Intermediate Course “Banyandah”, Howlong, NSW/VIC border – April 20-24

Course Venue

"Banyandah" Howlong, NSW/VIC border
5527 Riverina Hwy Howlong
Banyandah is a purpose built horsemanship centre on the Murray River with many great horse training areas, and obstacles to play with. It also offers superb accommodation or options to camp. For more details about this contact Jane Reid  horseheaven@albury.net.au  0428 537 977‬

Start & Finish Times 9:00-5:00

 

 

Prerequisites for this course...

The Connecting andFundamental Feel in Ground skills course and the Introduction to Riding with Synchronicity are prerequisites for students who are bringing horses.  There may be some exceptions upon discussion with me and sending in a video of you working with your horse. Both these courses are offered at Banyandah in March. I also highly recommend redoing them whenever people are able to. Second or even third time round people are always surprised by what they gain from them. Becoming excellent in these foundational skills, concepts and principles is the key to excellence.

The Postural Development and Biomechanics Groundwork Therapy and the Advancing Groundskills are also ideal to have done first but not essential if you already have a calm, connected horse with no extreme postural issues.

All horses must already be started under saddle.

If the rider is very inexperienced or very unconfident please check with me before booking so we can make sure this course is right for you and that we can accomodate your needs.

All of the teaching will be based around further building the connection and relationship with your horse. This is always the number one priority in any of my teaching which is then closely followed by developing the horse’s posture, and your own, to improve the horse's biomechanics and their level of hindquarter engagement. Better biomechanics will will make everything more enjoyable, pleasurable and safer for both you and the horse. Better biomechanics will also help your horse to become more athletic (better performance) and stay sounder for longer. Whether you are a competitive rider or a pleasure rider the things learned in this course will be incredibly beneficial.

Learn more about the course content...

The content of this course will be based upon the following, but will be adapted to specifically target the needs of the horses and riders that are attending.

We will begin by reviewing, expanding and improving upon the core concepts learned in the Introductory courses and then advance things with more precision, more responsiveness and with a better understanding of the biomechanics of the horse.

Both the human and the horse will develop confidence and feel safer together. You’ll learn exercises to improve riding balance and learn more about riding dynamics and how to flow with the horse in perfect harmony, this includes learning about trot diagonals and canter leads for example if that knowledge is needed.

Because participants will already have a core base of knowledge in my teaching I can be quite flexible with what is taught in the intermediate level courses. After assessing the group as a whole and individually I will form a program to meet the needs of those participating. If you have a specific area of interest that you wish to learn about please let me know via email.

Areas of learning CAN be the following :-

Reading and understanding your horse more accurately.

Deepening your Connection with your horse, developing intuitive communication.

Getting your horse more calm, connected, responsive and athletic.

Developing Feel, Energy awareness and how to use energy.

Becoming clear  and more precise with Body Language.

Using ground skills as a diagnostic tool and for your horse’s emotions and  as physical therapy for your horse.

Exploring transitions, changes of direction, sideways and using longer lines on the ground.

Liberty - Liberating with Liberty.

Positive Reinforcement and Marker training - The power of the "seeking system"

Using obstacles to create visually clear mental pictures and “games” to help your horse learn.

Putting ground skills to purpose eg. trailer loading, crossing bridges, creeks etc.

Riding with Synchronicity - How to better “go with” your horse's movement and riding from your center with unified movement.

Helping the horse to better follow your focus and line of direction.

Refining your aids when riding, more subtlety and having your horse respond to your body more so you can use your reins less.

Learning meditation techniques to clear emotions and heal traumas for your horse and yourself – mentally, emotionally and physically.

Learning bodywork and horse care practices to improve your horse’s physical health and well being as well as improve and develop their physical capability, athleticism and performance.

To set you up and prepare you to get the most out of this course, retaking the prerequisite courses are a great idea. It is amazing the depth you get out of doing them second time round. The foundational concepts are the keys to building the more advanced techniques so the better you understand and can apply them, the easier it is to proceed. You never take it all in first time round, a large percentage goes over your head or is forgotten.

Come along with or without your horse.

Of course if you can bring your horse along your learning will be maximized as nothing beats hands on experience and having direct feedback from a supportive instructor to accelerate your learning. However the other option for attending these courses is to come and participate without a horse, in which case you would actively participate in all of the theory sessions, Q & A sessions, most  simulations as well as watch the demonstrations and observe those with horses practice the techniques. People coming without their horses are not just fence sitters. All of these "non-hands on" with horses sessions actually make up a big percentage of this course so the fee is priced appropriately.

Investment
The cost to come with your horse is $990 for 5 days EB (early bird) Price - if full payment is made before April 1st. After that the price is $1090.  If you can't do all 5 days it may be possible to do lessor days if space permits. Horse spots are limited to 8, so book early so you don't miss out. Priority goes to those booking all 5 days.

The cost to come without your horse is $75/day. Total of $375 for 5 days - EB price - if full payment is made before April 1st. After that prices are $85/day. Total $425 for 5 days.

PLEASE NOTE: No stallions without prior permission. Ideally bring the horse that you had in the preliminary courses so you are ready to progress. For questions regarding the course content, horsemanship or eligibility for the course contact Mel 0428 385 745 mel@melfleming.com
Please scroll down for booking forms.

 

'Functional Saddling' consultations, BALANCE saddles, Private lessons & Bodywork sessions -

 

These sessions are available the day before or after the course or in the mornings or evenings of the course.

Find out more details about these sessions

COMPREHENSIVE saddling consultations where you test ride several BALANCE saddles or saddles of your choice take 1.5 to 2 hrs. and cost $185.  They involve riding in your own current saddle and experimenting with padding arrangements and or adjusting gullets (if possible) to see if  we can improve things with your current saddle. You can ride in several saddles of your choosing (that you bring along) and that you wish to get feedback on. We then test ride a BALANCE saddle to use as a comparison to determine how well your horse moves in its own saddle/s compared to a saddle that is known to be ergonomically designed for horses and riders to maximise comfort and performance.
 
Riding in the saddles is the best way to get direct feedback from the horse - this way we listen to the horse's opinion (and yours) rather than someone else's. Having a few saddles to feel as comparisons is important (BALANCE saddles or other) in this process.
 
If your horse did prefer the BALANCE saddle and you were potentially interested in purchasing one (second hand or new), we would then test ride several different models of the BALANCE saddles to see exactly which one is the best for both the horse and yourself. Interlaced into this session is advice on riding and biomechanics for horse and rider as required and as appropriate to the level of experience of the horse and rider.
 
MINI saddle consultations - It is possible to do shorter saddling consults where we do not test ride many or any saddles and I can just give you my opinion and recommendations based on my experience. This is priced according to the time taken. eg. $55 for 30 mins or $30 for 15 mins. Get in touch in you want advice on whether you need a Comprehensive saddle consult or if a Mini consult will suffice.
 
Private Lessons/ Training sessions  are $120/hr  (Coaching in groundwork, riding, trailer loading, problem solving, healthcare and management).
 
Bodywork   Energetic Bodywork and or PEMF  (Pulsed Electromagnetic Field) treatments $110 Equissage treatments  $88

 

 

 

 
To get more details or book a saddling consultation, private lesson or bodywork session email Mel or call 0428 385 745.  
Letting me know as soon as you can if you are interested in one of these sessions will help me schedule things to make sure I can fit you in. These sessions are available the day before or after the course or in the mornings or evenings of the course.

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