At the end of February, we went to the second Henk van Bergen clinic. This one was at a new facility in White Fences, in Loxahatchee, which meant a longer trailer ride. Wimbley and Dance both took it in stride. This was not a covered arena, but there was a mirror on the full length of the short side. Wimbley paid it no notice. And the footing was absolutely perfect. The whole facility is absolutely gorgeous! It belongs to a friend of mine that I met while I was in Germany, and before she moved to the United States, but that is a story for a different time....
Henk could see that his training was progressing since October, and seemed pleased with that progress. His main comment was, “Yah, I see he makes a mistake here and there, but I also see that you immediately correct the mistake and go on. I can’t say more than that; he is a young horse still. It is a bonus that he already can do a bit of leg yielding so you are, for sure, on the right track here.”
The further suggestion he made was that I make sure to keep him soft in the contact in the downwards transitions and that he doesn’t lean on my contact, so we practiced that a little, with Henk giving me the help from the ground to feel when it was absolutely correct.
We ended on a great note, and I was looking forward to the second day of the clinic, when it happened…..
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