Zeus - the talented one, my own horse.  Zeus is now seven years old.  I had him for sale for the last three years, and no one inquired about him.  This year I made the decision to keep him myself, as I just have too much fun with him.  

Zeus also teaches students the art of body language and perfects their ground work skills.  The pictures tell the story.  

Pleasure, trail, hunter, jumper, eventer, dressage, and we're adding barrels, poles and competitive trail riding this year.  Zeus excels at anything I ask him to do.  He really is the perfect partner!  

Thank you for teaching me and others Zeus!

Winnie 3 yr old German bred & branded Hanoverian mare. Sire, Warkanson/ Warkant/ World Cup Dam,Lorelei/Laskan/Lugano I/DerLowexx Winnie is an exceptional mare. Beautiful correct movement. Strong compact body. Excellent temperament. A joy to work with.  Many, many hours of ground work and now has been lightly backed with no issues. This mare has the potential to become an elite athlete. With strong jumping and dressage bloodlines she could perform any discipline. She also has the temperament and conformation for a driving horse. Winnie was bought as a project horse and now is ready for a new home. - $20,000cnd Please contact us for more information.

Rosie is 11 years old 15.3+hh OTT Thoroughbred mare. Rosie passed through many owners over the past couple of years.  She finally came to me because her last owner and barn owner were afraid of her. 'She was too crazy to work with',  I was told. Rosie desperately needed a rest and to just hang out with other horses. We started from the ground up and now I have a very willing, happy mare that loves human attention. I even have the former owner riding Rosie in our lesson program!!  Rosie needs a new home as I cannot keep all the horses I retrain.

Conifer Ridge Farm Sales... Kanga 3 yr old Q/H cross mare. By Redford's Golden Boy. Out of Q/H  Arab mare. Kanga was born and raised here on our farm. She was sold to a lovely family that adores her. Soloman 4 yr.old Thb Q/H gelding. By Thb I'maninnocentmale. Out of Thb Q/H grade mare. Soloman was born and started under saddle here at Conifer Ridge. He was shown Hunter U/S at local shows. He had just started his over fences training when he sold. Morgan (with rider) 8 yr. old Reg. Morgan Gelding. Yes his name is Morgan!  He came to us for rehabilitation.  He stayed a year and was sold to a lovely home. Noela - yearling Q/H filly by our own Q/H stallion Barbaresco.   Noela has been sold to a lovely lady on the French Shore. King Biscuit Boy 3 yr. old reg. Apendix Q/H gelding.  By Thb. I'maninnocentemale Out of our own reg Q/H mare Peggy.   Biscuit has been sold to a home in the Anapolis Valley.

 

- Shaping your horse for a positive Ride - Quiet minds create Quiet horses - Safe trailer loading - Stall manners - Dealing with dangerous stall behavior - The Art of round penning - Lunging and Longlining - Understanding Equine body language"

Body movement, patience, respect, consistency, persistence and positive attitude.  These are the life skills needed to earn the respect of your horse.  Whether the horse needs to build fear into confidence, rudeness into respect, distraction into focus or defiance into willingness these "behavior" problems can be unraveled and corrected.

When working with new horses westart at the beginning, on the ground work first.  If this goes well we move on to the next step, tacking up.  Every step is thoroughly repeated to make sure nothing has been missed.  Working in this consistent manner 100% of the time enables the horse to trust and become a willing partner.

New student at Conifer Ridge - Feb 2007

Leslie puts the "new kid" through her paces...

Morgan long-lining at ADDC...	Leslie & Zeus have a word...	Melanie & Zeus have a lesson...

When coaching the rider the same approach is taken.  You are coached on ground work first then tacking up and then on riding skills.  Remember these skills are needed to EARN the respect of your horse.  With this approach the horse is more relaxed, more willing and more confident, giving you, the owner, a better relationship.

Workshops...

Our very first clinic that we organized was for Chris Irwin in Truro, Nova Scotia.  Chris had never been to N.S. before and this was a big event!  The Friday evening demonstration drew 367 people. What a night!

The Saturday and Sunday clinic was dynamite.  With 13 participants and their horses taking turns in the round pen, learning groundwork and riding it was something to remember.  Chris also conducted eight hours of lessons the following Monday at a private stable.  By that time we were all on information overload.  So much had happened in just four days.

Of course we HAD to have Chris back, but his schedule was full.  We had to wait till the following year and once again he wowed the participants and auditors.  Chris' schedule is now so full he doesn't do many clinics. He instead has implemented the Train the Trainer program all across North America.  Out of this program comes the student who can carry on Chris's Horsemanship methods.  (See more details at Chris's web site -  www.chrisirwin.com)

The clinics that I teach have a similar format but on a smaller scale; Only 8-10 horses per day.  We start in the barn or even in the stall, then work on leading, lunging and standing quietly.

We assess every step before carrying on.  Mounting and riding is the next step.  It sounds time wasting to some to take such a long time with simple tasks but think about it this way - if your horse pushes you with his shoulder when leading him, what do you think he will do when you are riding him?

In the workshops I teach the theory of horsemanship.  Horse "101" physiology, herd rules, safety, body positioning, leading, lunging and a lot of Q&A time.  This workshop can even be done in a horseless environment, making any space accessible.

If you would like to organize a clinic or workshop please CONTACT US.