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Lightness Clinic with

Leanne Williams

24th-25th February 2024

25th-26th May 2024

31st Aug-1st Sept 2024

30th Nov-1st Dec 2024

Time: 8am to 5pm

Book HERE

Dressage in Lightness Clinics

Discover the HUGE benefits that are available to you at our Lightness Clinics, where you and your horse will enjoy a learning experience that will transform your equestrian thought processes.

This clinic will fill in gaps that will aid your goals, skill set and ultimate happiness and soundness of your horse.

These clinics offer an amazing list of advantages designed to enhance your horsemanship skills and create a lasting bond with you and your horse.

The groundwork consists of Cavesson work, Lunging, In-Hand Work and into the Riding, you'll learn how to develop your horse's posture in a way that aligns with dressage principles and promotes comfortable riding. Emphasizing long-term soundness, our approach ensures that your horse's well-being remains a top priority throughout the process.

Leanne will clearly explain the importance of understanding equine biomechanics, you'll gain invaluable insights into how your horse's muscles and skeleton work in unison to achieve balance and symmetry.

This understanding will not only improve your horse's performance but also contribute to their overall physical health and longevity.

Our intensive two-day clinics, available at an affordable price of $330, provide an amazing learning experience. With two semi-private lessons on day one and a private lesson on day two where you'll receive personalised instruction tailored to your horses specific needs.

Additionally, the opportunity to interact with an amazing group of like-minded individuals creating a supportive community that initiates growth and inspiration.

We can offer overnight yards and accommodations, allowing you to fully relax and enjoy yourself in the clinic environment. If you choose to attend as a spectator, you'll still witness the remarkable transformations taking place before your eyes and gain valuable insights to apply to your own horsemanship journey.

Unlock a wealth of benefits for both you and your horse at our Lightness Clinics.

Develop your riding skills, feel a deeper connection with your horse and promote long-term soundness.

Don't miss this opportunity to develop your horsemanship and experience the amazing advantages that will come from this.


Leanne's Five Steps Process to Training in Lightness

Leanne has dedicated her life’s work to the best and kindest training procedures for the most successful results.

It all starts with 5 simple steps... 

Intro to Cavesson

Rodney (horse) in a well fitted cavesson doing his cavesson work before his lunge
Details

Cavesson work aids horses in developing their strength, improving balance, and improving suppleness, all of which teaches them to use their bodies more sustainably and comfortably (for us and them) for riding.

By working on these points, we create horses with an increased performance life. 

Lunging Inc Cavalletti

Stunning Palomino being lunged in cavesson in a nice relaxed neck extension
Details

During lunging, we introduce movement whilst maintaining a relaxed posture while we assess the muscular development of the horse.


It is the first time we get to look at the natural balance of the horse while moving.


Including Cavalletti:

Cavelletti training on the lunge is a wonderful way of building confidence, co-ordination, bascule (lowering of one end while raising the other), strength and symmetry in your horse.

Mouthing Process

Leanne taking a horse through our mouthing process to achieve a more relaxed posture
Details

Part 1: Contact

Our method involves no backward actions on the mouth, instead, all actions are in an upward direction – as a rule, up the line of the cheek piece.

Part 2: Balance

For the horse to have a truly relaxed mouth we need to be able to maintain as much balance as possible laterally (right/left) and longitudinally (forwards/backwards) and diagonally in all positions.

Part 3: Bend

During halt, develop neck bend of 45 to 90 degrees to the body, without poll flexion. There should be no loss of balance during this process.

Part 4: Extension

Extending the neck forwards and downwards, so that the poll is lower than the withers, without losing balance over the shoulders.

In-Hand Work

Leanne walking Rodney around in-hand with inside bend to encourage him into self carriage while working on pushing from his hind legs
Details

Once the horse is confident with all initial exercises, both from the front and from the side (left and right) we can add movement (walk & trot) while working on the contact, balance, bend and neck extension.


We start with the basics but with work, you can begin all the lateral movements such as shoulder in, travers, renvers, half pass and walk pirouettes.

This ultimately leads to the development of the piaffe and passage exercises.

Mounting & Riding

Leanne practicing mounting on a horse in training to make sure they are well set up for when they return home to their owner
Details

The ultimate outcome for the mounting process that we have designed, is for the horses to stand so quietly that any person of any age, or ability, can mount.


Once we reach the ridden stage, we revisit previous steps while riding to ensure the horse understands that we are asking for the same things under saddle as we did on the ground. 


The first four stages of training should not be forgotten and always be re-visited when necessary.

Check our Reviews out...

*****
First time attending a lightness clinic. Highly recommend, huge difference in working relationship with horse.

Kathryn Bazely

*****
Another quarterly Lightness Clinic done and dusted. So enjoy being around these like minded riders and always grateful to Leanne for keeping me on track with both Joey and Matisse, especially at the moment when things aren’t going so well.

Linda Muldoon

******
A gorgeous weekend for the quarterly Lightness Clinic held at Avoca Park. It’s nice to be amongst like minded people and the vibe and energy was awesome.

Thrilled to the back teeth with my lovely Matisse. He is getting stronger every week and lighter and lighter in front. The 3 lessons over 2 days focusing on posture are exponentially beneficial. Amazing transformations for all participants.

Started shoulder in with Matty today and we were using that to improve his balance in canter ( which is still a WIP). I am exhausted but still really buzzed and excited about what the future holds for us.

Linda Muldoon

*****
Another fabulous Lightness Clinic. Leanne is a patient and knowledgeable instructor and works very closely with you to help deepen the relationship with your horse and to instill the principles of Classical Dressage to ensure consistency in all aspects of working with your horse. I particularly enjoy the in-hand work and seeing the changes in the posture of both yourself and the horse. Highly Recommend.

Kathryn Bazely

*****
Thanks so much to Leanne and all the staff at Avoca Park for holding the Lightness Clinic this weekend! I've had such a wonderful weekend with my horse, Bandit, learning half passes, travers and renvers and working on my tricky right lead canter. It's been fantastic getting back to lessons after Covid-19 and all the lockdowns. Thanks and I can't wait for the next clinic.

Sarie Miles

*****
I attended the latest Lightness Clinic last weekend. Once again, a great two days starting off with a morning session of in hand – lengthening and shortening the steps, stretching and trying some higher frame short steps – very exciting! Then in hand/mounted in the afternoon session. Yesterday all participants had a private lesson to work on and solidify everything practiced from the first day. All horses and riders reached and passed milestones and there were many, many smiling faces.. I’ve had the comment on one of my dressage tests “horse in self carriage” – the methodology works if you commit.

Di Politz

*****
The lightness clinic I attended this weekend was fabulous. It’s been a while since I’d been to Avoca Park due to covid and it was great to be back. To be able to learn so much in such an encouraging and supportive environment is the best. Leanne has helped me and my horse so much. Super fun weekend!

Jen Knoetze

*****
Another quarterly Lightness Clinic done and dusted. So enjoy being around these like minded riders and always grateful to Leanne for keeping me on track with both Joey and Matisse, especially at the moment when things aren’t going so well.

Linda Muldoon

*****
I attended the lightness clinic last weekend. It was my first clinic with my young horse who is having some training with Leanne. This was also the first time I’ve ridden my horse since he’s been at Avoca Park, the work Leanne has done with him has been amazing, the difference I felt in him was fantastic! Thank you, guys

Alma Robinson

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