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.
November Clinic Report: Pepper
Candi K has worked with Pepper since her return to SAFE, and has the following to say about their time spent together, specifically about their time in the riding portion of the November Joel Conner Clinic: “Who doesn’t love a little spice in their life? Pepper…
November Clinic Report: Scotty
Kaya M rode Scotty in his first Joel Conner Clinic this past November, and has the following to say about their rides together: “Scotty really proved that he’s a confident and capable riding horse this weekend! I’d only ridden him a couple times out in the big arena,…
November Clinic Report: Bijou
Sara H worked alongside Bijou in the groundwork sessions in the November Joel Conner Clinic, and had the following to say about their time together!: “Who says old horses can’t learn new tricks? Bijou is a sweet and sensitive old gal who recently spent several days…
November Clinic Report: Frosting, Wren, Veronica, Artie, Esme
We finished off 2023’s training program horsemanship clinics on a high note. The incredible dedicated volunteers were like a well-oiled machine over the intensive five days. Wednesday and Thursday, we got our hands on 21 SAFE horses! From the barely haltered to those…
November Clinic Report: Sienna
Sue C worked with Sienna during the November Joel Conner clinic, and has the following to say about their experience together: “The lovely and sage Sienna was my groundwork partner for the November 2023 Joel Conner clinic. Sienna is a kind, experienced mare who is…
September Clinic Report: Bandit
Kirsten AL has been working with Bandit for some months, and worked alongside her in the September Joel Conner Clinic. Below, she reflects on the experience of the three days spent together and what she and Ms. Bandit learned: “Day 1 question – How to decrease cranky…
Joel Conner Clinic Report: Jill
Kaya has been putting in a lot of work with Jill, and as a result, she is going beautifully under saddle! Here’s what Kaya had to say: Jill is a joy to ride! She did so well in the clinic with all the other horses in the big arena and stayed calm and with me even…
Joel Conner Clinic Report: Pepper
During the September Joel Conner clinic, Pepper got a lot of work on her education! Lily L took Pepper in the groundwork class and had this to say about the experience: I had the honor of working alongside Pepper at the most recent Joel clinic, which was a tremendous…
Joel Conner Clinic Report: Barb
Here’s a clinic report from Sarah V who worked with Barb, one of the Fall City 40 horses: I’d never worked with Barb before Thursday of the clinic, but was really excited to have the chance. I was onsite in Fall City in July of 2019 when we were trying to separate…
Joel Conner Clinic Update: Sienna
Thank you to Sue C. for this clinic report about her work with Sienna:I had the opportunity to work with Sienna at the November 2020 Joel Conner clinic. It was a great chance for me to take a step back, review, and work on my feel. Sienna knows the moves,…
