Joel Conner Horsemanship Clinic Reports
SAFE has had the good fortune to work with horseman Joel Conner for several years. Joel was recommended to us by Buck Brannaman, and it took sending him one horse to re-start — Kai — for us to know that we’d found the right person to help us. From the very start, Joel showed a deep commitment to developing a horsemanship program at SAFE to help staff and volunteers learn solid and consistent skills for working with the horses. He began coming to SAFE multiple times each year, putting on 3 day clinics to teach us these skills, focusing on groundwork and riding. In 2018, he began adding starting young horses under saddle to the program. He also has donated his time to teaching basic horse handling skills to SAFE volunteers, allowing those with little to no horse experience get safe, hands-on practice. In Joel Conner, we feel we have a partner who understands our horses and our mission as rescuers, and we are sincerely grateful for that!
Below, volunteers who work with SAFE horses in these clinics are asked to write up a short piece for the website about their experience and what they learned. These updates, collected over the past three years, will give you a feel for what a Joel Conner clinic is all about.
Training Update: Lacey
Volunteer Rider Alicia has started working with Lacey. Here is her report on how things are going: Lacey and I have been getting to know one another for about a month. She took a few meetings to respect and trust me but now we’re beginning to enjoy one another more on…
Clinic Update: Valencia
SAFE’s weekend Barn Manager Ian was able to help us and take Valencia into the Joel Conner clinic last month. Here is what Ian had to say about the experience: Valencia is a very sweet and loving mare who is still very new at SAFE. She was a little nervous at first in…
Clinic Update: Ben
SAFE’s Herd Health Manager Melinda is now riding Ben to help get him ready for adoption. Here is what she had to say about her ride with Ben in last month’s Joel Conner clinic. Ben and I participated in the riding portion of the Joel Conner clinic in November. I’ve…
Clinic Update: Mason
Here is a glowing report from Lori on her work with Mason in the recent clinic at SAFE: On November 18th I took Mason into the groundwork portion of the Joel Conner clinic. Mason did such a great job. His reactiveness has improved so much. Joel even came over and took…
Clinic Update: Raven
Raven showed much improvement and maturity in her second Horsemanship Clinic at SAFE. Casey had this to say about working with her: I had the pleasure of working Raven in both groundwork sessions of the November Joel Conner clinic. She settled right in to the…
Banjo & Finn visit Safe Harbor
Our WONDERFUL foster mom Carrie brought the Finn and Joey for a visit during the last Joel Conner clinic. She had this to report about the experience: The boys both enjoyed their field trip out to SAFE for the Joel Conner clinic! They loaded into the trailer like it…
Making Progress with Mason
Lori has been working with Mason since his arrival at SAFE last year. She continues to chip away at his issues, hoping that he may still become a safe riding partner. For now, all this groundwork is helping him to trust people and be more comfortable in his body. Here…
Training & Clinic Update: Tasara
Sweet Tasara is coming along well in her training. She has been working steadily with a saddle on her back for a few weeks now and doing well. She is a very sensitive mare and we are working on helping her relax through the groundwork. There are many things we can do…
Renee at the Joel Conner Clinic
This past weekend was a big success for Renee. We started on Friday by asking Joel to assess her past training and help us formulate a plan for our next steps. He took a look at her under saddle and rode her a little to see how she’d react. All said and done, we have…
Clinic & Photo Update: Raven
Raven was such a brave girl for her first groundwork clinic with Joel Conner this past month. Thhe transformation in her was really something to see. Raven is learning to relax and accept new things and find peace and comfort from her handlers. She is beautiful to…
