The Tommy Garland clinic was held June 24 at Freedom Farm to benefit The Right Lead and the Iron Arabians youth group, and hosted by SUCCEED. The event was a huge success. Along with money raised to support both programs, 13 young riders received some great lessons in horsemanship.
Tommy taught the kids the importance of having confidence in the saddle, patience with their animals (and themselves), and respect for both their horses and other riders.
Tommy listened carefully to each rider’s concerns with his or her horse and worked with them individually to address the issues. His ability to recall the students and their horses from their application videos was outstanding, and this familiarity made the kids instantly more comfortable in the ring. The younger riders appeared nervous at first, but quickly gained confidence in the saddle. A few of the older riders seemed a bit hesitant to correct their learned habits, but upon listening to Tommy’s suggestions, and seeing the immediate improvement, they became very receptive to the changes.
After working with Tommy, every student went home with new techniques and increased enthusiasm.
Here’s a short photo recap of the day:
