Les Vogt is Coming to Town: March 2008 Clinic!!!
I just found out that Les Vogt will be having a clinic in March. First I went through the jumping around phase. Now I’m in the “oh-man-what-if-he-says-I’ve-ruined-Leo” phase. What if I get there and all the other riders are doing 20 foot slides and cyclone spins? What if he says I’m doing everything all wrong?
I’ve never been to a clinic before (well…there was that time in Hawaii when I stepped on a spiny sea urchin…). Then there’s that whole it’s THE Les Vogt thing I have to get over and try not to get so nervous that I can’t think. It’s really intimidating if you think about it though. I mean, he’s the master, he’s in the Hall of Fame, he’s won world, he’s the man, and he’s going to be watching me ride. Maybe I’ll blend. Or maybe I’ll be a disaster and he’ll shake his head. Maybe Leo will finally launch me into the fence. Or the other riders! Jim (Leo’s owner the Team Roper) got to rope with Trevor Brazile last summer and he said he goes through the same thing when he’s around the pro ropers. So I guess this freaking out thing is normal. Or maybe Jim and I just aren’t normal…that’s definitely a possibility.
I’m really looking forward to having him tell me what I need to work on and what I’m doing wrong and correctly. It’ll also be my very first reining lesson. How cool!!! Les Vogt is coming to town!!!
Leo and I have 2 ½ months to prepare. I’m just going to have to get some rain gear, quit being a wimp, and start riding in the rain. I want to be as prepared as I can be, so I can get as much out of the clinic as possible. Les Vogt’s coming! Woooohoooooo!
Yes, getting nervous is very normal. I definitely did before each of my clinics. My biggest piece of advice is at the end of each day (if its a multiple day clinic), or even at the lunch break WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN!!! draw out diagrams too. Because you may think you’ll remember, but there usually is so much information given, you won’t. I’m excited for you! It great to watch the DVDs, but its so awesome to have them right there helping you. Don’t worry about not meeting his expectations, with his experience, I’m sure he’s seen all kinds!
I kinda went through the same thing, Monday I had my very first reining lesson! I was nervous about “not being good enough”, but when I got to the arena, walked her around & warmed her up, my trainer came over & asked me about my goals & I said I would like to show in some green shows maybe this summer & he said just by watching her warm up that would definitely be a possibility! I was so happy! He said he liked my mare. We worked on spins & he had me work on 3 different exercises (which I promptly wrote down when I got home). Mea likes to step behind, instead of in front with her front legs, which is I knew she was doing, but couldn’t get it fixed on my own. He said he can tell she wants to go fast in the spins, but right now she’s doing it wrong & gets flustered, so we have to get her to do it right before we let her go fast. He told me just to be patient when asking for the spin. By the end of the lesson she was better & I took her to an indoor last night to ride & she did good there too.
09 Jan 2008 at 7:51 am
You’re going to show! Thats so great! You have to tell me how it goes when the time comes. I’m super curious about it. You’ve been in a show before?
I’m glad you’re getting some riding in. It sounded like you’d be snowed in all winter. I’m jealous that you’re taking lessons. How often will you take them?
She steps behind with her front legs? Whats one of the exercises? Were all three of those exercises to correct the front leg challenge?
Ya, I am so excited to meet Mr. Vogt in person. There is the possibility that Jim won’t be able to trailer Leo over the pass at that time because of snow. Do you think it would be worth it for me to go to the clinic on a different horse? It wouldn’t be ideal, but I wouldn’t want to miss my chance to learn what I can.
10 Jan 2008 at 12:54 am
One riding with Les Vogt, one riding with a reining trainer. Talkin about showin. Don’t think my reinaholic clinic is workin so good.
10 Jan 2008 at 6:48 am
I’ve never shown in reining before, just in 3 different walk-trot classes last summer, but 2 of those I got first, which I wasn’t expecting!
The end of last week it got up to 60 a few days, so that pretty much took care of the snow, but made it soggy.
I’m hoping to take lessons once a week, he comes to a barn near me on Mondays. I have to call the girl that does the coordinating (she & her husband take lesson from him right before me) tomorrow to see if he’ll be coming next Monday or not, I hope he is! Here’s his website http://www.dougbogart.com/Home.html
The first thing he had me do is walk along the rail to corner of arena, when you get into the corner, lay the neck rein across first, pull with inside rein a little to see eye & use outside leg & do 1 spin. Then walk along the rail to the next corner & do the same thing. Then after a while trot out & drop to a walk right before the next corner. She had a tendency to lag her hip to the outside after the spin, so he had me push her hip to the inside for a few strides as we trotted out.
The second thing he had me do was trot a small circle, then drop to a walk, the spiral in & do 1 spin & trot out & do it again.
The third thing might be hard to visualize, but he had 2 cones set up about 15 ft apart & I would trot around one of them twice then as I came inbetween them I would come to a full stop, then I would do 1 spin in the opposite direction I was trotting, then trot out & go around the other cone & do the same thing.
I don’t think the exercises are for her stepping behind per se, I think they are just general exercises, but he really wanted me to make sure she would step in front while I was doing them & if she didn’t to forget about the spin & get her moving forward into a circle & then bring her back into the spin & try it again.
I would definitely still do the clinic, even if you can use Leo. I agree, it would be better to use him, but at least YOU would still be learning & could apply it to him.
Aw, Al, don’t feel bad, we still value you! But if we get chances to do things hands on, at least I know I’m going to do it!!!!
10 Jan 2008 at 7:52 am
I just figured maybe could cure you two of your reinining addictions but I guess that done failed.
What the trainer is working towards with you Amanda is putting forward motion into the turnarounds and spins. There’s usually a tendency for folks to want to rock a horse back when getting them to spin. That is what usually causes them to cross under in front. When you start doing reverse arcs, where the horse backs into a circle, you’ll see that’s how they have to cross over.
Doesn’t seem to make sense but when you want a nice spin on the hindquarters you want the horse thinking forward and stepping out with their front legs. Sounds like she wants to do it so it won’t be long she’ll have you walkin dizzy all the time.
I like to use a lot of walk/trot classes for young horses or getting horses used to the crowds and distractions. Nice easy gaits where they don’t feel too pressured.
If you read the account of my first show on my blog you’ll see I was broke in kinda the hard way. I think that’s an advantage now. I told MJ a while back some of my show goals when I take young horses.
My idea of winning:
My horse doesn’t:
Buck, rear, throw me over the arena fence
Cause a stampede in the warm up ring
Kick or bite any rich kid’s horse
Break away from the trailer and run into a main road
Refuse to load in our trailer because he sees the million dollar living quarter trailers the other horses get to ride in
I don’t:
Fall off
Use my normal training language in front of small children or sensitive women
Get arrested for assaulting a judge
Otherwise embarrass my family to the point I have to pick them up down the road so they don’t have to be seen gettin in the truck with me
Kinda nice to get a ribbon or something every once in a while too though.
10 Jan 2008 at 6:12 pm