All that happened at our ranch - Shannon Kerr course

Shannon Kerr course – 11-12. 12. 2009

'Hands up and look ahead!'

We struggled out to the cold to spend our weekend with learning again. We were lucky to have the opportunity to participate in the course of Shannon Kerr on El Bronco ranch.

Her character speaks for itself: her commanding presence; and her calm, balanced way of work. With her attitude to horses she sets a good example for all the riders. Goal: not to win a lot in a short period of time, but to see the faults in ourselves, in our horses; to correct them, to learn from them and make a use of them. You do not need to panic if you cannot see the difference in a couple of days’ time, you should keep what you have learnt and your goal in view that you set for yourself. At the beginning I had some skepticism regarding speed contests but it ’evaporated’ quickly. I realized that with the necessary humbleness and attention it is easy to find harmony.

The participants were chattering keenly in the cold and listening to all the trainers’ words. The younger generation proves to be talented reinforcements and it was confirmed by the trainer, as well. She gave the kids not only good advice in connection with horse-riding, but they can make a use of all that they heard in every field of life.

Let’s begin at the beginning: training of horses starts at the age of 2, and the very first thing to teach is to accept help like stepping off from the boots, helping with rein. If linking things reaches an advanced level you can start speed training. From that on a horse gets prepared to solve tasks alone, and it gets confirmed about what it has to fulfill exactly. After some time the horse expects only one sign: the start sign.

A rider has to keep one thing in view: how his/her partner moves and when, whether any correction is necessary or not. This process may seem to be simple and obvious but fulfilling it is much more difficult. To reach our goal, technique, attention and knowledge have to meet.

Emphasis is on the back legs, as the horse has to work from there, with its shoulders it is not able to hit the hurdles; the barrel and the slalom bar should not be touched. The inner rein determines position, the legs correct. Exact moves and exact timing are important.

Speed contests have two sections: slalom and barrel race. Each race course should be done as fast as possible, but the hurdles should stay standing.

Regarding species race quarter horses are preferred, as their build-up is perfect for this kind of racing. As long as a rider can see the abilities of his/her horse and his/her own limits, all the circumstances are given to a balanced and harmonious work. It was emphasized that it is not most important for the rider to fight struggling for harmony, but rather to find harmony as a team. That is why it is advisable to pick the suitable horse carefully. Of course a rider needs a lot of experience and learning to become an outstanding racer.

All in all feedbacks from participants were really positive. The weekend was a great success, both the riders and their horses learnt a lot. They got some useful advice in an easy and understandable way. The height of the course was the home contest where all the participants could try their strength and the younger generation tried a fall, as well. In spite of the cold everybody hold on heroically.

We must not forget to keep our goal in view and find the greatest harmony as possible with ourselves and our horses, as well!

Shannon Kerr: