around myself.

After that, it was time to take all the kids there for a wagon ride.  They were very excited about that.

More of the kids,

And more of the kids,

And more.  This kind of ride is the best in my opinion.  The joy of children is awesome to behold.

After the kids were done, I offered to let anyone in the crowd who wanted to drive the wagon have a go at it.  I had a few takers on that, and made some good friends out of it.  SUCCESS!  The clinic went well.

One of my favorite parts of the clinic was seeing all the teamster friends I've made.  Chuck, Roger, Pat, and Jodi were all there.  I also met a friend Jerry from my yahoo group.  It was great to get all together and chat.  I get the feeling we'll be trying to get together again soon.  Always fun when you get together with people who share the same interests and hobbies.

I have to give a special thanks to my wife, and my teamster friends for helping to make this event happen.  A big thank you to Connie Pitkin for letting us use her covered arena.  Thanks also to my riding club, the easy rider saddle club, for providing the food and for getting so many people there.  I'd definitely do this again if given the opportunity.