As the co-sponsor and a riding and instructor participant, and the creator of the event, I am looking to contact Dressage Instructors in our area. I want to encourage them to sign up and enter. Its going to be a great program. I am working with MSU and the UDSF has given the Symposium it’s thumbs up for University credits. Go onto www.Lingh.nl and find the Tool Box button on the left side to read about it. Additional details are frequesntly added to the website as queries come in. You can down load , print and register. I advertised only on Mary Phelps Clinic site where you can go to Dressage Daily and learn about the Symposium. I am also signing up as a Upper Level rider, and am hoping to have Hillary Clayton work with me and 2 other Upper Level Riders on the horses foot falls, learning more on the mechanics of my horses 4 feet, more specifically during my transitions. We are having special guests on Friday and Saturday night..The Symposium is open to lower level riders, auditors, Upper Level Riders, and Instructors. This thread is to get the word out and encourage the Instructors around our region to register, participate as a teacher and/or a rider and send their students to either ride or watch. For riders, space is limited and we will close the entries on April 15th, doubling the inexpensive fee of $50 pp and $50 per horse thereafter.
I appreciate any help in spreading the word, please feel free to cut and paste this post and repost elsewhere. I personally am making no money from this event, so freely…spread the word.
PLEASE GO TO THE TOOL BOX BUTTON ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE WEBSITE FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. AS NEW DETAILS ARE RELEASED THAT IS WHERE YOU WILL FIND THE UPDATES.
It occurred to me today while I was speaking with one on my students that I should clarify several details about the Symposium so I get lots of Instructors to enter up.
The riders in their “group of riders” they teach (there may be one – three riders chosen per session) will be demonstrating the dressage lessons that the Instructors have listed on their entries that they can teach well. This means that if the Instructor feels their style of teaching a shoulder-in or a good halt is effective, these 2 lessons will be taught to riders who feel they need to learn those movements better. I remember when I was taking a lesson from Steffen Peters. He worked with me for an hour on the shoulder-in. It was bad, I could not “get” what he was telling me, over and over again. We both felt awful.
It was not until I tried to learn the same lesson, several instructors later, that the style of the instructor and his lesson made all the difference in my understanding the “shoulder-in”. ! I called Steffen and we laughed and laughed.
A far cry from my “crying” that took place over those hard lessons !
All the auditors and riders watching the Symposium will be getting a glimpse of teaching and learning styles so I want you all out there to encourage your Instructors you love to join me and enter. I have picked out 2 lessons I think I am good at teaching….so let me know if there is someone out there I can call and “talk into registering” . It’s going to be fun and you will all hopefully leave the Symposium with lots of new Tools !
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Originally Posted by mbm 
just out of curiosity – how are you going to deal with the differing “Schools” of training? because i cant see the benefit of learning little bits of many different programs. that will only confuse everyone?
shouldn’t it be finding one program and then teaching it in great detail?
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This is about teaching and learning. Everyone learns and hears differently. You can hear something said a million times, but not phrased in such a way that you “get it”. Some teachers will rephrase something until the student get the “aha” moment of comprehension. Sometimes one has to hear it from someone else. The most important point is to “get it”, if you have to go to someone new to get it, there’s nothing wrong with that. The goal is to learn from whoever works for you. Nobody’s perfect and we’re all unique in our learning styles. It’s just how we learn, that’s all. The opportunity to see the same thing taught in different styles and language is a wonderful idea.
I RECEIVED THIS COMMENT FROM AN INSTRUCTOR who I asked to register and enter the Symposium…
HE SAID : ” I am not sure about the two lesson concepts…often riders will show up at a clinic I’m giving to get help…say on flying changes with a horse that has been “late” behind on one side for years. The problem is not in the way the aids are applied …their whole training is bad…incorrect connection. I think people need to learn a SYSTEM of training…not pieces…when there is a good system, the pieces fall into place. That’s my ten cents worth.”
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Here is my response to that. When I watch a dressage competition what strikes me…. is not how the horse and rider are trained, or how or what system they have trained in , it is the way the horse and rider together present the movements, and how each individual movement is strung together to make a Dressage test. Their “system” at that point is to me secondary. I cannot pretend to think I could possible fashion a clinic that can fix all…I am interested in learning about and teaching the details of dressage. That is how I progressed up the ladder to Grand Prix, detail by detail by detail. Steffen, Michael Poulin, Robert Dover and Anky didn’t have time to teach me a complete system. It was my responsibility to work hard on all my instructors’ advice and ride my horse to the winners circle.
I am talking about getting a region together at this facility, to introduce, discover and to work together so that all our tests, our clients and our instructors skills and tools are better. In Region 2 we are all quite spread out. For example my farm is 2 hours north of Traverse City, which is in Northern Michigan. Bay Harbor, the site of the Symposium, is 15 minutes south across the bay. The bridge to Mackinaw Island and the Upper Peninsula is only 30 minutes away ! Canada is very close to us. For all of us to meet the instructors in our huge region will be super, and what better way to make sure that we are all training our horses in a modern, respectful and intelligent manner than to meet for a clinic in May.
If we had a clinic with an instructor that taught an entire system, will more people attend or will people decide to stay home because they already have a system ? The difference between 1st , 2nd and 3rd place in dressage are the small details, and those details come from years of experience teaching, training and riding. As the OP of this thread I am looking for Instructors in this region that are willing to share what they are confident in teaching….thus the “two lessons”. Everyone always wonders…what is the secret to success…..my answer to this is ….”it’s in the details”.
| A Colleague suggested that I increase the awareness and understanding of the Symposium to the Lower Level riders ( intro through first level) and to the non riders who may sign up as auditors. I would like to do this, but need your help ! Tell everyone that you know that is interested in Dressage in our Region about the Symposium and tell them that the Symposium organizer is making sure that the non-riding lower level dressage enthusiasts will walk away with lots of tools for their toolboxes. We suggest they go to the [url]www.lingh.nl[/url] website to view the registration details and download the document. Everyone attending the Symposium must register ahead of time, the closing date is April 15th. The auditors will be engaged and participate in the teaching and learning discussions and will be an active part of the Symposium. There will be several discussion sections where the viewpoints of the seated auditors will be offered to both the instructors and the riders. One goal for the auditors and the the seated participants will be to increase their observation techniques and knowledge of the dressage movements. So – please sign up soon and register. There are special events planned for Friday and Saturday nights and an entertainment feature is being brought in that should be fun. |
Hope this info helps the understanding of the Dressage Tool Box Symposium in May in Northern Michigan. Please write to me at info@offieldfarms.com and i will answer your questions and post them here on the Tool Box at www.lingh.nl Register soon, by April 15th or earlier, please.
PLEASE GO TO THE TOOL BOX BUTTON ON LEFT SIDE OF WEBSITE SCREEN, FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE SYMPOSIUM AND DETAILS. THIS POST IS NOW CLOSED.
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