Quantum Savvy Natural Horsemanship and Horse Training

Quantum Savvy Practice Group Interview- Nov 2007

The Challengers Practise Group

Group Organiser: Nicole Dean
Location: Kilmore, Victoria /Australia
Group Formed: March 2007

The Challengers Practise GroupWe are a comparatively young group having registered and started meeting after having attended the amazing RFT Clinic Geelong, run by Shane and Meredith and hosted by the inimitable Vicki Marr, in March of this year. We were so inspired that we pretty much signed up on the spot – and we were ‘just’ auditing.

We are located in the Kilmore area, which is 60 km north of Melbourne along the Hume Hwy. It is a densely populated horse area, with 4 pony Clubs and as many Adult Riding Clubs within a 20km radius. It is a racing town, so consequently there are a lot of ex-racehorses (all codes) moving into other disciplines.

The Challengers Practise GroupWe meet every month on the first Saturday and at the moment we share the hosting of events, depending on what kinds of things we want to achieve. Chris Hunt has a wonderful set of yards that make those first passenger lessons feel achievable. Play Days at Nicole’s place to take advantage of a playground set up with all kinds of fun obstacles. We’re looking for an indoor arena to combat Victoria’s winter chills.

We have had our first Video Night, which was a great success. In August we had a “Take the Challenge”, day for the filming of assignments to take advantage of the great coaching available to all Quantum Savvy students.

We are also really excited to be hosting an RFT Clinic of our own to be held in February 2008. I’m not sure that we have any rider positions left at this time, but I couldn’t encourage you strongly enough to attend as an auditor, if you have the opportunity – even if only for 1 day; watching other people playing with different horses overcoming challenges will teach you something even without being in the middle of it.

We have 8 permanent members; we started out as 4 mums from the local school with our kids and horses. We wanted to do more for the kids and ourselves and be able to really get out there and have fun. Our group also have a number of casual visitors who come and join in the fun semi- regularly. The forum has also sent us our first non-resident member – Jan a.k.a. Grif and her beaut little horse Axel. We’ve had as many as 11 people and their horses at a meeting and as few a 2, but we always have fun and we always learn something and yes, we keep ticking those boxes.

The Challengers Practise GroupAfter lunch, depending on how the morning has gone, we may set our- selves some challenges like ‘walking our horses under a flapping tarp’, ‘play a game’, go for a ‘trail ride’ or do a passenger lesson.

I put a challenge out to yoThe members of our group all have very different dreams and goals with their horses; from a quiet safe harness horse for family picnics to a highly competitive horse for dressage and eventing, from Shetland ponies to big bold Warmbloods, and yet we are all studying level 1 in Quantum Savvy: Good Horsemanship is for EVERY discipline.

We are very proud of our fabulous Practice Groups at Quantum Savvy. They have such a huge desire for learning to become better communicators with their horses and helping further that learning in a group setting with other people and their horses. Each month, one practice group is interviewed and featured on the website.