Melanie Smith Taylor was the guest clinician at Oak View Stables October 8-9. A former Olympian and co-Chair of the USJHA Emerging Athlete Program, Melanie is much in demand for clinics; she follows a similar agenda in most of them. The first day she puts the riders through gymnastics, and the second day she works on transitions, helping riders improve at adjusting their horse’s stride. Also on the second day, riders jump lines, practicing parts of a course.
“I teach riders to understand how their horse learns, as related to the horse’s survival instincts. I want riders to think about how their horse thinks and how their horse feels inside. So many people just observe the horse from the outside [and work on the mechanics of movement]. But if the horse is exhibiting outward behavior signs, like mouth open, ears back, or tail swishing, I want to rider to try to understand what’s happening on the inside to cause these outward signs,” Melanie explained.
In addition, Melanie is adept at teaching technical skills to riders. “When I’m teaching, I observe how the horse responds, which is a positive connotation. I also observe how the horse reacts, which is a negative connotation, and probably means they’re not understanding the rider’s cues. I emphasize developing a mutual understanding and trust between rider and horse, and the rider sharing mutual responsibility in the partnership. I want them to think of the animal as a living, thinking creature, not a machine or piece of sports equipment. If the rider only considers the horse a piece of sports equipment, they’d be better off taking up tennis! It is important that riders ride with feel and understanding of the horse, and develop a partnership with their horses.
At the Oak View clinic, “I had riders at all levels, from apprehensive adults to kids on ponies. It was a really fun group of riders and I really enjoyed teaching the clinic. I hope they had a good time, too,” Melanie concluded.
“I teach riders to understand how their horse learns, as related to the horse’s survival instincts. I want riders to think about how their horse thinks and how their horse feels inside. So many people just observe the horse from the outside [and work on the mechanics of movement]. But if the horse is exhibiting outward behavior signs, like mouth open, ears back, or tail swishing, I want to rider to try to understand what’s happening on the inside to cause these outward signs,” Melanie explained.
In addition, Melanie is adept at teaching technical skills to riders. “When I’m teaching, I observe how the horse responds, which is a positive connotation. I also observe how the horse reacts, which is a negative connotation, and probably means they’re not understanding the rider’s cues. I emphasize developing a mutual understanding and trust between rider and horse, and the rider sharing mutual responsibility in the partnership. I want them to think of the animal as a living, thinking creature, not a machine or piece of sports equipment. If the rider only considers the horse a piece of sports equipment, they’d be better off taking up tennis! It is important that riders ride with feel and understanding of the horse, and develop a partnership with their horses.
At the Oak View clinic, “I had riders at all levels, from apprehensive adults to kids on ponies. It was a really fun group of riders and I really enjoyed teaching the clinic. I hope they had a good time, too,” Melanie concluded.
