European instructors coming to Northern Maine Riding Adventures

By Stuart Hedstrom 
Staff Writer

    DOVER-FOXCROFT — Northern Maine Riding Adventures on the Garland Line Road will have an international flavor when the stable hosts a pair of instructors from Europe later in the month.

Contributed photos

    INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGE OF HORSES — Northern Maine Riding Adventures, on the Garland Line Road in Dover-Foxcroft, will be hosting a pair of European instructors to join stable owner Judy Cross in a multiple-day session focusing on the body of the horse and rider and the relationship between the two. Coming to the U.S. will be Piet Nibbelink, pictured, from the Netherlands and Sarah Jane Clarke, who grew up in England and now resides in Spain.

    Stable owner Judy Cross said she and the two others have taught together in Finland, but this will be the first time the trio have been together on the western side of the Atlantic. She said Piet Nibbelink, from the Netherlands, and Sarah Jane Clarke, who is originally from England and moved to Spain at the age of 18, will be getting together in the U.S. for the program “Journey into the Horse’s World.”
    Cross said Nibbelink “had a dream that there were certain things that people should know.” He later invited Cross and Clarke to join him and together they developed a program for horses and riders, having worked together for early a decade.
    “My area is the rider’s body and Sarah Jane’s is the horse’s body, and Piet’s is the horse’s body on the ground,” Cross said. “He’s a very, very gifted horseman, especially with problems,” such as equines who may be fearful or even dangerous for riders. “He works with all kinds of horses, from little ponies on up, you name it.”
    The three have worked so far with a group of students in Finland, and Cross said most of the sessions have been for four days a time on half a dozen occasions per year. She said instructions has included one-on-one work and some group teachings.
    “Our goal is to be a voice for horses, there’s so much force toward horses,” Cross said. “We know you can have relationships with horses and not force the animal.”
    The Oct. 11-13 session at Northern Maine Riding Adventures will feature horses and riders from the area as well as from across the state. Cross said one participant and their horse will be traveling to the mainland from Vinalhaven. “Two that are bringing their horses are having a lot of challenges,” she said, with these being rescue horses still having problems stemming from the previous conditions the horses lived under.
    Cross said those wanting to learn more can audit the classes, and can call her at 564-3451 for more information.