Clinics | The Wentworth Hunt Club

Wentworth offers a variety of clinics to instruct, improve, and build the confidence and riding abilities of all riders, new, experienced, and everything in between. Please take a look below – we know we have something you’ll like!

Information about our clinics will be available here on our website and on our Facebook page. If you would like to be added to our mailing list to receive emails about Wentworth Hunt activities, please contact our hunt secretary at Secretary@WentworthHunt.org or fill out the Mailing List form on the right side of this page.

Please know that in consideration of COVID-19 safety recommendations, we are still determining dates when we may safely offer clinics in 2020.

Wentworth Hunt Dressage Day

Dressage (n): The art of riding and training a horse in a manner that developes obedience, flexibility, and balance.

Who doesn’t want that?? What about being able to harness your horse’s power for good instead of evil (not judging, just asking)? Who wants to learn riding skills that will increase their communication with their horse? This is what dressage is all about! While dressage is of course a discipline in its own right, it is also a training platform to improve horses and riders in all (ALL!) disciplines.

To help riders get closer to all their riding goals, Wentworth Hunt offered a Dressage Day with the amazing Zoe Flannery on Sunday, August 2. This clinic provided a great opportunity for participants to improve their horses’ balance, control, and their own positions through dressage.

Zoe has competed successfully through FEI Grand Prix, earning her USDF Silver and Gold medals along with numerous other championships and year-end titles. Zoe excels at working with individual learning styles, and has a positive and energetic way of teaching to create successful learning environments for both humans and horses. She currently operates her dressage instruction and training business at her personal farm, Wide Pine Farm in Barrington, New Hampshire.

In the words of Charlotte Dujardin, “You can’t be afraid of the power. You need to use it.” Zoe helped riders of various and diverse disciplines learn to use both their horses’ and their own power to achieve their riding goals.

Booli Selmayr Clinic

On Saturday June 20, Booli Selmayr returned for the second year in a row for another amazing cross country clinic! Booli’s experience as a clinician, trainer, CCI 4* rider, and formally a professional whipper-in for the Millbrook Hunt, resulted in a clinic specially designed to improve riders’ success and confidence on cross country. The participants this year included foxhunters, eventers, and other riders who were looking to improve their cross country riding.

Details:
Booli is uniquely suited to help foxhunters and eventers improve their cross country skills through years of hunting, eventing and teaching all levels of students and horses. Warm and friendly, Booli is an excellent communicator to help riders of all levels improve in a fun environment. At this year’s clinic, riders learned skills and techniques that allowed them to:

Learn to ride in better balance with their horses
Gain confidence riding at speed over varied terrain
Improve the ability of horse and rider to jump on cross country
Build skills that keep the rider and horse safe in a new environment

The clinic was split into foxhunting, organized by field (first, second, hilltop) and eventing, organized by recognized level (BN, N, T-P), with 4 riders participating per field or division. During the clinic, foxhunters tested and improved their horses’ abilities to foxhunt and ride in a group in a safe controlled environment that mimicked a true hunt. Eventers tested and improved their horses’ abilities to ride the correct pace over new terrain, jumping in and out of stride, that mimicked a true event experience.

The clinic was held ad Garrison House Farm in Durham, NH, home of longtime landowners Ann Wicander and Joe Vaillancourt. This is a private facility with excellent footing, gently rolling terrain, and jumps of various types and sizes. It was a treat for all participants to be allowed to ride at this wonderful facility.

Did you miss this rare opportunity to participate in this amazing clinic? Wentworth Hunt plans to bring Booli back later this year or next year. Please check back here on our website or on our Facebook page for updates. Or subscribe to our Mailing List (on the right side of this page) to receive email updates on this clinic and our other hunt activities.

Mounted Hunt Clinic

Each year, Wentworth Hunt offers a mounted hunt clinic for riders who are new to hunting or who have some hunt experience but want a bit of practice before joining a full hunt. This clinic is a great way to introduce yourself and your future foxhunting horse to the sport in a friendly, instructive environment. We start with a short lecture covering safety and etiquette. After which riders go out and practice exercises to simulate riding in groups and common field situations experienced during the hunt.

Immediately following the clinic is a scheduled Informal Hunt. All jumping is optional. Clinic attendees are encouraged to stay and actually ride out with the hounds and hunt fields to experience their first hunt. Lunch will be provided following the hunt. Any tack style and dress is appropriate for this introductory clinic (but of course, boots and hard hats are required).

Please know that in consideration of COVID-19 safety recommendations, we are still determining dates when we may safely offer this clinic in 2020. Please check back here on our website or on our Facebook page for updates. Or subscribe to our Mailing List (on the right side of this page) to receive email updates on this clinic and our other hunt activities.

Learn-to-Hunt Clinic

Learn the ins and outs of fox hunting with the Wentworth Hunt Club! This clinic is a super way to introduce a horse to being ridden in a group situation simulating the hunt as well as to our hounds.

The clinic starts with a short lecture covering safety and etiquette after which riders go out and learn to ride in groups and common field situations experienced during the hunt. All jumping is optional. Any tack style and dress is appropriate for this introductory clinic (of course, boots and hard hats are required). Adults and juniors alike are welcome, but preference will be given to riders under 21.

All participants will receive a complimentary voucher good for one capping to put it all into practice! A great follow-up to this clinic is our Children’s/Juniors’ Hunt, held in late August, which is specially tailored for our junior riders who also ride for free!