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.
Ru: Horsemanship Clinic Report
Ruach was able to participate in this month’s Joel Conner clinic, thanks to volunteer Scott B, who worked with him all three days in both groundwork and riding. Here are Scott’s reflections on the clinic: The clinic with Joel was really an amazing experience for me. I…
Lacey: Horsemanship Clinic Report
Lacey and Erika participated in the June Joel Conner clinic at SAFE. Here’s what Erika had to say about the experience: This was my second clinic working with Lacey, and this time we went back to basics. We spent a lot of time working on moving her front-quarters,…
Ru: Joel Conner Clinic Report
I got to work with Ru for the groundwork and riding portions of last weekend’s Joel Conner clinic. The changes I saw in him over the two days that we participated had me smiling from ear to ear! I was so proud of this sweet boy’s “try.” The first morning was a little…
Renee: Joel Conner Clinic Report
SAFE volunteer rider Phoebe worked with Renee during the Groundwork sessions of April’s Joel Conner Horsemanship clinic. Here’s what she had to share about the experience: This was the first time I really worked with Renee, besides bringing her in and out from…
Duchess: Joel Conner Clinic Report
SAFE volunteer rider Phoebe rode Duchess in the April Joel Conner clinic. Here’s what she had to say about the experience: Duchess, what a great teacher she is! Understanding that her inability to hold a focus for very long can be used to distract her from her…
Nashville: Joel Conner Clinic report
SAFE Volunteer Rider Casey A has been working with Nashville and rode her in the riding sessions of last weekend’s Joel Conner clinic. Here’s what she had to say about it: I rode Nashville in the riding portion of the clinic all three days. Joel put the first couple…
Asha: Joel Conner Clinic Report
SAFE volunteer rider Casey A worked with new girl Asha during the groundwork portion of last weekends’s Joel Conner clinic. Here’s what she had to say: I worked with Asha for the groundwork portion of the clinic all three days. This was the first time she had been…
Tasara: Joel Conner Clinic report
SAFE volunteer Marie Jainga took part in her first Joel Conner clinic last weekend, working with Tasara in the groundwork sessions. Here are her observations about her experience: First, I want to begin by thanking Bonnie and Terry for hosting these wonderful clinics…
Lacey: Joel Conner Clinic Report
Clinic report from SAFE volunteer rider Erika: This clinic was not the first time I’ve worked with Lacey, but it was the first time I’ve spent so much time working with her. The first day, Friday, we really worked hard to get to a soft feel, and we got to where she…
Valencia and new mom Kelly at the Joel Conner clinic
Valencia’s adoption got off to a great start when her new owner, Karen K, took her in the Joel Conner clinic in order to better understand the language of horsemanship that Valencia is familiar with. The two did quite well together, and plan to continue this work once…
