Carrie S brought Bridgit into the groundwork portion of Joel Conner’s March 2026 clinic, and has the following to say about their nine hours spent together over the weekend:
“I had the pleasure of working with Bridgit in the groundwork class of the Joel Conner clinic. Bridgit is a sweet, engaging, slightly acrobatic little paint mare who continues to keep things interesting in the very best way (just ask any of her many adoring groomers.) Over the past few months, we have been focusing on building her topline, overall muscle, and stamina.
When I first began groundwork with Bridgit, she had a fair amount of uncertainty around where to place her feet. When asked to yield her hindquarters, she would sometimes levitate her body, turn, and end up facing me—creative, but not exactly what was being asked. Over time, she has begun to develop more coordination and awareness, and that progress was evident during the clinic.
Bridgit showed a noticeable increase in try throughout the weekend, along with meaningful improvement. Paige rode her at the end of each class on Friday and Saturday to assess her progress under saddle. On Friday, Bridgit had difficulty releasing to the left rein and was resistant to bending her neck in that direction. By Saturday, there was a clear shift. She was more willing to bend to the left and showed increased softness, at times even more so than to the right.
In groundwork, Bridget is continuing to improve her balance while walking in a circle. Her hindquarters are developing, with better reach and more thoughtful placement of her feet. She is also beginning to yield to lighter pressure from the stirrup, which is a great step forward.
Next steps in her development include:
- Bending to a stop without tension on the lead rope
- Continued improvement of her hindquarters in preparation for working the frontquarters
- Backing on a circle
Bridgit is a really enjoyable horse to work with. One moment that stood out occurred on Sunday when I remained in the arena to untack her after the other horses had left. In the past, this would likely have caused some distress or distraction. Instead, she remained alert and quiet throughout, which was a meaningful change.
She has also been a valuable teacher for me. Bridgit has helped me expand my awareness around applying pressure, recognizing a change, and releasing with better timing. She is very clear in her responses, especially when I am inconsistent or unclear, which makes her a helpful partner in improving my own feel. Overall, this clinic reflected solid progress for Bridgit and was a strong start to the season.”
