Kate Little Clinic Weekend: Preview

I'm home from a weekend clinic with Kate Little in Indiana hosted by Jen at her barn. It was an incredible weekend with all three (!) of my horses, and it marked the first big solo haul I've done with all of them. 

I left the weekend with a kind of excitement I haven’t felt in years; I feel genuine eagerness to ride and work with all three. Having that spark of motivation back feels wonderful. For a while, I’d burned out on aspects of riding and training. Once I recognized that in myself, I lifted the pressure to do much of anything for over a year. When the spark began to flicker again, I eased back into more consistency and routine. Now, thanks in part to this weekend's adventure, that spark has become a dancing flame, and I’m so eager to feed it.

Stan had his poor wittle mind opened up for new lessons. It was amazing.

Kate is truly a gem of a human. She has an uncanny ability not only to unlock new skills and communication between horse and rider, but also to do it in a way that builds trust in the partnership and confidence in yourself. She cultivates the safest, most encouraging learning environment I’ve ever experienced in my equestrian life. My usual performance anxiety was almost nonexistent all weekend! What little cropped up was mild and manageable. It was surreal, in the best way, to simply relax and enjoy learning without fear of judgment. Some of that comes from personal growth, but much of it is thanks to the atmosphere Kate creates as a mentor and teacher.

Connor!

I also enjoyed spending time with Jen, who was a gracious and generous hostess. Without her, this trip wouldn't have been so smooth and enjoyable. Over the past few years we’ve grown closer while navigating parallel challenges, and I deeply value the friendship we’ve built through that. I’m endlessly impressed by her, too. It’s no small feat to organize a four-day clinic while also managing the constant demands of running a barn, yet she handled it with such steadiness and professionalism that everything felt seamless. I'm deeply impressed and inspired by her. 

Grif and I sharing the same expression as our neurons fired overtime. 

And then there was Leah, what a joy to meet her in person finally! We quickly found common ground, and she was so easy to talk with and open up to. Watching her lessons with Kate made it clear just how much thoughtful work she has poured into Pyro; their progress together really shone.

Sometimes I pause and marvel at what this little horse-blogging community has brought into my life. The internet can certainly be a cesspool, but this corner of it - the connections, friendships, and opportunities - shows the very best of what can happen when people find one another through a screen.

A truly transformative session

I look forward to sharing more about my lesson with each horse over the next few posts - so stay tuned!