If you care about your own and your horse's well being whether you are a novice, intermediate, advanced rider, horse owner, trainer or riding school proprietor you will really love the workshops.
I promise you that you can find natural, stress-free excellence and improve your own and your horse's life, without having to take years and years of training trying to be perfect. Unfortunately, it is all too easy for your hopes of becoming an excellent rider to be destroyed after hours of dispiriting lessons, contradictory advice, and being told too often that you aren't perfect enough, you need to do better. It's no surprise you can lose hope and end up burnt-out in riding, losing your confidence, passion and natural skill. It doesn't have to be this way.
Whatever your level, you can engage your natural ability to ride excellently whilst schooling, competing, hacking, or caring for your horse, without hurting yourself or them.
You can ride naturally, whether in stressful competitive situations or just recreationally for your own enjoyment, at  a level of excellence you've always dreamed of. You can succeed in your riding without breaking the bank and learn how to do the best for your horse, without giving up on your own success.

Joni Bentley workshop structure and time table:
Start 10am Lecture Demo: Biomechanics.
Dismounted wooden horse session covering:
How the horse's crookedness affects the rider's position.
How to school the rider to straighten the horse using the Bentley Technique spinal alignment principles.
1pm Lunch.
2.oo pm Semi private lessons for the rest of the day.
Theme of the day:

1. How to diagnose your own and your horses natural crookedness.
2. How to tone your own and your horse's weak side and relax the stiff side through hip flexion techniques.
3. How to get your horse to be attentive and listen to your contact by using jaw and poll flexion techniques.
4. How to improve your own and your horse's straightness, suppleness and way-of-going.

I encourage riders to take photos or use a video camera during the exercises as it records much more than the naked eye can see, and helps them to understand more about themselves and their horse. Riders are very often  surprised at what they find. Riders partner up and place tape on each other to make it easier on the eye.

Here is the price list:
Dismounted workshop (limited to 10)  £55. You participate in the morning session and watch the ridden all afternoon.
Mounted: You participate in the morning and the afternoon session. You ride for one hour in a semi private lessons. Riders are limited to 6. Cost  £85. If you book on a four day course the price goes down to £75 per day.
Watch: You watch for the whole day cost £35 £25 on the four day course.   

HERE IS SOMETHING YOU CAN PLAY WITH TO GIVE YOU A FLAVOUR OF THE WORK.
Is your horse imprinting his natural crookedness into your position?
Grab a willing friend and use the following questionnaire.

You will find out how to identify if your horse is a left or right hind driver and how he/she may be making it impossible for you to sit straight. Take photos or use a video camera during the exercises so that you can see stills, or run slow motion, and really see what is going on. I guarantee you will have great fun and may be very surprised at what you find? Click here to find out more.

1. Before you set off on a ride, or work in the arena, with your friend, place tape on your back, your horse’s dorsal line and your saddle.
Then ask your friend to ride behind you, or film you from the corner of the arena so they can give you feed back on where your spine is sitting in relation to your horse’s spine and the saddle. You are going to find out if the tape on your back goes out of alignment with the tape on the horse’s dorsal line and the tape on the back of the saddle in walk trot and canter. It’s good to make notes. Do the same for your friend, and compare your findings. You may be surprised!

2. Where is the rider’s spine positioned in relation to the horse’s dorsal line and saddle on the right rein?
Right
Left
Central

3.Where is the riders spine positioned in relation to your horse’s dorsal line and saddle on the left rein?
Right
Left
Central

4.Work on both reins making transitions from walk to halt, trot to walk, and canter to trot. During the downward transitions does the horse lean on, or step sideways onto one shoulder on the right rein?
Right
Left
Even

5. How about the left rein?

Right
Left
Even

6. Does one stirrup feel shorter than the other?

Left
Right
Even

7. Is the rider being dropped down to one side?

Left
Right
Central.

8. Is one of your horse’s shoulders smaller and set further back than the other?

Left
Right
No they are even


9. Is your horse a right or left hind driver?

Left
Right
Not sure

10. Does your saddle twist?

Yes
No

Click here to find out when Joni is in your area.
 

"Its hard to describe the changes since the workshop, the best I can do is that it’s like he’s suddenly got an extra leg he doesn’t know what to do with! He keeps powering into a really free, floating trot where we seem to get to the end of the school in 4 strides and he feels like he’s not touching the ground (hovercrafts spring to mind when you’re on top). The great news for me is that in this bigger trot he is remaining much more on my aids and soft in the contact. A good trot is something we have struggled with – we always knew it was there, but it was hard to get it without tension and without him getting very excited about it – this new, calm power is very exciting! In all, as you can tell, I’m thrilled with us, it really feels like Con is coming on in leaps and bounds, and I feel much more effective and able to help him out.  I am at peace with the world and grateful to you for making the world a better place."  Sandra De Castro Kent UK


"At last after only 3 lessons with Joni, a lifetime of unanswered questions, misguided tuition, lame horses and an aging body….I have found the skills to retrain my body to become symmetrical (even though it thinks it already is), which miraculously is straightening my horses without gadgets or force, giving the feeling of true harmony. What a find!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Never lose hope, I nearly did!" Kathy Young Woburn Sands, Buckinghamshire

“After a journey through 16 instructors and 10 saddle fitters I was on the point of giving up because my horse was becoming more and more grumpy and stiff. And so was I! Then I saw your editorial in a horse magazine a few months ago. Your web site is a treasure house for riders who want the best for their horse. I was so impressed by the free information DVD's, Workbooks, and articles that I went ahead and booked on your soundness clinic.  Did I benefit from it? You bet - using your guidelines and my friend's eyes, my prayers were answered. Am I glad I found your simple biomechanical approach to riding? Yes would be an understatement! Can't wait to get on the next workshop and improve my riding style and performance." Louise and Jay, thank you thank you, thank you.
Louise and Jay
Manchester.