Training Philosophy

Which trainers primarily influence your training style?

There are three trainers which have greatly influenced my training style. 1) Clinton Anderson with Down Under Horsemanship, Clinton's "Fundamentals" are the primary foundation to my training method. 2) Sarah Odell Fredrickson with Cedar Creek Stables provided hands-on assistance which taught me the importance of balance (both in the horse and in the rider), softness, correct pressure, and energy. 3) Maddy Shambaugh AKA Mustang Maddy has influenced my training philosophy dramatically. I've always felt that horses deserve a voice in the training process and that there are ethical ways to utilize pressure and release.
Bitless bridle or bitted?

Although bitless seems most humane it can be dangerous if utilized incorrectly. The same can be said for bits as well. I believe that each have pros and cons and neither are better in general. My preference depends on the horse and rider set up, and I prefer to rotate the set up depending on the horse's previous ride to allow for varrying forms of pressure. Any bit can be harsh when used with hard or bracing hands, but my go to bit is an easy mouth o ring snaffle. Bitless bridles have been proven to compromise the horses airway if not fitted correctly and are known to cause signifcant nasal pain if the rider is balancing with their hands.
Do you use whips or spurs?

Although I do not currently ride with spurs, I do believe they are a useful training tool. For teaching horses specific "buttons" (or actions) or for working horses with "dead sides" (horses that ignore leg pressure) it can be very useful to reiderate respect. However, I do not think all horses should be ridden in spurs and I do not ride my personal horse with spurs as he is quite sensitive without. Whips are another tool that can be intermitently utilized in the tool kit. I like to use whips while lunging, liberty work, fixing mounting box issues, and for horses ignoring leg pressure. I do not ride with whips unless truly necessary as I prefer to be soft, but it does have it's place.
Do you believe in laying horses down to gain respect?

In almost all instances I do not believe laying a horse down is the best option. Most of the time these horses are in a hightened sense of fight mode and this damages the bond between horse and human. I do recommend lunging for respect. Moving the feet forward, backwards, left, and right at varying speeds which the human dictates.