It’s crunch time for the horsemen enrolled in our 2024 Clinician Academy. This week marks the sixth week of the course, which means the final test to determine if the students receive certification to become Method Ambassadors is coming up quickly.
When horsemen arrive at the ranch for the Academy, they bring two of their personal horses with them. The horses must be started under saddle but have no training in the Method. For the next six weeks, the students fine tune their skill set and learn how to train their horses following Clinton’s Academy Horse Program curriculum. Along with focusing on the Fundamentals level groundwork and riding exercises, the students teach their horses basic handling skills such as tying up, handling their feet and bathing.
The 2024 course is being taught by Professional Clinician Jeff Davis, who earned his certification in 2014. This week, the focus of the class will be on refinement, making sure all the horses are performing the exercises well, are confident and are ready to test.
The horsemen have already taken their written exam that covers the philosophy behind the Method and will do their practical testing early next week. During the practical testing, they’ll choose one of their horses to perform each of the Fundamentals groundwork and riding exercises in front of Clinton to receive a grade.
After all testing is complete, on Wednesday, we’ll hold a ceremony to celebrate the class’s hard work and recognize those who receive certification to become Method Ambassadors.
Learn more about the Clinician Academy and who the course is designed for on our website.
