Riding Instruction & Training  

When you show up for a first lesson, it can be nerve wracking not knowing if the trainer will be a good fit. I hope this space here helps you feel welcome, and gives you a little peak into the happy home our group of riders work so lovingly to create.

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Our riders may range in age and experience, but we all share a passion for connecting with our horses and becoming better riders. Regardless of the level of the horse or the rider, we will all hit snags along the way; learning curves that suddenly seem steep, a training problem that seems like a boulder. We may have different ones, but we all have them. That is where having a supportive group of peers, and training help can make our time with our horses so much more meaningful.

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So what can I offer? To start, I want each horse and rider to have a positive experience. This means I strive to adjust my teaching style to match how each rider learns. It means that a horse in training gets an approach that suits their needs as well. Sometimes this looks like well explained exercises with step by step guidance and an upbeat coaching style. Sometimes it means I throw out the lesson plan and pull something out of my hat when its needed most.

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What will I teach? Dressage is the underlying current for each of the different tasks we might ask our horse each day. Although we show in Dressage (plus Working Equitation and Western Dressage), our daily work uses a foundation of creating forward thinking energy, a kind and supportive contact with the bit, with the goal of creating more balance and strength each day. Dressage movements are there to help create and test our horse's athletic ability. This makes the lessons a fantastic addition to any horse in any discipline.

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What's my story? I grew up with a fantastic pony and a pasture. Each day after school the combo of those two became my next epic adventure. From the pony to a lovely Appendix Quarter to stealing my mom's fiery Arabian, the journey continued to expand. I dabbled in almost everything I could get myself into, jumping, gymkhana, western horsemanship, trail classes, showmanship, even some endurance. When I left for college, my two horses happily retired in the pasture at home and I explored everything the horse world could offer someone without their own horse. It turned out to be quite a variety.

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I was a working student for a H/J Trainer, participated on the Fresno State Equestrian Team where I competed all the way to Nationals, explored the French countryside on borrowed horses and thoroughly tested my French taking jumping lessons, took colt starting classes, worked at camps, attended natural horsemanship clinics. The list goes on, and would start to get boring, but by the time I started teaching and training professionally, I had seen a broad view of the horse world. I know this helps me to connect with my students goals, and backgrounds. This gives me more tools in the tool belt. It gives me an appreciation of other styles and trainers.

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Since making teaching/training my full time career I have also shown through 4th level dressage, earning my USDF Bronze Medal with scores towards my Silver. I have fallen in love with the sport of Working Equitation and have competed up to Level 5. I still love cross training in big grassy fields, out on the trail, or schooling obstacles courses.

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If you have stuck with it this far, I bet something in this resonates with you. Come take a lesson and see if our barn sanctuary might be your happy-place too.

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