At its heart, horsemanship is about trust, communication, and partnership.
Whether you’re learning to post the trot, preparing for your first recognized show, or refining the feel required for upper-level work, my goal is always the same: to meet both horse and rider where they are, and help them become the best version of themselves together. I am a rider, instructor, and lifelong learner in equestrian sports, and I love nothing more than helping horses and riders understand one another.
I have spent most of my life immersed in the disciplines of three day eventing, show jumping, and dressage. My foundation is classical flatwork, because I believe that balance, straightness, suppleness, and clear communication form the basis of every successful horse-rider pair, regardless of discipline. From there, jumping can become not just possible, but enjoyable for both horse and rider (if, and only if, that is the goal, of course!).
One of the greatest gifts my riding career ever gave me was something that felt like a major disadvantage at the time: I was not born a natural rider. At all. That isn’t false modesty; it’s just a fact. Good position, timing, balance, and feel just didn’t come naturally to me. I had to learn it all deliberately. I spent years consciously thinking about where every part of my body belonged, often working against my own instincts while searching for that elusive feeling of harmony.
Luckily for me, I had quite an early start, and I was going round and round on a lunge line by the time I was five, enjoying every second of it, and mucking out stalls to earn more lessons. By my early teens, I was galloping around CCI*’s (2003), by my mid teens, I had represented the United States Area II team at NAYRC and earned an individual bronze medal at the CCI** level (2005), and by my late teens, I had made it all the way to a second place finish at the Advanced level of eventing at Plantation Field, completing my first CIC*** at the Maui Jim Horse Trials in 2006. I had many ups and downs throughout that time and many, many, many humbling experiences, as all riders who stick with the sport do.
Looking back, I’m grateful for that struggle. The struggle was the gift.
Because I had to learn every piece intentionally, I also learned how to explain it. I learned how to translate “feel” into words, how to break complicated movements into understandable pieces, and how to help riders discover the right answer rather than simply imitate it.
Some extraordinarily talented riders become wonderful teachers. Many do not. Not because they lack knowledge, but because they never had to consciously analyze what they were doing. They simply did it. My own path required tens of thousands of hours of careful practice, patience, observation, and problem-solving. That experience shaped me into the instructor I am today.
Every horse learns differently. Every rider learns differently. I enjoy discovering what makes each partnership click. My understanding of biomechanics, combined with years of competitive experience and a formal background in psychology, allows me to tailor instruction thoughtfully to the individual rather than relying on a single formula.
Above all, I genuinely enjoy helping people learn. I welcome anyone who is curious, hardworking, and eager to improve. Progress doesn’t have to be rushed. The journey itself, those moments where you get a spark of understanding, a stride of complete harmony, a moment of pure joy, a snapshot of a future goal–those moments are the most rewarding part.
What defines my teaching is the belief that good horsemanship is never about forcing a horse into submission or chasing ribbons at any cost. It is about building understanding, developing correct fundamentals, and creating a partnership founded on trust, communication, and mutual confidence. When horse and rider truly understand one another, almost everything else becomes possible.
Horses have shaped nearly every stage of my life. They have taught me patience, humility, resilience, and the value of quality communication more effectively than almost anything else ever could. If you’d like to learn more about my methods, please feel free to reach out–I’d love to meet you!