Cat Parks and myself working the mechanical cow.
This last weekend I attended a three day clinic at Trinity Ranch in Lamy, New Mexico (a mile from my home) led by Jeff Griffith.
It was one of the best clinics I’ve ever been to. Horsemanship in the morning and a Hot Heels mechanical cow in the afternoon. Limited to a dozen riders so plenty of time to learn and practice. And a lot of fun!
Jeff is extremely knowledgeable and had very clear directions and suggestions. He was especially astute at looking at a rider and horse – and then making very specific suggestions on how to make something happen. He was focused on getting your horse on an arc and when you do that how much easier other things are to do. And a lot on how to keep your horse from bracing against the reins. He talked about half a dozen basic “tools” that you could use in multiple situations. And all of his teaching was very practical.
He is very humble and accessible and gave everyone a lot of personal time. He even brought his two teenagers to help out – Wyatt and Hallie. Jeff lives in Pompeys Pillar, Montana on his fabulous 13,000 acre ranch.
He’ll be back at Trinity Ranch next year doing colt starting, horsemanship, mechanical cow and a few other subjects.
If you get a chance to attend one of his clinics I highly recommend it!
(Thanks to Julia Jarvis for the pictures)
That’s me teaching Pecos to rate the cow, Jeff Griffith in the background on the white horse.
Rating the cow with Elayne Taylor
