California Dressage Society
San Diego Chapter
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Dear CDS-SD:I was the San Diego Chapter Representative for the Southern California Francis Verbeek Clinic held at Middle Ranch on May 8-11th. 2003. I wanted to thank CDS and especially the San Diego Chapter for giving me the opportunity to clinic with such a renowned trainer/judge. Linda Mazur did a fabulous job organizing the clinic, and everyone at Middle Ranch was most gracious and generous. Middle Ranch is a gorgeous facility and the perfect place to have the clinic. My talented young horse and I have only been together since October 2002 and we are still getting to know each other, so this was a fantastic, confidence building opportunity for both of us. Francis is an incredibly effective teacher! She brought out the best in all the participants, and it was wonderful to see the improvement over the 3-day clinic in each and every participant, including myself. My horse settled in well, and though a bit naughty at first, with Francis’s help we were able to work through the issues that came up. When we worked through the issues, I had a different horse underneath me!!! Supple, soft, and forward, in mind AND body. Fantastic! Most important is to have “feel”, ride forward to contact with activity in the hind legs, and KEEP THE CONTACT! Francis is a high-energy instructor with an excellent grasp of our language and cared about seeing every one of us improve our riding and our horses. I found her very “down to earth” and was comfortable with her teaching, as it is very much in line with my own instructor’s style of teaching. I deeply enjoyed the lessons, and she has helped me become more of a “thinking rider”. I am so honored to have ridden with her and I will carry what she taught me for the rest of my life. THANK YOU, CDS-SD!!! Keep these clinics coming, it was a wonderful opportunity for me, and I am very thankful that CDS is able to offer instruction of this caliber to amateurs.
Sincerely and with much thanks,
Angela Spucces and St. James
San Diego Chapter CDS