Final Thoughts on The Expo

In what I promise will be my last words about the Nebraska Horse Expo, I have to say that I had a wonderful time all weekend long at the Events Center. I never did attend any lectures on hoof care, mostly because I was so occupied talking to horse friends, helping Jamee and watching demo rides.

Let’s start with Matt McLaughlin. I have to confess, (since I’ve eaten my dinner of roasted crow with a side of steamed veggies, and rice pilaf) that I was skeptical of Mr. McLaughlin. Initially I thought that Mr. McLaughlin was merely a trick rider, a showman, a circus act. When I sat down in the bleachers on Saturday for his 3rd level Steps and movements demo, I was armed and ready with snarky commentary.

I had to bite my tongue. Not only did he have a beautiful position, but the philosophy he espoused fit very closely to my own. "Damn! I like this guy." Generally speaking, I look for two things in a clinician/trainer/professional: 1) MUST have a beautiful, correct position 2) MUST give clear explainations/direction. I have attended hundreds of clinics, and seen Piaffe trained a number of times. I've even been the rider on the horse learning piaffe. In all that time, no clinician/trainer ever explained the process so fully as McLaughlin on Sunday. Clearly, he's a master of piaffe.

I appreciated the kindness and humor he used in his approach to Pecos. Obviously, he’s deadly serious about achieving correctness, but he never let that compromise his respect for his mount. McLaughlin also showed grace and diplomacy as he answered questions from the audience, many of which were not relevant to dressage.

I hope that all those present on Saturday and/or Sunday realize that Mr. McLaughlin is a professional. He’s ridden many many horses, and been professionally trained to ride with the full bridle. It (the full bridle) is an amazing training tool.Piaffe is an excellent means by which to strengthen your mount, but neither are for novices(I include myself here). This is my criticism. I fear that some of his advice may be taken too literally, and might be applied under the wrong circumstances. Matt inspired me to push myself harder, but I will not be pushing my horse into piaffe or the full bridle without some assistance.

Matt McLaughlin included, 2007 was a great year for Dressage at the Expo. Notably, a great year for American horses in Dressage. We should all thank the Quadrille riders and Jamee for demonstrating to the Nebraska horse community that dressage is a sport for all horses, not just warmbloods.

Matt McLaughlin Video

This video is from the 2007 Pennsylvania Horse Expo. This demonstration of training piaffe and passage is slighly different from the training session he gave yesterday in that he trains piaffe and passage from the ground with a mounted rider.