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I have had a part in hosting PCE clinics in Tucson for about six years. The next clinic in Tucson will be in March and not on a show weekend! The Peggy Cummings "Connected Riding" system has greatly influenced my riding as well as my teaching. Peggy's style includes some NLP (neuro-linguistic programming), which gives a positive approach to all the rider corrections. Example: "Lighten your wrists" instead of "your hands are too low," or "level your feet" instead of "don't raise your heel." The idea is to tell the rider what you do want to see instead of reporting all of the things that the rider is doing wrong. She also tries to shorten what we may say to a student, such as "don't pull back with your hands" could be "soften your contact" or "hands forward." Getting a clear message to the brain to make a positive change helps the rider to be successful at any level.
Peggy also uses several groundwork exercises to communicate to the horse where in its body we want him to release, such as in the poll, behind the shoulder, or in the withers. The groundwork gets the horses warmed up, their backs up, and their minds connected to
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the rider with less wear and tear. There is a way of lunging and long-lining without side reins that Peggy uses to unlock the horses. She explains how some of the traditional methods can cause the horses to lock up in the withers, poll, and sacro-ileac joints. The experience Peggy has gained with working with horses all over the country and with some top professionals has added to her effectiveness in unlocking our local horses. Riders are drawn to this type of training and awareness.
At the November clinic Peggy showed some new ideas that really clicked for me. If you are familiar with A.K., which stands for applied kinesiology, you will get a kick out of this. She used A.K. to muscle test our posture and riding position against a wall and then on the horse at the halt.
It was so interesting to feel and see when we arch our backs, or tighten somewhere, or breathe incorrectly; we don't muscle test as strongly. When riders would get into their most correct, released, centered, and lengthened position they muscle tested very strongly. The trick was to remember that "ideal" feeling and maintain it while in
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motion. The horses tell us all the time when we are not correct, but this new way of exploring seemed to bridge the gap of awareness for lots of riders.
The next clinic will be in early March, and I encourage all riders and trainers to at least check it out! There is usually an informative lecture on the Thursday or Friday night before the clinic. It is helpful to audit and/or attend a two-hour workshop to start to understand some of the concepts before riding. Private lessons are usually only for those who have ridden with Peggy before or on the Monday after your first weekend clinic. The clinic includes a lot of valuable information about the body use of humans and horses, and empowers them to move in harmony together.
For more information visit Peggy's website at
www.peggycummings.com
Or call Cathy Schreiber at 531-0195.
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