Richard Shrake riding clinic

Horse trainer Richard Shrake is in the business of building confidence - Not an unusual goal for coaches in general. What is unusual is Shrake’s history of great results with his program, Resistance Free riding. His 39-year professional horseman career includes conducting over 1400 clinics all over the world, judging all the major breeds World & National Shows, and instructing over 40 riders to World Championships. So what makes this low-key fellow from
Oregon different from his flashier peers in the coaching trade?

“I keep it positive,” Shrake said. “I never make them do something they can’t do.”

Shrake supports his students in the way a good parent reinforces his kids - he encourages their successes without judging their weaknesses.

“Notice how I never tell them they did something wrong or bad,” Shrake said.
During the first day Shrake quietly notes the riding skills and problem areas of his students and designs the challenges of the next three days to work on those areas. He mixes all levels and ages of riders in his clinics. Among the seven riders at Mount Holyoke were several trainers, barn owners, a seventh grader, and a fifty-something man who was relatively new to riding.

“I get a lot of the over-fifty crowd taking my clinics,” Shrake said.

Essentially the students all do the same exercises, but at their own level. Shrake will add twists to the lesson for those riders who need extra challenges. The cameraderie of the group is crucial to sustaining the high confidence of the
individual, so Shrake keeps everyone involved. He uses first names to refocus wandering attention. He asks the riders to applaud for one another after a task is completed. Spouses and children of students attend as support staff on the ground, acting as assistants.

“Richard is very patient and thorough. He never loses it,” said Frank Concrini, husband of participant Pat Concrini.

Building on the success of the last task, Shrake slowly increases the difficulty level. At the end of the four-day intensive clinic, each participant has “homework” specific to their personal challenges.

“I can take any rider and in four days give them a road map to follow to better riding,” Shrake said.

It is not enough for the rider to be just a good leader, or, in Shrake-speak, a “good General,” Shrake also wants his students to be attentive to what the horse is thinking and feeling.

“If you do it right, your horse will tell you,” Shrake said. “Watch for the lick, the chew, and the alert ear. And with good riding, your horse can give you 100% of his full potential.”

He talked his riders into position with “word pictures,” presiding like a ringmaster in the center of the arena.

“Shock absorber legs! Belly button turn! Granny walk! Parallel parking!”
Seven horses lined up against the wall in a neat row.

According to his website, Shrake is known by his peers as the “Trainer’s Trainer.” For an additional $550 over the regular $950 tuition for a 40-hour clinic, a student can complete the accredited certification trainers course and begin to work with their students using Shrake’s Resistance Free method.
As the name suggests, the Resistance Free method teaches a cooperation between horse and rider. When the horse fully receives the security and guidance he needs from his rider, he can offer his complete submission in return. The task of building rider confidence becomes a very fundamental issue of establishing rider as alpha horse. In one case, a mare in heat was not listening to her lady rider. Her respect and attention were only won when delivered with
masculine authority. Shrake offered that exercise as an example of how training mares vs. geldings or stallions can involve very different horse psychology.

Shrake took breaks from the instruction to offer anecdotal stories about his life as a master horseman. He waxed sparkly talking about the countries he has visited as a trainer, the great horses and riders he has met, and the sensible financial rewards of the clinician’s life. He particularly enjoys helping other people do what he does - bring out the best in riders and horses.

“It is a joy to watch people find their gift and blessing in life and help make them talented,” Shrake said.

He emphasized that although much of the practice is covering the basics to fill in the gaps of both beginners and advanced riders, his deceptively simple training is not just about good form.

“This is not a heels down, chin up program,” Shrake said. “The better rider we are, the better the horse will be. You can take a nice horse and ruin him by riding badly.”

“Riding badly” includes moving out-of-tempo with the horse, throwing off the balance and fluid forward motion of the animal. Shrake invoked the image of dancers moving together as one when coaxing on his students.

Several of the exercises Shrake uses practice finding and keeping rhythm with the horse at any gait, keeping eyes directed to the next point of arrival, and breathing smoothly. One such task put riders in a round pen with no reins, swinging imaginary ropes in time with a loping stride.

“In Switzerland you have to train for 120 hours before they even give you reins,” he offered cheerfully to his dismayed look-ma-no-hands rider.

Shrake wrapped up with a review of the day and a pop quiz about the metallurgy of bits which the participants passed effortlessly. He said that some of his students stay in contact with each other after their intense clinic experience. In this way Shrake is helping build the horse community network everywhere he teaches. His invitation to spouses to attend clinics expands the interest in horses and their well-being yet further.

“It’s the two for one idea,” Shrake said.

Richard and his wife Lee Ann have developed the Resistance Free teaching circuit into a full-blown business called A Winning Way, Ltd., complete with books, a video series, and training products. They can be found on the web at www.richardshrake.com.

SouthWest

Make A Joyful Noise

Richard Shrake