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Conrad Schumacher Clinic Notes

Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2019 3:53 pm
by blob
This past weekend I audited the 2nd day of a 3-day Conrad Schumacher clinic. It was an interesting clinic, with lots of useful takeaways and included a wide range of riders and horses--everything from very green to FEI.

I wanted to share some of the quick notes I took in case anyone else found something useful:

Riding/Training Notes:

-You should ride a test 1-2x a week. The only way to become a good test rider is to actually ride tests and understand the level of preparation that comes into riding from one movement to another. It does not have to be the test you're currently showing, it can be any test--an old test, even a made up one.

-In extremely collected work (piaffe, canter piris, etc) lighten the seat by bringing a bit more weight onto the thigh/knee. (note: I usually think of sitting deeper in collected work, but in this clinic there were many cases where as soon as the rider was able to lighten their seat, the horse was able to piaffe or complete the canter piri in a way that was not possible before)

-When the horse is stiff to the inside, life the inside hand, make sure not to block with the outside rein

-For horses that are greener and still learning/understanding contact, ride with wider arms and think of making the arms like side reins. The give that comes from the donut of a side rein should come from the rider's shoulder.

-Riders' shoulders should be mobile and fluid. We always focus on the hips moving with the horse, but the shoulders are just as important--they must also move with the horse.

-A lazy horse should move forward when the legs come off. The horse should want to move forward from the release of pressure.

-In traverse and canter piris, the key is moving the horses shoulder. Position the hind in, but ride the shoulder.

-To get good quality collected canter work and for the changes, the hind end should feel like it is climbing


Some exercises:

-To improve control over the shoulder/suppleness: Do renvers down the longside at trot, at E/B yield to the center line maintaining renvers position. When you get to A/C turn in the direction of the bend (so opposite hand as before) and continue down the longside with traverse.

-For canter piris: create a ten-meter box using poles in the corner of the arena. Ride the square in canter, riding a step or two of canter piri in the corners of the square and then giving the horse a break on the straightaway. As the corners get easier, the horse is building strength and cadence for the piris.

-For a climbing hind leg in a hotter horse: At the walk do an 8-6 meter volte really encouraging the horse to soften and relax through the body. As you get to the rail, ask for canter. Canter a few strides down the long side and do another 8-6 meter volte in the canter, when you get back to the rail walk. Walk a few strides down and repeat. If the horse anticipates any of the transitions, stay in the volte until the horse relaxes and collects and then do the transition.

-ToF was used a lot for riders of all levels. for the green horses it was used as a basic building black of laterals. For the horses further along it was used to create quickness in the hind leg. For a horse that was a bit lazy the ToF was often used just before asking the horse to jump forward into trot or canter. In a hotter horse, it was used to help them get quick and then relax into extended/free walk.

Re: Conrad Schumacher Clinic Notes

Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2019 3:39 pm
by Abby Kogler
Thank you so much for these good notes. He comes to my area frequently and I hope to at least audit soon and ride eventually; he is someone I admire.

Re: Conrad Schumacher Clinic Notes

Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2019 7:05 pm
by demi
Yes, thanks for taking the time to post the notes, Blob! I like Conrad Schumacher, too, and think he gets some beautiful work out of the horses and riders he teaches.

Re: Conrad Schumacher Clinic Notes

Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2019 9:30 pm
by Moutaineer
Useful stuff. Thanks for posting!

Re: Conrad Schumacher Clinic Notes

Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2019 10:14 pm
by Chisamba
demi wrote:Yes, thanks for taking the time to post the notes, Blob! I like Conrad Schumacher, too, and think he gets some beautiful work out of the horses and riders he teaches.


i noticed the leg off on lazy horses comment lol

Re: Conrad Schumacher Clinic Notes

Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2019 12:47 pm
by piedmontfields
Your notes were helpful and inspiring, Blob! I went and watched several CS videos after reading them. I really like his clear instruction.

Re: Conrad Schumacher Clinic Notes

Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2019 1:19 pm
by Ryeissa
Many things he says don't apply to my horse, but I really like his approach with a clear system. I think I first saw him in 1995 and it really was helpful as I was starting to learn real "proper" german dressage. I have expanded to include other aspects but this is still my foundation - as I said in my other threads I do less driving in my riding, but I get where he is coming from.

Re: Conrad Schumacher Clinic Notes

Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2019 7:56 pm
by blob
I'm glad these notes have been helpful for some!

I love auditing clinics because I find there is almost always something either directly useful or that at least makes me think differently. And it's nice to see how the instruction influences the ride. It's also a lot cheaper than riding in a clinic! So it can be a good way for me to come back inspired and motivated without draining my wallet.

One thing I did not put in my notes, but really appreciated, was CS's willingness to work with riders were really quite new to dressage with the same attention and focus he gave the more experienced riders. There were also many horses there that were not your traditional dressage warmbloods and those horses were also given equal respect and appreciation.

He's definitely german school of thought and comes from the world of driving seat, but the most common feedback from him to ridrs regarding their seat in this clinic is that they should lighten it. I wish I had asked if that comment was because he felt the riders were driving too much or leaning back too much or if in general he thinks the transition into collection should involve lightening.