Cyndi and the school horses
 
Missouri Foxtrotter Riding Academy
Cyndi Plasch - Trainer / Riding Coach
at Driftless Valley Ranch in Mazomanie, Wisconsin
    
 
 
3 Day Program Outline

Friday

9:00 a.m.  Discussion - what we will be working on:

  • Conditioning & preparing your Foxtrotter to gait under saddle
  • Communicating effectively with your hands and seat
  • Getting your Foxtrotter to relax under saddle (to gait properly)
  • Teaching your Foxtrotter to “Work & Focus”
  • Putting your Foxtrotter in a “frame” to achieve desired gait
  • Identifying Gaits
  • The importance of the Flat Foot Walk

Saddle Up:

Each participant will ride 3 to 4 different school horses that are “set” in their gaits.  
This is to help the participants to become familiar with what the gaits are, what they
feel like, and what they sound like.  By riding more than one school horse, the
participants will also get to experience how different each horse can feel and will
learn to “find” the gaits on each horse.

Our Focus:

  • Good Equitation
  • Balanced Seat
  • Soft Hands - 4 oz. of pressure
  • Collection & Framing
  • Finding and recognizing the gaits
  • Staying IN the gait
  • Transitioning from one gait to another & back down
  • Making “adjustments” from one horse to another

LUNCH (Provided)

Friday p.m.

Presentation of participants’ Foxtrotters. Each participant will saddle up their
horse (one at a time) to ride their Foxtrotter for an evaluation to determine
“where you are at with your Foxtrotter” and what areas we will want to concentrate
on during the weekend.

Our Focus:

  • Riders “Form” - Riding in a balanced Seat
  • Hands, Seat & Legs - Communicating with your body
  • Moving WITH your horse to enhance gait & not get in the way
  • Developing the Walk - Power Walk & Flat Foot Walk
  • Teaching your Foxtrotter to WORK - getting them into a “Work" frame of mind
  • How to “Frame Up” your Foxtrotter (Collection)
  • CONSISTENCY
  • Asking for the gait - recognizing the gait - holding the gait
  • Transitioning up & down into the different gaits

Question & Answer Session

Saturday

9:00 a.m.  Discussion

  • Bit exercise - “What is my horse feeling when I ride?”  What is 4 oz of pressure?
  • The importance of the “Dance” - your hands and your horse’s mouth.        
  • Riding with spurs.
  • Bits & Saddles

Arena Work:

Riders on their own horses - More Practice
More Practice!

Our Focus:

  • Riding Balanced
  • Refining soft hands and “collection”
  • Flat Foot Walk - importance of developing a “good” flat foot walk
  • Asking for a gait - recognizing the gait - holding the gait
  • Transitioning up & down out of gaits
  • Getting & keeping your Foxtrotter “relaxed”
  • Keeping your Foxtrotter in a “Frame”

LUNCH (Provided)

Saturday p.m.

Trail Ride

Our Focus:

  • Working on consistency of gaits while trail riding
  • Giving your Foxtrotter confidence on the trail
  • Handling obstacles out on the trail

Question & Answer Session

Sunday

9:00 Discussion

  • Nutrition
  • Farrier suggestions
  • Bit & Bridle Exercise #2 - What is 4 oz. of pressure?

Arena Work:  Riders on their own Foxtrotters

Our Focus:

  • Setting Foxtrotter in proper frame
  • Getting & keeping your Foxtrotter relaxed
  • Asking for the gait - recognizing gait - holding the gait
  • Transitioning up & down out of gaits

** Any other things that have come up over the weekend and need more work

LUNCH (Provided)

Trail ride if time permits. Otherwise, more arena work.

Our Focus:

  • More practice on working on gaits on the trails
  • Working on anything else that needs more practice

Question & Answer Session

The 2010 schedule is now available.

Bringing your horse?  Academy fees are $510, including lunch each day, paddock,
and hay, per participant and their horse.

Riding one of ours?  Academy fees are $580, including lunch each day, per participant.

No auditors allowed, so all focus is on the 4-6 riders and a quality learning experience.