Season opener - Lanzelot Clinic

The weather couldn't have been nicer this weekend for our 1st official event at Lanzelot - what a beautiful weekend.  Sara conducted her 1st clinic of the season on March 5th and 6th before she heads back down to California next week with Brad for the CIC*** at Galway Downs. 

Since we have returned she has been working non stop with both training horses and riders to share everything she has learned along her travels and get us up to snuff for the quickly approaching show season.
  
This clinic showed off how well we had paid attention in our regular lessons.  Lessons were split up into groups and were a whopping 1.5 hrs long. Great on day 1!  Day 2 both horse and rider felt the burn.  No pain no gain, right :)

Day 1 started with flat work, focusing on straightness, lateral work and square turns. We proceeded with the dreaded canter poles, and a short, small jump course. It is amazing how you can feel like a champion cruising along the rail of the arena and have it all fall apart over a few poles on the ground.  Reality can be so cruel.

Day 2 was a quick review on our previous days efforts and then head up to the big arena for a change of scenery.  With the beautiful weather and newly positioned bleachers for our peanut gallery it certainly felt like spring. The jump course was fairly straightforward the fences however were all at a related distance....my personal fear.  A test of how much our hard work during the flatwork pays off.

Of course it pays off - every single rider got through the course successfully. All of us now have specific things to work on while she is down in California. The beauty of horses - you can never know enough.  That's one of the reasons why we ride...to always get better.

A huge thanks as always to Lanzelot Stables and all those who keep it going and looking so beautiful.  A huge thanks to our incredibly dedicated coach who works tirelessly to keep us all motivated, learning and feeling our best.  And to the family's of our Lanzelot riders....so supportive of us all the time.  

Love my barn family!