Horsemanship Clinic with Chris Lombard - pictures! (part two)

            When I arrived on Friday afternoon, the clinic had been going on for several hours already. They were working on driving with long reins, which I had never seen before. It took me a little while of watching to figure out how it works, but it looks like a lot of fun.
            This is our host, Karen, and her horse Zena. I noticed that Zena moves very expressively, and she responds to very subtle cues. I enjoyed watching to see if I could spot what Karen was doing that Zena was responding to. Sometimes I could see it, and sometimes not.

            Everyone made sure to praise their horses both while they were working and after a job well done. I saw that all the horses appeared more relaxed after each session than they were before. I am a big believer that this is the way training should be! 

             This type of work looks like something I could learn how to do. Just from watching, it looks to me like a logical progression from work with a single long line. You can do a lot of the same things, but with clearer communication due to the second line. Maybe you can even do more things because of this. It also seems like a good way to teach the horse about things you want them to do in response to cues from the reins, without the added complication of actually being on their back. What I was watching on Friday and Saturday was beyond my current skill level, since this would be a new technique for me. But the more I watched and listened, the more I began to think I could figure out how to get started with it if someone handed me the reins. It was delightful to see this more advanced work. I did not get bored watching, because I was busy using my brain to work out what was going on.
            I also thought it was amazing how calm the horses were about the whole thing. They've got long lines draped around them, flapping around and touching their legs and backs. They've got a bunch of people talking and looking at them, plus the person working with them, who was often behind them or next to their hind end and hard to see. And then, there are other horses all around and in the same ring while they are working. That can be a lot to take in, yet even the less experienced horses were comfortable enough to act like they felt safe. But you know, I felt very safe, too. I often do not feel safe around so many new people, but the whole atmosphere seemed to promote a sense of stability.