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| Clayton demonstrating -- well, something |
I think Clayton must be the happiest, or at least the most fortunate, woman alive. She is an accomplished dressage rider (I want to say she rides Arabs), AND she has made this passion her life's work, AND she contributes significantly to the horse industry and the equestrian community. She is a veterinarian/researcher who studies of perhaps the most critical issue of sport horse performance -- conformation, gait mechanics and soundness.
What a great gig.
Think about it. For years we have gone on the best intuition of horse experts in our development of sport horses. Hilary is testing some core assumptions -- for example, the belief that there is a moment of suspension in the piaffe -- and proven many of them wrong.
She has written articles for the USDF Connection, Dressage Today, and other pubs, and I've obtained some of her books, and chapters within books, of her writing on gait mechanics. I've read them and re-read them.
When I read she is going to be delivering a lecture series at Hilltop Farm in March, using live horses to demonstrate her points, I sent in my entry right away.
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Very cool! I've read a lot of her articles and usually learn something new. I wish I had a way to get down there... Would love to hear what she has to say about the conformation and mechanics of my non-traditional horse!
ReplyDeleteOkay, I'm officially jealous! Big Clayton fan myself. Sniff.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to what you have to write about it. (psst - details, lots of details!)
Super stuff. Looking forward to your reports.
ReplyDeleteThe picture looks like the horse is wearing a motion capture suit, which will be used to help a computer accurately show skeletal movement, I'm guessing. :) (Hubby in film business.)
ReplyDeleteI DVR'd a USDF symposium from about 10 years ago with Hilary and Conrad Schumacher. There segment was the ideal dressage horse conformation with FlimFlam, I believe. Hilary was wonderful. You absolutely MUST take copious notes and post them for us. ;o)
ReplyDeleteShe is truly a woman of these times. I admire her also. I look forward to hearing a report. thank you so much for what you do here.
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