I was fortunate enough to have had horses in my life from a very young age, and I competed in Childrens and Juniors through into Adults in Showing, Dressage, Show Jumping, and Equitation. My first big paradigm shift happened in my early twenties after reading the book Tug of War: Classical versus Modern Dressage by Gerd Heuschmann. After reading that book, I couldn't continue training the way I had been so I decided to pivot my training approach towards more classically based principles and I started searching for books and resources to help me on my new path. 

Another shift happened shortly after this; I broke my ankle on a hike and couldn't ride for a year.

I found and watched The Path of the Horse and discovered Linda Kohanov's and Mark Rashid's work with horses. I immediately bought their books and immersed myself in them while my ankle was healing. Their books opened my eyes to a beautiful way of connecting with myself and horses. Once my ankle was healed enough to walk, I started exploring groundwork, particularly liberty, with my horses, and this sparked a whole new passion in me!

Now I had a strong desire to find a way to combine the beauty of classical dressage with the freedom and relationship of liberty. I explored many avenues and found inspiration from the amazing horse-people worldwide who were on a similar path. I filled my bookshelves and read everything I could get my hands on, all the while exploring this new path with my horses and, for the first time in my life, listening to them and having them lead and teach me. It was exactly the medicine I needed to counter-balance and shift the old habits I had learned and practiced in my early years.

In my search for a balance between liberty and classical dressage, I came across Straightness Training® in 2013. I gained an incredible amount of experience and knowledge through the ST Program from 2014 when I joined the Mastery Program until 2022. During my time in ST, I graduated Grade 4 with my amazing partner, Delightful, in the Liberty, Groundwork, Lungeing, Work in hand, and Riding ST pillars. I also studied and qualified as a certified ST Instructor in 2015 and worked as an Online Coach in the Straightness Training Academy® from 2020 until 2022. 

When Karen Rohlf started her fabulous podcast series, Horse Training in Harmony, I was so inspired by what she was sharing that I decided to sign up for her Dressage Naturally Habits for Excellent Horsemanship online course to revisit my basics. This took me back to my roots with all of my horses, and I rebuilt our foundations with fresh eyes. When we came back to our classical work, I felt an even better understanding for what I had learned so far.

In November 2022, I joined Mustang Maddy's HCA Connection Course, where I studied more about compassionate, ethical, science-based horsemanship centralized around the principles and practice of positive reinforcement training.

During 2023, I expanded my learning in the realm of the mammalian nervous system and brain in Stephen Peters's (PsyD, ABN) and Sarah Schlote's (MA, RP, CCC, SEP) Equuscience course. This course offers an absolute wealth of knowledge and has given me the tools to understand my horses, myself, and the learning process on a much deeper level.

During 2024, I focused on deepening my understanding and application of positive reinforcement training in Hannah Weston and Rachel Bedingfield's Online Connection Training Classroom, Where I learned about the emotional systems that drive mammalian behaviour (Emotions and Ethology - The Emotional Brain Systems in Horses) and how to prioritize and nurture more relaxation in connection with positive reinforcement.

I also attended an insightful and inspirational Lecture Demo by Ingela Larsson Smith, founder of Secrets of the Horse, where we learned about the different roles horses fulfill in a wild herd and how understanding and integrating these characteristics into our way of being can bring our horses a felt sense of safety and confidence when they are around us. 

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As well as the above resources, I am deeply inspired by Dr. Nadine Lindblom's beautiful way of exploring choice-based liberty work with her horses. Her informative posts on social media as well as her super podcast, The Essence of Liberty, have provided lots of invaluable tips and inspiration in my work with my horses.

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I am now combining my classical training experience with what I learned from this combination of resources and my horses and I are loving it! We have found a balance of boundaries and permission, motivation and relaxation, and training the physical in a mutually beneficial way while taking care of the mental/emotional aspects of both partners.

My horses continue to be, as they have always been, the true North in my journey to becoming the best partner I can be for them. I will also continue to share everything I am learning with my students, both in person and in my Online Classroom, as my understanding and experience evolve.