Participants with horses in this course will have needed to have previously attended the Introductory groundwork clinic "Connecting and Fundamental Feel" and the introduction to "Riding with Synchronicity" with me. On some occasions people may request permission to attend without these pre-requisites by submitting a video of themselves working with their horse. Please email me for details regarding this. For those who would like to come without their horses there are no pre-requisites. 

The content of this course will be based upon the following, but will be adapted to specifically target the needs of the horses and riders that are attending.

We will begin by reviewing, expanding and improving upon the core concepts learned in the Introductory courses and then advance things with more precision, more responsiveness and with a better understanding of the biomechanics of the horse. 

All of the teaching will based around further building the connection and relationship with your horse and developing the horse's posture and your own to improve the horses biomechanics and level of hindquarter engagement. Better biomechanics will will make everything more enjoyable, pleasurable and safer for both you and the horse. Better biomechanics will also help your horse to become more athletic (better performance) and stay sounder for longer. Whether you are a competitive rider or a pleasure rider the things learned in this course will be incredibly beneficial.

Both the human and the horse will develop confidence and feel safer together. You'll learn exercises to improve riding balance and learn more about riding dynamics and how to flow with the horse in perfect harmony, this includes learning about trot diagonals and canter leads for example if that knowledge is needed.

Because participants will already have a core base of knowledge in my teaching I can be quite flexible with what is taught in the intermediate level courses. After assessing the group as a whole and individually I will form a program to meet the needs of those participating. If you have a specific area of interest that you wish to learn about please let me know via email.

Areas of learning can be the following :-

Reading and understanding your horse more accurately.
Deepening your Connection with your horse, developing intuitive communication.
Getting your horse more calm, connected, responsive and athletic.
Developing Feel, Energy awareness and how to use energy.
Becoming clear  and more precise with Body Language.
Using ground skills as a diagnostic tool and for your horse's emotions and  as physical therapy for your horse.
Exploring transitions, changes of direction, sideways and using longer lines on the ground.
Liberty
Positive Reinforcement and Marker training
Using obstacles to create visually clear mental pictures and "games" to help your horse learn.
Putting ground skills to purpose eg. trailer loading, crossing bridges, creeks etc.
How to better "go with" your horses movement.
Helping the horse to better follow your focus and line of direction.
Riding from your centre with a unified body.
Refining your aids, by using your body more and the reins less.
Learning meditation techniques to clear emotions and heal your horse and yourself - mentally, emotionally and physically.
Learning bodywork and horse care practices to improve your horse's physical health and well being as well as improve and develop their physical capability, athleticism and performance.

Come along with or without your horse.

Of course if you can bring your horse along your learning will be maximised as nothing beats hands on experience and having direct feedback from a supportive instructor to accelerate your learning. However the other option for attending these courses is to come along as a participant without a horse where you will participate in all of the theory sessions, Q & A sessions, most of the body awareness and balance sessions and simulations (although this may depend on numbers as some of these sessions might need to be restricted to those bringing horses), watch the demonstrations and observe those with horses practice and experiment with the exercises and tasks.

Investment

The cost to come with your horse is $595 for the 3 days if you pay before July 21st. After that date the price will be $695.
The cost to come without your horse is $165 ($55/day) if you pay before July 21st. After that date the price will be $195 ($65/day).

 

PLEASE NOTE:  Your horse must be started and rideable unless you just choose to do the groundwork components. No stallions allowed without prior permission.

For questions regarding the course content, horsemanship or eligibility for the course contact Mel mel@melfleming.com

 

Venue

Macksville Showground
Contact Glenda Pate to find out venue details, ground fees, camping fees and fees for horse stay o/night. glenda.pate@bigpond.com  0429 692 269
People need to be members of the Nambucca Natural Horsemanship to ride at the showgrounds. You can sign up for a day rate or you might like to join the club. Talk to Glenda in regard to this.

'Functional Saddling' consultations, BALANCE saddles, Private lessons & Bodywork sessions -

 

These sessions are available the day before or after the course or in the mornings or evenings of the course.

Find out more details about these sessions

COMPREHENSIVE saddling consultations where you test ride several BALANCE saddles or saddles of your choice take 1.5 to 2 hrs. and cost $185.  They involve riding in your own current saddle and experimenting with padding arrangements and or adjusting gullets (if possible) to see if  we can improve things with your current saddle. You can ride in several saddles of your choosing (that you bring along) and that you wish to get feedback on. We then test ride a BALANCE saddle to use as a comparison to determine how well your horse moves in its own saddle/s compared to a saddle that is known to be ergonomically designed for horses and riders to maximise comfort and performance.
 
Riding in the saddles is the best way to get direct feedback from the horse - this way we listen to the horse's opinion (and yours) rather than someone else's. Having a few saddles to feel as comparisons is important (BALANCE saddles or other) in this process.
 
If your horse did prefer the BALANCE saddle and you were potentially interested in purchasing one (second hand or new), we would then test ride several different models of the BALANCE saddles to see exactly which one is the best for both the horse and yourself. Interlaced into this session is advice on riding and biomechanics for horse and rider as required and as appropriate to the level of experience of the horse and rider.
 
MINI saddle consultations - It is possible to do shorter saddling consults where we do not test ride many or any saddles and I can just give you my opinion and recommendations based on my experience. This is priced according to the time taken. eg. $65 for 30 mins or $35 for 15 mins. Get in touch if you want advice on whether you need a Comprehensive saddle consult or if a Mini consult will suffice.
 
Private Lessons/ Training sessions  are $120/hr  (Coaching in groundwork, riding, trailer loading, problem solving, healthcare and management).
 
Bodywork   Energetic Bodywork and or PEMF  (Pulsed Electromagnetic Field) treatments $120 Equissage treatments  $88 

 

 

 

 
To get more details or book a saddling consultation, private lesson or bodywork session email Mel or call 0428 385 745.  
Letting me know as soon as you can if you are interested in one of these sessions will help me schedule things to make sure I can fit you in. These sessions are available the day before or after the course or in the mornings or evenings of the course.

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