Teaching Style
My primary goal is to create unity between horse and rider because a happy horse makes for a happy ride. If we can learn to ride in a manor that is comfortable for both the horse and the rider, the horse will not only enjoy the process, but will also share in the joy that riding brings to the rider.
Creating the “Path of Least Resistance”™ by offering clear clues to the horse through the use of your body lessens the chance for miscommunication and also increases the horse’s comfort and confidence. Understanding what your body is saying to your horse is very important in understanding why your horse is doing things that you may not think you are asking for.
My lessons work to teach the rider better body control and openness to communicating with the horse in order to create a partnership. Building better communication through your hands, seat and legs as well as weight, breath and center is the foundation of my teaching style. Once a clear communication style has been developed then focusing on the particulars of the discipline can be explored.
Years of study with many great teachers on and off the horses have helped me develop a style of teaching that creates an awareness in the rider that opens the mind while relaxing the body to a state of conscience awareness. I work to teach you how to create that “Path of Least Resistance”™ - opening up the way to a great ride, an effortless unity created through clear, confidant communication. I strongly believe in the value of a safe, strong position through the proper use of legs, hips and back. I have seen the trends in rider’s positions change over the last 35 years, and I understand the negative impact that a bad position can have on a rider over time.
I work very hard to free the tension and bad compensation habits that can or have developed overtime. Your back health is of the utmost importance. The better you use your back, the better your horse will use his. Horse and rider working together to improve the use of the back will enhance and improve the strength, which increases longevity, endurance and overall health and comfort for both.