About

I grew up riding horses in Australia,  my family had a limited budget so I rode whatever horse I could get my hands on.  This started with the horses at a therapeutic riding school and progressed to difficult horses nobody wanted to ride.  My first horse was given to me because a rider could get on but when it came time to dismount the horse lost  his mind.   Such was my introduction into the world of horse psychology.  

After  completing  a degree in equine science from the University of Charles Sturt University, I went on to work at Kooringal Stud,  a large thoroughbred breeding and training operation in NSW Australia.  It was here I disovereed the  ins and outs of managing a farm and colt starting.  A few particularly difficult horses that came across my  path changed my career trajectory and  horse training methods forever.   I fine tuned my skills as a horseman and turned into a sought after trainer who traveled through France, Spain and Portugal working with difficult problem horses and starting youngsters.  I have started and worked with several horses that have gone on to compete in Dressage, Eventing and Show Jumping at both the Olympic and World Cup level.

 I moved to the US in 2010 after accepting the job as General Manager of Rancho Corazon, one of the largest Holsteiner breeding farms in North America.  I  oversaw the breeding program and training  of the  young horses.  In 2015  I  started my  own training business developing young horses and focusing on my  dressage career.  I  have earned the USDF Bronze and Silver Medals and continue to develop myself as a rider, trainer and young horse specialist.

My  training program is located in Templeton, California where I  train young horses,  problem horses, and have a boutique sales program focusing on talented Dressage and Jumper prospects.

I have started over 1,000 horses over the span of my career, not one of them has ever bucked, reared or bolted.  I strongly dislike the phrase "breaking" and I think it's too common a practice.  The last thing I want to do is "break"  a horse. Thankfully  "colt starting" has become the more common phrase but I prefer young horse education.  Just like for children,  the early education we provide (or don't) has an impact on the horse for the rest of its life.  In my horse training method,  I foster the horses natural curiosity and develop trust and relaxation.   I teach the horse how to learn, a skill that will serve it for the rest of it's life with humans.  Using equine psychology,  body language and patience the young horses learn to trust and accept pressure in a way that gives them confidence and reduces fear.  My young horses learn to look to their rider/handler  for direction and reassurance.   

The young horses in my program  will walk, trot and canter under saddle and go on the trail.   They learn to trailer load easily, stand quietly for the farrier and develop outstanding ground manners.   I find all of these elements to be critical to the future success of the horse. It's my passion and my privilege  to be able to create a strong foundation for the horse.   

During my time at Kooringal Stud in Australia I developed a method to handle foals that made them easier to start and safer for everyone involved in handling them.  I was responsible for trimming up to 100 foals feet at a time.  We worked with the horses in large fields with many other foals and mares around.  I became adept at "baby talk"  and learned how to work with the foals in a way that made them feel safe and secure and made my job of handling them much easier.  I also developed a foal harness that is still in use today.     

I will work with weanlings up to two years old in my Foal Handling program.  They will learn the basics of being a well mannered horse that is prepared to excel as they reach their 3rd and 4th years.  I train them to lead, to have their feet trimmed, to load in a trailer, and to grasp the basic concept of walking on a longe line in both directions.