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 well versed in all the moves, so in many ways an easy horse to handle. She can, however, be easily stuck on her front end, and it was a big challenge for me to prevent that. My first task was to have enough life to move her away from me readily. I worked hard to get a change, followed by a real release, ie. get in and get out. Challenge number two was to move her hindquarters away without allowing her to brace or to fall in on her inside front shoulder. Again, the job is to get a change and get out. I would love to say that I was entirely successful at this. The fact is that we did have successful moments at everything we tried, largely due to Sienna’s good nature, good training, and willingness. She was quite good at backing on an arc and moving from that into front quarters.
Sienna taught me a ton, and did so willingly, as she always does. The biggest lesson is always how much I have to learn. I am always amazed at the heart of this mare, how willing she is to try to do whatever I ask of her. She is a smart mare who will be a great partner for someone with the horsemanship skills to support her. Thanks to Joel and Terry for the opportunity to learn with her.”
