Dear horse crazy,
For most of my life, I have been searching for something.
The framework to consistently develop happy and willing horses AND aware, balanced, and emotionally balanced riders.
People that are passionate about their obsession with horses and a love for these incredible creatures.
I didn't fit in. I thought the typical "head up, heels down" lessons were boring!
I got in trouble a lot!!!!
I challenged riding instructors and questioned every training method. I wanted to KNOW the WHY and HOW'S!
"Because I said so" never sat well with me.
I looked for the holes in programs and horses. My tenacity landed me with exceptional instructors and trainers. I worked my butt off, and if an instructor told me I wasn't talented enough or my horse was not enough, I would make it my goal to prove them wrong.
Oh, what a pain in the butt I was.
My persistence paid off, and I became an assistant trainer to several talented horsemen & horsewomen. I spent ten years working 5-6 days a week beside exceptional horsemen/women training thousands of horses during those years, from starting colts to training and preparing world and congress champions from western pleasure to cutting, hunter under saddle, everything in between. I am incredibly grateful for the wisdom and hands-on experiences I gained.
I left my last assistant trainer position to branch out on my own. Starting a horse training business is hard when you are young. At first, I attracted people who had known me in my assistant role, and they sought me out because I knew their horses well. It was a fantastic journey that led me to take in horses for tuneups and preparation for upcoming shows.
At first, it felt amazing!
People were paying me to ride horses for a living! It didn't feel like WORK!
Once out on my own, I discovered a lack of confidence, or maybe I never had much faith in my skills as a solo-horse trainer. Think about it, what horse trainer will tell their assistant trainer that they are good enough to work for themselves and become the "competition?" How crazy would that be? No one wants to lose good help!!!! I would later learn that horse trainers can be super paranoid and insecure - more on that later.
However, striking out on my own gave me validation in my skills. I was getting great responses and was making a difference in helping horses and their owners.
It was a fantastic feeling. OMG, I can support myself training horses!
I do know what I'm doing!
I started to see patterns and cycles in my training program. I had happy customers and good horses, but my business felt like a revolving door of horses. I realized that the same horses were coming in every few months for me to "fix" the same issue and send them home, only to see them coming back in a few months for another tuneup.
I felt like a mechanic, fixing the same part again and again. Eventually, I began to feel like a bully, fixing horses for an event or a season. Each time the horses came, I had less time to "fix them." Months became weeks. I was good, but geez, I wasn't sure I was doing right by the horse, and soon I was miserable trying to make miracles happen in unrealistic time frames.
I had an almost sixth sense; I could predict when I would get the phone calls to discuss the horses coming back to me for more tuneups and corrections.
The average horse trainer would have been ecstatic about the predictable income and loyal customers.
But I felt like a fraud!
This business model no longer fulfilled me as a trainer and horse lover.
I felt the entire system was a sham!
It's how the horse training business had always been done; why couldn't I do my job and be happy?
What was wrong with me?
The truth is, I didn't feel this format wasn't working to better the horse, and I wasn't fixing anything long-term. I love horses, and I want to see them get better and better every year.
Out of desperation, I changed my entire program! I no longer took in horses for training. Instead, I traveled 4-5 days a week to my clients' homes to give them weekly and often twice a week lessons on how to train and maintain their horses.
I struggled!
It was so hard at first!
I had always been a doer, and now, by my design, I was switching into the coaching role. I had to learn how to explain what to do when to do it, and why it works. I had to learn how to teach others how to feel and respond to their horses. I had to teach people how to be trainers for their horses while keeping their goals in mind. Holly-cow it was crazy!!!
There was no roadmap or system I could follow because NO one was doing what I was doing. It is SOOOOOOOO hard paving the way!
I felt insane! I cried all the time, questioning my sanity because it took me ten years of working 5-6 days a week to learn how to be a great horse trainer, and I was trying to teach a person how to train their horse in an hour. OMG, am I freaking nuts???? Yep! I am.
I lost count of how many times I broke down emotionally on my way to my next client.
I had clients that begged me to take their horse and fix it for them. BUT I knew if I didn't set the person, giving them the tools to be successful with their horse, nothing I did would last! I knew in my heart that this was the right thing for everyone!
The first few years were rough as I figured my way through, and I had this internal struggle going on inside of me.
I felt so stupid!
People wanted to throw money at me for doing what I had spent 10+ years mastering. But it wasn't enough for me! I knew if I wished to improve the riding and training of horses, I needed to improve the horse owners and riders! I needed to train people how to be me! OMG, I was crazy! Maybe I still am!
It's been nearly 20 years since I broke the mold and started coaching horse owners to train and maintain their horses. I have coached horse and rider teams to the top 5 placings at some of the largest horse shows in the United States! Not all of my riders show. Many have accomplished their goals of trail riding or gaining the confidence to lope for the first time, or starting their home-raised horse. The goals may vary, but my methods and frameworks develop willing horses and beautiful riders. I feel so blessed to be a part of so many success stories.
