Roel Theunissen Clinic

This week I was lucky enough to get into the Dressage Week at Mt. Holyoke College, S. Haldey, MA. Roel Theunissen was the clinician for the week. I audited on Tuesday and Wednesday I rode with him. On Tuesday I saw some very lovely riders and extremely nice horses. When I go to audit a clinic I always want to see some sort of change in either rider or horse by the end of the lesson. This really lets you know that the instructor has helped the pair improve within the short time they get to work together. It is very apparent Roel has an eye for what changes need to be made in each pair to help them improve performance.

The lesson on Wednesday was fabulous and Roel gave us some great exercises to practice at home. During our lesson Roel had Connor and I doing some of the best leg yields and shoulders ins that I have felt on Connor so far. He said Connor is ready to move up to the next level which is nice to hear because we have been working really hard this year so we can move up to first level next year and be competitive. We worked a lot on controlling the shoulders and haunches individually which is very important for me to be able to do especially going to the left which is when Connor falls to the inside. We also worked on spirals pushing the haunches in and out while still maintaining the correct flexion. This is an exercise I need to do more often at home in both the trot and the canter now that Connor is better able to use his muscle properly as we spiral in.

Overall, I am glad we were able to get a spot in the clinic it was very beneficial! I will definitely be looking forward to the next time Roel comes to this area again.