Classical Dressage Art in Motion

Hosting a clinic is a three-sided triangle, and each corner has to be in concert with the other two in order for the event to be the best it can be. It is expensive and time-consuming to host a clinic, but it can also be extremely worthwhile. It can drive business to your barn, increase the talent level of your resident horses, riders and on site trainers, and provide valuable insights into what the world of competition is currently favoring from the judge's box, if that is what make your horse world tick. It can also net you some good income. Paul Alvin-Smith teaching advanced showjumping student   The three corners are the host, the clinician and the rider. Each party has to be tuned in to the other for the event to work. As an experienced clinician as part of the Grand Prix duo that is my hubbie and me, I find the travels (sometimes extensive to other countries), hours of almost non-stop training and the effort that we put in very rewarding. For the most part anyway. We work wit...

British International Grand Prix Duo Paul & Nikki Alvin-Smith Making decisions on postponing clinics and constantly searching, sometimes finding and being able to book flights when you work as an international clinician (or even a national one), isn't easy in these pandemic times. Here in New York, our wonderful Governor Andrew Cuomo, and New Yorkers in general, have done a brilliant job of pulling the state out of the epicenter status of Covid19 by complying with restrictions and stay at home orders, social distancing, wearing masks and taking tests. Most of the rest of the nation's politicians showed a complete lack of foresight when there was a clear playbook for them to follow. I am so very proud of the community of New Yorkers, Upstate and Down - doing what seemed an impossible task and showing discipline over so many months. Lots of people suffered immeasurable losses, both of loved ones and financial turmoil. Many continue and will continue to suffer. That i...

I was recently talking to a group of students who asked about preference in breed of horse for a successful dressage horse and why Paul and I didn't breed registered warmbloods much anymore. While we bred, imported, trained and loved our 20+ years as a Hanoverian dressage breeder (with a few Oldenburgs thrown in), we came full circle in our breeding program and came back to the beauty of the cross bred horses. Why? The soundness and great temperaments that crossbreds can produce I believe comes from their genetic variety. After so many visits to Verden to purchase horses, the 65% statistic for OCD that was given me by their own vet, Dr. Gerd Bruncken was validated at every turn. Our operation in the U.K. where we also bred many Donnerhall, Lord Sinclair and other warmblood lines and imported them as part of the Willowview Hill International Collection every Spring, also taught us that OCD was a sincere issue across the German lines. We moved into Dutch Warmblood breeding as ...

It amazes me that many riders don't set goals and make short and long term plans when setting up their horse training sessions and show schedules. And they don't do their homework between lessons. There certainly is a such a thing as too much horse show time. The show season can be extremely stressful to your horse. Between the change in location, footing, turnout, water, company, noise, trailering and the hard work you will demand of him it is not too smart to just show and show til there is nowhere to go. There is also such a thing as too much schooling time. It is not just about how often you school though regularity is important. It is about how wisely you use the time. As a dressage clinician I see many good hearted and well meaning riders that arrive at the clinic expecting some sort of miracle. Generally we ( my husband Paul is also a Grand Prix dressage trainer), do manage to give every participant at least one 'ah ha' moment. When you school your horse, e...

I originally posted this on facebook as the Willowview Hill Farm Tip of the Week - but felt it was worth re-broadcasting here. I feel strongly ( can't you tell), that some clinicians give the rest of us a bad name and urge all trainers to examine carefully the folks they trust to come to their barns to offer clinician services. As any trainer knows, we all need good eyes on the ground to keep us progressing and on track. Bringing in a clinician can bring you new students/boarders, give you a fresh look and new approach in solving training issues and also give you guidance in your own career. If you are a trainer and have developed your talents to the level of clinician, then it is important that you follow clear etiquette when walking in to another trainers horse operation:- 1. It is NOT OK to start back soliciting their clients that are presently boarding/training with them. It is not OK to contact their clients directly without copying in the barn trainer/owner on each...