ABOUT ME

I have been passionate about horses from a very early age and was fortunate to be able to ride and train at big barns with big name trainers. I rode hunter/jumpers, eventers, and dressage horses. Over the years, I saw many things which made me vow that I would not follow in the footsteps of those who were abusive, even though many of these practices are/were common and generally, mainly through ignorance, seen as "ok".

These experiences made me turn away from the maintream world of horses and showing, and led me to further study of the methods from the traditional schools of horsemanyship, such as the Spanish Riding School. I had begun to study the works of the Masters when I was quite young - and knew there was a better way. I also had the good fortune to ride in Europe with some top traditional trainers who always had the horses' best interests at heart.

If I hadn't known there was a way to ride which didn't involve abuse and subsequent physical and mental stress and damage to the horse, I would no longer be riding. It is both as dramatic and as simple as that.

Along the way I married an equine veterinarian who specialized in lameness issues. This partnership greatly furthered my knowledge of physical ailments and unsoundness, and how to

manage them, but more importantly, how to prevent them.

I have managed my own breeding/training farm and have decades of teaching/coaching experience. My horses have been trained by me to Grand Prix Level, and are always my willing partners!

Horses are gentle, peace-loving, and forgiving creatures with generous natures, and, as prey animals, they are unfortunately easy to subjugate in the wrong hands. My methods promote the horses' self expression and allow them to flourish both mentally and physically.

In short, my approach with horses is at once academic and philosophical, even spiritutual; the horse has much to teach us, if we will only listen...

This is work for the thinking, serious rider.