Re: RC: Distance Riding Clinic Input Desired

[Linda Flemmer <bluewolfranch@yahoo.com>]

Bonnie,

My husband & I did this for a riding group in the NE
NC/SE VA area about 7 years ago.  It was a two day
clinic based on one that I had attended in Florida put
on by the FL Horseman's Assoc.  It turned out well. 
We opted not to present how to choose an endurance
prospect at the last minute to reduce the program
length.  We found most people indicated they would
plan to start with their existing mount when asked on
our entry form.

Here was our agenda:

Day one:
1 Registration, welcome, coffe & donuts (7AM)
2 Welcome (7:30)
3 "What is distance riding" - intro to difference
between pleasure, CTR, and endurance.  We had
successful endurance and CTR riders from outside of
the club come to talk.   (Always more exciting to hear
strangers talk, for some reason.)
4 Nutrition and horse keeping for the distance horse
5 Shoeing challenges in the distance horse (Live demo
with horse/farrier)
6 Training - where to start and when am I ready to
run?
LUNCH
7 Electrolytes and supplements - what's really needed
to start?
8 Vet concerns in the distance horse (Our weakest
point in the presentation due to the local vet - he
wanted to cover eye injuries, sand colic and
vaccinations, the main stay of his practice.  BIG
mistake not to tap a more experienced endurance vet!)
9 How to camp with your horse.  (We set up an actual
camp site with horses, trailers, etc. that day to show
different ways to contain a horse safely.)
10 So what's a ride really like?

DAY 2
15 mile mock endurance ride with full vetting (by an
EXPERIENCED endurance vet from the OD Association) All
competitors stood for Best conditioned.  One
requirement was that all participants HAD to attend
the Day 1 lecture series to ride.  We had 100%
completion, even on some OBESE, OUT OF SHAPE horses
because folks had actually learned a lot the day
before.

6 months later we held a 25 mile clinic event with
full vetting by AERC vets.  About 60% of the
participants were return folks from the clinic.  They
accounted for the majority of the finishers, so we
felt like we had really accompliched something!

Let me know if you have specific questions.

Linda Flemmer
Blue Wolf Ranch
Bruceton Mills, WV

--- "Snodgrass, Bonnie" <snodgrab@ncr.disa.mil> wrote:
> I'm thinking seriously about organizing a clinic 
> for the beginner distance
> rider. 

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