Buffalo Therapeutic Riding Center Hosts USHJA Emerging Athletes Level 2 Training Session and Horsemanship Clinic

Buffalo, NY– September 8, 2011- The Labor Day weekend at the Buffalo Therapeutic Riding Center was full of activity as riders gathered on September 1, 2011 for a two-day session horsemanship clinic. Melanie Smith Taylor and Mindy Bower conducted the clinic, welcoming riders from beginner, intermediate and advanced levels. The clinic was held in tandem with the USHJA Emerging Athletes Program (EAP) Level 2 Training Session on September 3rd. Both clinics provided riders with opportunities to gain knowledge and further experience with their riding skills, as well as to extend their understanding of the horse itself.

The clinics’ goals revolved around the students becoming more complete in their knowledge of horsemanship both on the ground and mounted. “I’ve been working with Mindy Bower for years and she’s an excellent horsewoman, she taught me a lot about working with horses on the ground,” described Taylor. “Before you actually get on, it’s all about getting them really light and responsive on the ground and being respectful. It makes it much easier when you get on because they maintain that equal respect.”

The 2011 Mindy Bower and Melanie Taylor Clinic consisted of 24 riders split into three groups of eight. Bower and Taylor worked in conjunction, teaching each group over the two-hour duration. Bower worked with the riders for the first half hour, beginning with the basics of groundwork. Taylor took them for the last hour and a half and continued to give constructive criticism with flat work and over fences. “I think that the riders got a lot out of it, and I think that they definitely understand how it is all the same idea-getting the horses to be respectful and yield to pressure, it is important to have your horse with you and connected to you mentally, it all carries over when you get on,” noted Taylor.

Susan Schoellkopf offered the BTRC facility for the EAP many months back; however, she thought that while Bower and Taylor were going to be there, she could also offer the same kind of opportunities for her own customers and students. “Susie has always been on the cutting edge of trying new things and thinking out of the box. She is always great at giving opportunities that are new and different and might make a big difference for riders and their future career,” commented Taylor.

As the Horsemanship Clinic came to an end, the Emerging Athletes Program was only beginning. The morning of September 3rd marked a whole new day for the Level 2 Training Session where Bower, Taylor and Elisa Shuford-Hucks worked with 15 riders from Zones 1 and 2 to recognize, cultivate and sustain the gifted young riders. The first day was a regular clinic session focusing on the development of building a strong horse and rider relationship. The second day of the training session allowed for the riders to practice the over fences portion of the clinic where they were given feedback and constructive criticism. They also had to take a written test and show their horsemanship as it follows through to taking care of their horses.

Only 20 percent of the riders from Level 2 will make it into the top 12 and continue to Nationals held at Country Ridge Stables in Mundelein, IL, on November 16th. Riders anxiously await the list which will be posted a week after the fifth regional is completed.

In between the clinics at BTRC, Bower had the opportunity to work with Jennifer Alfano and many of her hunters, such as Jersey Boy and Miss Lucy. “I am so comfortable doing what I do with horses, but then I put one of those rope halters on and go out with Mindy and I feel like I’ve never been around horses my whole life,” laughed Alfano. “I think our horses are so much more perceptive to what we do than what we think. Even how we handle ourselves around them. You know, they look to us for so much and I don’t think people realize that. You can never stop learning in this sport.”

Operating out of Buffalo, New York, BTRC is a non-profit organization that promotes and teaches horseback riding – noted for its social and therapeutic benefits – to disadvantaged and emotionally challenged children. Since 1990, the center has provided the experience of riding and caring for horses to children with a variety of disabilities. The program has expanded steadily and currently serves more than 170 children annually.

For more information on Buffalo Therapeutic Riding Center, please visit www.thebtrc.org