Dan’s Clinics
Introducing in 2021 a new gaited horse
clinic, Making the Most of your Gaited Trail Horse.
The basic horsemanship and trail riding tips and techniques of “Beyond the
Round Pen” (see below) will be reviewed followed by sessions on gait
identification and improvement. We’ll deal with improving the excessively
pacey or trotty horse, bits, shoes, all with an eye
to making your gaited trail horse a safer, more comfortable, more capable mount.
All gaited breeds (including gaited mules) are welcome.
Beyond
the Round Pen targets a pressing need. Many clinicians address colt starting
and developing a relationship with your horse, but few address basic
horsemanship and the skills necessary for staying safe with your horse in the
backcountry. This two-day course prepares horses and riders for advanced
trail and backcountry challenges. Subjects include survival horsemanship,
handling trail obstacles, leg cues, the essential neck rein, improving the
walk, carrying gear on your saddle horse in a safe manner, a packing primer,
safe hunting on horseback, ponying other horses, exposure to cattle, and horse
restraint in the backcountry. Only mornings are spent in the arena.
Afternoon instruction is in the backcountry on our 1200 acre ranch.
(Limit of 10 participants)
For
many of us horses are an essential part of the good life. Moreover, for
many of us who feel that way, reflecting to others on the printed page
our experiences with equines seems a required extension of our interaction with
the animals. Ride and Write is a medley of
these two interests and of Dan Aadland’s
instructional expertise as an equine clinician and as a professional author and
teacher of writing. Subjects touched during the weekend will include the
personal narrative/memoir, writing for equine publications, and book proposals
for equine publishers. We may even try our hand at cowboy poetry.
Time around the conference table is interspersed with horseback rides to
several evocative sites on our ranch, intended to stimulate the creative
process. (Limit of 6 Participants)
In addition to the clinics listed, Dan can custom tailor a clinic or mini-clinic to suit your needs. Bring your horse to our ranch, trail ride, enjoy the mountains, and fish if you like. Custom clinics can be a combination of any of the others or shorter if necessary (a half day or one day). Let us know your needs.
Fee Schedule (identical
for all clinics):
Clinic fee $350 per person—Clinic fee includes all
meals from Saturday morning through Sunday noon.
Horse Stall/Pen—no charge. Hay, if
needed, available at $5.00 per day.
Lodging—Limited lodging available
on the ranch in The Bunkhouse.
Trailer Parking—Staying
in trailers at the arena is permitted. Limited water and electricity hookups
(no AC) $35 per night per trailer.
Deposit of $150 per person is required to hold your place. Deposit is
non-refundable unless clinic is cancelled.
The Instructors
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Dan Aadland, Ph.D., is a lifelong horseman, rancher,
and writer. Author of ten books
(including The Complete Trail Horse)
and
many magazine articles for equine and outdoor publications, Dan taught
English on high school and college levels while developing, with his wife
Emily, a Tennessee Walking Horse breeding and training facility on the ranch
that’s been in Emily’s family for more than a century. A proponent
of the multi-skilled backcountry horse, Dan has also been a work horse
teamster since logging in the 1980’s with Big Jim, his Belgian stallion. His interest in draft animals continues,
and he’s currently working with two young mules to develop them as a team. |
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Emily Aadland, rancher and retired teacher, grew up on the land we now occupy
and became comfortable in the saddle as a small girl. She helped her
dad with the many tasks involving horses and soon was trusted with a
spirited, gaited ranch horse named Brownie on which she moved cattle, helped
her father tend irrigation sets, and checked the range to see that the bulls
were home. Emily assists Dan not only as clinic cook but as an
instructional resource with a lifetime of ranch horse experience. |
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Jennifer Franco grew up with horses in
Montana, studied in the equestrian program at Northwest Community College in
Powell, Wyoming and in Tennessee, trains barrel horses, and has a wonderful
feel for gait. Her touch as a trainer is gentle-but-firm.
Jennifer has been with Absaroka Tennessee Walking horses since 2010 and has
trained dozens of our young horses and several of our gaited mules. |
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Logan
Gehlhausen is a backcountry horseman and trainer with
a wealth of experience starting colts and packing into Wyoming
wilderness. Logan assists on a
time-available basis, lending his considerable expertise and providing
one-on-one instruction. Logan has also developed and teaches a clinic named ‘On the Trail
Fitness’ which emphasizes rider physical fitness for better horsemanship. |
Feedback from Clinic Clients
This has been a phenomenal two days. Dan, your combination of horsemanship, horse knowledge, literary ability to articulate and teach, and personable qualities made every minute a pleasure. The ratio of participants to you (with Travis’s help) was great. I truly cannot imagine what could have been better, and I’m interested in the packing clinic. Emily’s food was super!—Jan Wallace, school administrator
Dan is an excellent teacher and communicator with an easy conversational style. The course covered, at least it seemed to this novice, the most important parts of backcountry riding, always with an emphasis on keeping out of trouble.—Bob Lane, Attorney
…I enjoyed the stories of Dan’s experiences …I never felt talked “down” to and also enjoyed the other students’ constructive criticisms. Travis was very helpful and approachable. The trail riding was great for me—safe and anxiety free. I also enjoyed Emily’s hospitality!—Rena Beck, Equine Masseuse
This was a very informative clinic. Dan is a great teacher. Just watching him and Travis handling their horses was educational in itself. I’d be happy to take another class from them. And, The Johnson Place was a great place to stay.—Valencia Lane, Attorney
Thanks for so much useful and confidence-building information that will make it possible for us to start packing into the backcountry. You are so well organized and supportive that learning is safe—plus the food was great.—Roberta Parrot, retired School Administrator.
Hurray for Emily, the food was great. The practical knowledge was fantastic for me to apply to my everyday riding. The patience working with a novice horse and novice rider was very kind, much kinder than I would have been, and well worth the expense.—Teddy Blinco
Like my horse riding tune-up gave me increased confidence to ride my “new” horse, your instruction has given me increased confidence to pursue magazine article writing! Tune-ups are a good thing.—Thekla Madsen regarding positive results from the “Ride and Write” retreat.
Back to ‘Ride and Write’--I have been savoring Sketches from the Ranch very slowly as like the Montana experience, I do not want the book to end. Thank you so much, Dan and Emily for your great hospitality and inspiration.—Mary Benson