Have you ever thought "if I were designing the perfect horse clinic for me, I would ..." and then come up with a list of things you'd like to learn about and have ample opportunity to practice? Here's your chance! Desert Horse has several weeklong time slots available for serious horsemen and -women of all experience levels to co-create and participate in a horse immersion program.

Define your goals for the intensive as broadly (increase my knowledge of horses) or as specifically (improve my feel and subtle communication) as you like. That means everyone from novice horsemen and -women to experienced handlers and riders can participate in creating a program that suits their individual needs and interests. Satisfy your curiosity, explore new information or perfect the subtle practice of basic skills.

Examples of ways you can custom design your intensive:

Horse Rehab and Maintenance Skills
Includes awareness exercises to hone your understanding of the subtlties of balance and posture, plus basic bodywork and hands-on skills to help you understand and address your horse's specific physical challenges. Also, ground and mounted exercises to help your horse make postural choices that support his long-term soundness.

Horse and Rider Biomechanics
Combines observations of various horses' gait and postural choices along with balance and posture awareness exercises for the people. Then ground exercises that require specific awarenesses and movements from both horse and handler lead seamlessly into mounted practice of the very same skills.

Riding Instructor Reboot
Provides instructors of all experience levels the chance to freshen up their teaching skills with new exercises, innovative teaching tools and a fresh look at what students of all levels really can accomplish. Also could include sections on maintaining the health and positive outlook of school horses. Participants and presentor will take a collegial, collaborative approach to problem-solving and meeting the challenges of diverse clients and teaching situations.

Horse Exploration
Geared for horse novices who want to learn the basics of management, handling and riding with the aim of having, housing and caring for their own horses. See the actual curriculum used in one of these sessions, which could be repeated in the same way, or further customized to meet other needs and interests.

Other options: Advanced Riding Skills to practice and perfect with ease and comfort some of the commonly challenging riding skills, such as transitions, sitting trot and lateral work.
Or Exploring Subtle Communication to learn and practice the art of working with horses from an energetic level.

Don't see what you're looking for? Just contact Stacey to discuss what you'd like to learn and practice and we'll work together to custom create your own intensive experience.

The details:
The intensive schedule will include 30 hours of teaching and learning during the week, divided approximately equally into six-hour time blocks. Cost for this custom-tailored and intensive learning experience is $1,500 per person. A $250 per person deposit holds your dates. The deposit is refundable if Desert Horse must cancel the intensive, or in certain, limited emergency situations. Balance is payable in two installments scheduled appx. 60 days and 30 days before the start date.

Participants might occasionally have a small homework assignment, but in general your free time will be yours to rest, sightsee, visit friends and family in the area - whatever suits you. You might plan your intensive week for a time when there's something else interesting going on in Tucson - for example, the annual Gem and Mineral Show, El Tour de Tucson Bike Race or the Accenture Match Play Golf Championship. Use this events calendar to plan your visit around an event, or check out 101 Things to do in Tucson.

More interested in a less active schedule during your intensive week and more rest and relaxation? The barn where we'll work is located just minutes from the amenities of Yoga House at Civano, a lovely, relaxing space for yoga, pilates and other exercise classes that also houses a resident acupuncturist and aesthetician. The community is also home to my favorite massage therapist, who is herself a novice rider. In fact, if you decide to choose your lodging from among the bed and breakfasts in this charming eastside neighborhood, you'll be with in walking distance of a whole range of services.

Scheduling is done on a first-come, first-served basis, with on week available in each month from February through early June and September through November. For the truly intrepid heat lover, July dates are also possible and you may have the chance to experience the drama of the Sonoran Desert's monsoon. You can check this calendar for available dates. If there are weekend clinics scheduled either before or after your intensive week, you have the option to attend those events at a special, discounted rate.