Annika rode Barb in the October Joel clinic, and has the following to say about their experience together:
“Participating in the October Joel Conner clinic with Barb was a lesson in presence, patience, and partnership. Barb is a small horse with a big personality—she’s not shy about expressing her preferences, especially when she disagrees. From the start, it was clear she had opinions, and I had to earn her agreement one ask at a time.
She’s a “more go than whoa” kind of mare, and early in the clinic, she found standing still during lecture portions to be a questionable use of her time. But by day three, she reliably held a standstill whenever asked, even across the full three-hour class. (To be clear: we weren’t standing for three hours straight—just whenever I asked her to pause, she did. Every time. That’s progress.)
We worked extensively on hindquarters yields, transitions to front quarters, and refining my seat, leg, and hand position. Barb helped me feel the nuance in timing and weight shifts. She responded to subtle changes in my posture, and when I got it right, she filled in with softness and precision. On the final day, I focused on timing my ask to the exact moment her foot left the ground. It stretched my focus and coordination, but Barb met me there—lighter, quicker, and more responsive with each try.
In the round pen, she moved fluidly through walk, trot, and canter, all on a loose rein, guided by my seat. We explored soft feel at walk and trot, and even began experimenting with side pass and leg yield. She’s still working through some habits—drifting toward comfort zones, accelerating when another horse leaves, and occasionally trying to manage the herd herself. But beneath that assertiveness is a horse who wants to connect and understand.
Barb is smart, sensitive, and full of life. She challenged me to be more precise, more present, and more honest in my communication. I’m grateful for the opportunity to learn with her.”
