This article was originally published in the July 25, 2018 edition of Eventing Nation. It is republished here to ensure widest possible dissemination.
Horses are expensive. Competitive endeavors even more so. As much as we’d all like to think that we can teach ourselves, there’s a point at which we’re all likely to fall into the trap of repeating the same mistakes over and over again and failing to think outside the box to fix them. So, what’s a financially savvy equestrian to do? Get creative with maximizing opportunities!
Each season, there are tons of clinic opportunities with top dressage, show jumping, equitation, and/or eventing riders happening local to where you ride. The benefits to auditing a clinic with a renowned instructor are endless, but we’ve compiled our top five motivators here:
- Save Money.
Auditing a clinic is substantially less expensive than riding in one. By selecting to leave your four-legged partner at home, you can save on everything from truck fuel to stabling costs. Plus, there’s the major difference between packing for your noble steed and bringing along a notebook to jot down the pearls of wisdom that are bound to pour through the clinician’s microphone.
2. Maximize your Return.
Time is money, right? Taking the audit-only route is sure to cut down on your time commitment, especially if you’re lucky enough to have a Big Name Clinician teaching somewhere local to your home, barn, or office. Most organizers will send out a schedule to all registrants a few days in advance of the event, so you can even pre-select which sessions you think will be most interesting and beneficial to the pursuit of your own goals.
3. Food for Thought.
Paying $40 or less for an all-day auditor ticket is a complete bargain if you can leave with even one tip or exercise that will help you improve your riding. You never know the specific phrase that will help you magically grasp that pesky notion of a half-halt until you hear it!
So, remember to keep an open mind when participating as an auditor so that you can walk away with tons of good food for thought to help you set new goals for your riding or progress through something that has been challenging for you. Another great feature of auditing is the ability to ask questions of the clinician. Instructors will often open the floor to audience question in the time between lessons if she schedule allows. It’s a pretty exclusive opportunity to pick the brain of a top rider! Watching other riders work through problem areas or tackle something new can be pretty inspiring, too!
4. Meet with Their Sponsors.
One key way to understand how top riders succeed is to see their effective support team around them. Learn why top riders use and endorse certain products to keep their horses and themselves in top competitive shape. Take the time to speak with company representatives at the various shows and clinic you attend.
For example, Two Time Olympian and top Show Jumper Mclain Ward has partnerships with such top retailers as Back On Track, CWD saddles, Horseware Ireland, Nutrena, Platinium Performance, The Tailored Sportman, Walsh, RevitaVet, Equifit, and many more. There’s a reason he uses their products!
5. A Different Perspective Helps.
Learning about a different discipline from a clinician whose area of expertise falls outside of your area of riding focus can help you think outside-the-box for solutions to training problems or about ways to simplify things you’re working through.
6. Advance Consideration Options.
Leaving your horse at home for an auditing experience can provide you with a great opportunity to scope out the situation for when you might decide to participate as a rider.  Bringing your horse to a clinic is a huge investment of finances and time, so it’s a good idea to do some in-person research!
If you’re lucky enough that this Big Name Clinician will be returning to your area in the future, auditing lets you consider whether his/her teaching and communication style will be beneficial to you when you’re in the tack.
7.  Think Local!
Auditing a clinic shows support for your local horse community; sales from auditor tickets can help organizations and facility owners offset the costs of bringing you these types of opportunities. Help maintain the momentum by participating as an auditor! Remember to pre-register whenever possible so that facilitators know how much food to provide and chairs to set out!
So, where does one find all of these opportunities? I love platforms like info.striderpro.com where I don’t have to create a password to see all the cool stuff going on, and I can search by specific clinician. You can also check out major equestrian organization websites such as USEA, USDF, USHJA and USEF, and keep an eye on Eventing Nation’s “What’s Happening This Summer?” series, a great guide to lessons, clinics, schooling shows and other riding and educational opportunities during the summer (see last update on July 14).
Go Eventing.
Natasha Sprengers-Levine is a USDF Bronze and Silver Medalist based in Winchester, Virginia, who competes her KWPN-NA mare at Third Level and dabbles in lower-level eventing to stay humble.