Training

Training often goes hand-in-hand with lessons. My goal is for everyone to experience the joy of riding a calm, well-trained and responsive horse that respects people and understands what is expected of it.

All of my training is based on a solid foundation to create a horse that has good ground manners, goes forward willingly, is soft and relaxed in the bridle, and gives to light pressure (classical principles).

I am skilled in starting young horses and in re-schooling older or problem horses - going back to basics when necessary. I have experience working with many different breeds, including gaited horses, and have helped countless clients with their horses over the years.

I utilize resistance free techniques that increase a horse's willingness to perform and work closely with the owner/rider to ensure consistency and to prevent the horse from reverting back to old habits or unsafe behavior.

I encourage everyone to become an educated consumer when selecting a trainer and observe how the trainer's horses perform ~ learn to recognize the difference between quality performance and poor performance.

When we clarify and enhance the communication between the horse and rider, it results in a safer and more pleasant relationship for all. A good trainer must understand how a horse thinks and learns in order to successfully develop them. See a sample of the training tree (logical progression of training a horse) here.

In addition to training under saddle, I can assist you with improving your horse's manners ~ take a horse to its first show, event, hunt, trail ride, etc. to provide the exposure and deal with any issues that arise ~ accompany you on a trail ride to assist with confidence in an uncontrolled environment ~ spookproofing ~ teach you ground work techniques ~ evaluate bits and provide saddle fitting guidance.

Consider: Not everyone is a trainer ~ just because someone can ride well does not mean they have the knowledge, skills, ability, and timing to produce a mentally and physically developed horse that goes along well in most any circumstance. Feel free to review client comments on the testimonials page.

"A bad trainer can take a potentially phenomenal horse and make it a really mediocre horse."

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