"Barclay's first clinic was with Vicky was several years ago during a big Montana snow storm. He had basically no training, was abused before I got him and was afraid of people. It was a rather frightening ride for both of us! But with Vicky's guidance, we were started in the right direction from the beginning. From that time on I've attended all of Vicky's Montana clinics, usually auditing but taking lots of notes. This spring I began riding with Vicky again and at Barclay's first show he was Grand Champion Green Hunter.The next show he was Reserve Champion and then the next he was Grand Champion again! The Dressage has helped immensely and Barclay has already far exceeded my expectations. I am thrilled to be riding with Vicky again and can't wait to see where Barclay will go with his dressage training. Vicky - We love you, are so grateful you are healthy and vibrant again,and always look forward to your visits. You can never stop coming to Montana!" ~ Dody, Bozeman, MT
Vicky and dressage driving student, Karen having WAY too much fun with uber cool Murphy the versatile Morgan! In this photo, after the lesson, Karen invited Vicky to take the reins - it became difficult for her to get them back!
"I wanted to thank you for the last 2 clinics. By far, they were the best clinics I have participated in over the years. I was able to absorb a lot of good information both as an auditor and a participant." ~ Karen, Baton Rouge, LA
and a follow up: "Thanks for yet another EXCELLENT clinic. I didn't think you could top last year's clinic but this one was even MORE BETTER! ....the way you convey it seems to click for me..."
“I can’t say enough good things about Vicky Busch! I
met her in the Balimo program and from the very start she took me under her
wing and was tireless in sitting with me, watching horses and riders, and
trying to catch me up in my “dressage education”. In several of my Balimo Long
Distance Courses she was my instructor. I never ceased to be amazed at the
crystalline nature of her mind and the depth in which she answered my
questions. Her energy to help and teach always goes far beyond my expectations.
She is always able to put things in a positive perspective. In my case,
she has been a big part of my inspiration to find my way and continue to learn
and grow as a horsewoman. I hope to continue working with her for a long, long
time.” ~ Jodie, New Mexico
”I love riding with Vicky!!! Vicky has helped me
become an independent and thinking rider, which is really good now that I moved
away from New Orleans
and am riding a lot by myself. You can tell that she loves what she does
and she brings a lot of motivation and enthusiasm to her teaching. She
also helped me find a much more suitable horse which I am enjoying
immensely! Vicky will go the extra mile to help you out but at the same
time she is totally up front about everything, which is a real refreshing
change from what I have dealt with in the past!” ~ Lisa, New Bern, NC
"...When you asked me what my goal was I stated very clearly that it was to ride without pain in my hip...I cannot begin to tell you how effective that one clinic lesson was - your adjustments to my position and technique, your assessment of what I needed to do physically to prepare for my riding and even learning to skip, all have helped me immensely. I am now riding without pain...my hips are opening a bit more and my riding is improving....Your clinic was incredibly helpful for me - in fact, I suspect thanks to that lesson, I won't be rushing off to have a hip replacement quite so soon! Thank you for being a superb teacher and problem solver" ~ Barbara, Corchoran, MN
“Gee, what do I say! The clinic was so incredibly fun
and educational. My senses are awakened” ~ Kathi, Jackson Hole,
WY
“Riding with Vicky Busch was such a great learning experience. . .she showed me
some stretching exercises that really helped melt into my horse….I was
thoroughly amazed at the difference in my riding after each exercise. .
.” ~ Allyson, Bozeman, MT
“Thanks for the transformative learning experience in the horse world” ~ Mary,
Portola Valley, CA
“I’m still working on it - but that “trick” of letting my head drop just for a
few strides will be a key element of not only getting my *ss in the saddle but
interestingly, it makes the transitions much smoother.” ~ Wendy, Bozeman, MT
Notes from the Vicky Busch Clinic September 14 - 16,2007
by Dr. Erica Peterson From Bozeman
Dressage & Combined Training News
The importance of the rider’s seat has never been so clear to me. Position and
seat happen to be Vicky Busch’s specialty, with her Eckart Meyners background.
So, it was my lucky day to have a lesson with her in September. Though my
personal riding instructor has the credentials to train dressage riders and
horses to the Grand Prix level, she just couldn’t get me to sit properly on my
horse. She’d tell me, “shoulders back!”, “keep your leg at the girth!”, “don’t
grip with your legs!”, “sit deeper in the saddle!”, and “LOOSEN UP!”, over and
over again. I knew that until I got all this right, my horse and I were not
going to be correct.
After watching our warm-up, Vicky and I agreed to pick one thing to work on for
the weekend. She wanted to fix my position. I thought to myself, “uh oh, here
we go again...” I forewarned her of my previous issues with various seat and
leg adjustments. She acknowledged this and I reluctantly agreed to give it a
try. What she told me about my position was nothing new: that I was not sitting
on my seat bones, but perched in a “fork seat”. And because of this “fork
seat”! was gripping and pinching with my knees and legs.
So -she told me to lean forward, lean back, lean to the side, lean to the other
side, lift my legs off the saddle and back down, and Voila! - that’s my new
seat. I felt like I was sitting in a chair and wanted desperately to shift back
to my old position. Vicky added, to let my legs drape down my horse’s
sides and to pretend that her hands were on the stirrup treads so as to not
crush them. Taking a leap of faith, we started the posting trot. Instantly, my
horse felt free in her back and more relaxed. I registered everything I was
feeling: my legs at the girth, my shoulders back, my seat deep and connected,
my legs loose, my horse happy and I’m not even trying! “Whoa”, I thought
to myself. “Can this be so easy?”
I started playing around with transitions, half-halts, serpentines and loops.
In some cases I merely had to think about what I wanted to do and my mare just
did it without a fight. In addition to communicating with my horse in a new and
more natural way, I could also feelso much more of what she was doing
underneath me. Her all-elusive falling-out-of-the-left-shoulder that always
went unnoticed by me, became plain as day. For the first time, I knew exactly
when her shoulder was straight and when it was falling out. “Whoa”, I thought
again, “this is going to change everything.”
