Lynn Palm

I personally think of trainer Lynn Palm as a rock star among trainers. Way back when I was first trying out my training wings I read a lot of Lynn and Sally Swift. I first saw the possibilities of using dressage techniques in my western training because of what I read. Over the years I picked up anything I found one of her articles in and read it.

So you guys can probably imagine how excited I was when I got to interview her for our paper.
I'm going to post my interview because I'm still tickled silly I got to talk to her and I want to share.

I am beginning to understand how cool this job is.

BTW, she is an incredibly nice woman.....

Lynn Palm Comes To The Fountain Valley
by Janet Huntington

The horsemen in the Fountain Valley are being offered a rare opportunity to ride with one of the most innovative and successful horsewomen in the country.
Lynn Palm and fellow trainer and lecturer Cyril Pittion-Rossilon are offering a three-day “Ride Well” Clinic at the MM Equestrian Center at 12393 Squirrel Creek Rd., Friday, May 23 through Sunday, May 25.
Almost everybody who rides horses, whether it’s English or Western, in the show pen or out in the field has heard of Lynn Palm, rider and trainer of Rugged Lark, the two-time winner of the AQHA Super Horse Title.
I first found Palm in a series of articles written in Horse and Rider Magazine in 1997. I was fascinated with her idea of dressage principles incorporated with training a western horse. I had a small lesson and training business going in Green Mountain Falls and eagerly latched onto the concepts she shared.
I learned to think past my saddle horn and into the world of dressage. As my horizons broadened so did my ability as a teacher and trainer. My horses became more flexible, balanced and easy to handle. I also learned to explain what I wanted from my students with a much clearer voice.
Once I moved forward into the sport of reined cowhorse I carried the principles and open-mindedness I had first learned from those articles written by Palm. It enabled me to grasp the overwhelming amount of information I had to absorb to become competitive in an extremely complex event. It helped me convince the hard-core cowboys I rode with I was worth teaching a thing or two.
Palm is considered a pioneer among men and women in the horse industry. Her “Palm Partnership Training” brings her unique melding of dressage and absolutely any equestrian discipline to the educational schools and clinics she offers in the United States and Europe every year.
She is a regular commentator on Horse TV and RFD-TV, and is steady contributor to a wide array of equine publications. Horse & Rider, Dressage Today, Western Horseman, Horse Illustrated, the Paint Horse Journal and the American Quarter Horse Journal fill out her impressive list of articles.
Palm is also known for her bridleless exhibitions on her horse Rugged Painted Lark. The beautiful pair does a dressage exhibition along with a reining and western exhibition. They demonstrate not only the versatility of the horse, but the spectacular results of her riding and training approach.
If you haven’t seen her ride before, check her out on www.lynnpalm.com/ruggedlark.php, or just hit “Lynn Palm and Rugged Lark” in the YouTube search engine, it’s a great example of what hooked me in the first place.
In a recent interview with this writer Palm was eager to share her methods.
“I’m open minded and love to work with every kind of horse and rider,” Palm said, “we always try to improve the rider in order to improve the horse.
“I come from a dressage background. What dressage really means is ‘Train the horse.’ This concept certainly applies to any discipline,” she said.
“The more balanced the rider the more balanced the horse will be,” she continued,” I don’t care if you’re turning a barrel or making a fence turn, the better your balance, the better the performance of your horse and the better a turn you’ll get.
“We work to define and understand the natural aids, the seat, leg and hands, and the artificial aids, the crop and spurs. With a better understanding of balance in the horse and rider and the knowledge to correctly use both natural and artificial aids we create lightness in our horses.
“You won’t see any over-bending the neck or spur stops around here,” Palm ended with a laugh.
Palm and Pittion-Rossilon offer a relaxed and open-minded approach to their clinics.
“We can adapt to any group of riders who come to the clinics. I love a mix of dressage, western riders and hunter jumpers at all levels. I do ask that the riders be able to walk, trot and canter their horses,” Palm said.
My guess is she’ll be just fine if you decide to lope too.
The cost for all three days is $395. Spectators are welcome at $25 a day and if you pre-register you can bring a friend for free! Call 200-2906 for stall reservations.
This is a rare opportunity to ride with one of the country’s best trainers and clinicians, I hope I’ll see you there.
Go to www.LYNNPALM.com or call 1-800-503-2824 for more information.