Have you been wanting to learn more about to meet your horse on the ground, and develop that fundamental communication with them? Jay from Riding with Stick’s is bringing her affectionately known ‘hippy woo woo’ groundwork skills to a clinic, to help horses and their people engage with each other in a safe, heard, and relaxed manner that will translate into your future ridden adventures together.

Jay brings her skills of over 20 years of playing with horses, a Bachelor of Equine Science, countless further learnings from a range of different clinics, and medieval horsemanship reenactment to work on helping horses to access their athletic power without creating anxiety, tensions, and ensuring they have the confidence and biomechanical ability to learn with softness on the ground, before building under saddle.

Through this work Jay helps create willing and confident partnerships between horse and human - from those who enjoy their equine friends from the ground to those who take on high levels of competition in their chosen disciple.

Learn how to prepare horses for what may be asked from them, see the moments when a horse is feeling good about what they are doing, and then marking these moments in a way to help the horse process and remember what created these moments of relaxation.

These moments then build understanding of cues, how to look for an answer, and how to appropriately communicate, for both horse and person.

Over the course of 2 days, you’ll learn the basics of:

• Helping a horse to self-regulate
• Helping the horse to engage with curiosity instead of reacting with concern
• Reading when a horse is mentally present and engaged-not just obedient
• Seeing when the horse is mentally relaxed so they can physically relax and bend without bracing

Jay focuses on the communication between horse and human being a two-way street, so neither feels the need to escalate to be heard.
The everyday interactions must be practical for you to employ, so even if you’ve not looked at this way of horsemanship, please still feel welcome to join, as we work to meet both yourself and your horse at where you currently are.

The clinic day will start with an hour of theory and principles discussion, then lessons in 1.5 hour slots shared between two people. 
Fence-sitters are able to participate in the theory discussion and observe all other lessons. 

Limited overnight accomodation, subject to availability and cost, is offered by Canberra Equine Centre (CEC). Please contact CEC directly if you require these options.

Participants who are non-CEC clients must sign a waver BEFORE attending the clinic. 

All participants must sign a waver from Riding with Sticks.