I met with Texas A&M on an island in the Baltic Sea.

A&M Team

Texas A&M University did a great job on this beautiful island!

I met with Dr. Laura White, Ari Sear, Amy Hartfield and Raul Valdez off the coast of Sweden and watched them conduct an awesome clinic. They had almost 20 participants, which kept the four of them very busy for their three-day clinic. The group was made up of mostly recreational riders with a few light competitors and a small number of serious show riders. The A&M representatives found a way to teach them all something new and to improve upon the basic foundation that all horse people should understand.

Basic 1: Following the nose/lateral movement

Basic 2: Move away from pressure

Basic 3: Bridle up/collection

They started the clinic by teaching the participants how their reins communicate with their horses. They taught the direct rein, indirect rein of opposition and how and when to use less rein or neck rein a horse. Once everyone had sufficient control of their horses, they moved into the rest of the horse’s body. They taught stops, spins and rollbacks and had the group using them through reining, trail and horsemanship patterns. They also spent a decent amount of time on speed control and lead changes, simple and flying.

Three ways to catch a lead:

• Use inside hand and outside leg
• Use outside hand and outside leg
• Rollbacks

Overall, the team was impressed with the quality of horses and riders in Gotland. After every hard day of work, the team was pleasantly surprised with an evening activity the participants had planned for us. We had a barbecue by the Baltic Sea, got a tour of the main town (Visby) and even got to explore some caves and shop a little on the last day.

Enjoy the pictures, and stay tuned for Malmo, Sweden!

Click on the pictures for a description.

Happy Horsin’

Mercedes Sotelo
AQHA International Intern