I first audited a Jeremy Steinberg clinic when I moved to Kentucky a few years ago. I was excited to watch a full day of lessons and learn as much as I could. I had never heard of him, so I turned to Google to see what I could find. Holy cow! I want to ride like that! I was fascinated by the picture of harmony he created with his horse, Augie.
I continued to audit every time Jeremy came to teach. Rider level and horse types varied with every clinic. Each lesson was different and catered to the individual pair. His teaching style was calm, kind, and realistic. He made it seem like he connected instantly with each combination and knew exactly how to work through whatever training issue they were having. I wanted to do this! Then reality struck. I had my nutty, not-so-safe thoroughbred. I would have spent the entire time praying I didn’t come off. Where’s the fun in that? Maybe someday I’ll have a safe partner. So, I kept auditing and dreaming of the day when I would be a rider in one of his clinics.
I have mentioned before that it is easy to get lost in the amount of information that is at your fingertips. Depending on your area, the different clinicians that are available to choose from can make it easy to ride with multiple trainers. Pretty soon you are flooded with so much information that you and your horse are no longer consistent in your training. My trainer rides with Jeremy, so the training style and methods used in a clinic with him should not come as a surprise to my horse or me. Yes, we would both be challenged, but it’s just building on the foundation we have established. I can carry what we worked on in the clinic into my regular lessons fairly seamlessly.
When I purchased Josie, I knew that riding with Jeremy was now a possibility. The first clinic came up and Josie was barely steering. It was a lot of money and she was still in her first month of full training, which was also a lot of money. Money, money, money. Ugh – I needed to win the lottery! There would be more opportunities I hoped, so I chose to audit and started a Jeremy clinic savings account. No joke. It’s how I’ve afforded both clinics!
The second opportunity came up a year after I had purchased Josie. It was in Ohio which involved some travel and overnight stays. I was going! To keep the blog post short, I will sum it up to say it was everything I thought it was going to be and much much more. Riding with Jeremy was amazing. I never knew Josie could feel like that! I had tears in my eyes after my ride. It represented so much more than just an amazing weekend. It was the years of dreaming, struggling financially and emotionally, and riding dangerous/cheap horses, all to finally arrive at this moment. I will never forget how proud I felt and grateful to be where I was at this moment in life.
This past weekend was our second clinic. Hooray savings account! A last-minute cancelation resulted in Jeremy being available to come here on New Year’s weekend. Clear the schedule…I’m riding!
Once again, I had a fabulous time. I presented our current challenges to Jeremy, which were not so great canter/trot transitions, and got ready to feel the magic! On day one it rained the entire day, but it was 60 degrees. Day two was in the 30s with a drizzle. I was the first ride on both days. Even with all the weather challenges, Josie was a solid citizen. She handled everything with class and showed me more of what she has to offer!
Links are below to view both days of the clinic. We learned so much! I can’t wait until the next one!
Day 1 – January 1, 2022 – improving the canter/trot transition through stability in my upper back and elbows
Day 2 – January 2, 2022 – encouraging more compression of the body and gait expression
Missed a post? Quick links to my most recent posts are below!
- It’s My Life – Chapter 26Not now life, I have a headache.
- It’s My Life – Chapter 25I could feel it in my soul.
- It’s My Life – Chapter 24Man’s Best Friend
- It’s My Life – Chapter 23Karma.
- It’s My Life – Chapter 22I was stronger than I thought.
The Struggles, The Tears, The Dreams - A Dressage Journey 
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