My Dream Job

This entry will be of the "if money was no object" type. In real life, I work in accounting and so I know the numbers aren't there for this to happen, but I'm going to write about it anyway.

My dream job would be to become a Clinton Anderson Certified Clinician. I was impressed by him and his work almost from the first time I read any articles by him. He's down to earth and describes himself as a "meat and potatoes" kind of guy. He gives instructions in plain and simple language that anyone can understand.

I was happy he was bringing one of his WalkAbout Tours to the Minnesota State Fairgrounds, even though I couldn't afford a ticket. Then a complimentary ticket arrived in the mail. Even though I didn't - and still don't - own a horse, the things he talked about and demonstrated took my breath away. I ended up joining his No Worries Club.

Because there are more people who want to learn his Method than he could possibly reach, he created the Clinton Anderson Clinician Academy. There men and women are trained to be mini Clinton Andersons - minus the Aussie accent. It's a rigorous program and not every one who wants to attend the academy is accepted. Clinton wants to be careful about who he'll allow to bear his name. However, for those who stick with the program, he'll offer a money-back guarantee to anyone who takes lessons from or attends a clinic done by one of his certified clinicians. Being a Clinton Anderson Certified Clinician means he believes those who earn that title are able to teach the Method the same way he would himself. Those men and women have the backing of Downunder Horsemanship. It's up to each clinician to determine how much he or she can earn.

Of course, tuition isn't cheap and the academy students are expected to work their butts off. It's basically eat, sleep and drink horses while they're there. They work on training the horses that will become Clinton Anderson Signature Horses. Clinton has a strong work ethic and he expects no less from his clinicians.

I had gone so far as to contact Downunder Horsemanship to find out about being a Clinton Anderson Certified Clinician in Japan. I was told as long as I took care of all the requirements set by the Japanese government, there was no problem. Just for fun, I had done some research about bringing animals into Japan. From the quarantine side of things, it's easier to bring a horse into Japan than a cat or dog. The work visa for me would be the tricky part, since I would need to find a sponsor. Maybe one of those Western riding stables in Japan. . .

I will probably never have my dream job, but as one of my favorite posters says, "God gives us dreams a size too big so we can grown into them."