FAQ's

Q: Who are your services best for? 

A: While our consultation services are available to anyone of any level, within the horse industry we focus on the following:

• Beginner or intermediate western horse riders/owners of all ages, kids included!

• Anyone completely new to the horse world, wanting to get into it but not knowing where to start, or feeling overwhelmed or intimidated, or simply needing some direction and guidance

• Anyone who is new to buying horses

• Anyone that has struggled in the past with buying the right horse

• Anyone that is having a hard time finding the right horse for them

• Anyone who wants to get back into horses after some time away

• Anyone needing a sounding block and advice to help not make impulsive or emotional purchases

• Anyone on a budget or those who want to get the most out of their money

• Organizations needing help finding horses for their programs (guest/dude ranching, trail riding business, equine therapy)

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Q: Where are you located? 

A: I am located in Santa Fe, NM and locally service within a 1.5 hour drive from here for lessons and other in-person needs. 

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Q: Do you work out of state? 

A: Yes! I work with my clients nationwide, and look nationwide for horses as well. Majority of my consulting services can be facilitated over the phone or through video chat, and depending on the area I may have a trusted rider to demo the horse for you. I am also skilled in scheduling equine services with vets, farriers, and transportation companies around the US and providing you with recommendations of equine services in your area. If you are outside of the Albuquerque/Santa Fe and surrounding area, I can travel to you as well. For travel, I usually recommend scheduling a full day or two, or more, of viewing horses to make the most out of our in-person time together and to keep the horses we've seen fresh in our head. Travel expenses are covered by the buyer and include mileage over 70 miles from Santa Fe, flights, rentals, and sleeping accommodations. 

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Q: What does a beginner friendly horse look like? 

A: Well, for one it can certainly be any color and any size! Am ideal beginner horse to me is one that has an easy going temperament and minimal, if any, behavior concerns. It's safe to be around on the ground and in the saddle. It is a willing parnter- meaning goes in the direction you ask on the ground or in the saddle, and isn't spooky. Often times these are older horses with miles and miles of wet saddle pads in their past. They are the do anything go anywhere type of horse. Beginner horses are forgiving of mistakes you make with your hands, legs, and body and no how to take care of you when you're admiring the view and chatting with friends. 

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Q: What is a broke horse? 

A: Based on my expectations, here is what I think about various levels of broke commonly seen in sale ads: 

• Broke to handle- can halter, pick up feet, lead around, tie, groom, stand still, and load/unload from trailer

• Broke to the saddle- you can put a saddle on them, possibly get on them, but not much for steering yet and may or may not get tossed off, very few miles on them

• Broke to ride- not likely to get tossed off, may have some professional training, more miles on them, you can get on them and go while having some steering in different directions but may be stiff and unwilling, spooky, dead sided, etc.

• Truly broke horse- the willing partner with many miles of wet saddle pads, goes in any direction softly and willingly, can walk/trot/canter any direction when cued, stops fairly quick when asked, backs up smoothly, and allows a rider to manipulate all parts of their body through the riders hands, legs, and voice. May be athletic or not, but pays attention to the rider

• Fancy broke- you'll see this term thrown around on ad sites and to me it means they're broke to ride or a broke horse with discipline specific training of some sort on them. They come with more buttons and it's always important to clarify the sellers definition of this. 

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Q: What budgets can you work within? 

A: I can work within any budget, and will be upfront with you about what to expect to find for horses in your budget in regards to training, age range, medical issues, behavioral, etc. Horse prices aren't what they used to be, but I think on average $5k is a fair starting price nationwide for a truly broke, safe, beginner friendly horse that's in a good age range, healthy and sound, has no major behavioral concerns, has nice training on them, and is easy to get along with. Prices go up and down from there based on age, training, breed, color, papers (lineage), location, seller (rescue v private v performance horse trainer), and medical concerns. Do you need to have a high budget to work with me? Absolutely not. My goal is to provide you with information about what's realistic in your price range, give you all the options of where we will plan to look, and find the absolute very best for your money. Do you happen to have a pretty high budget? Know that as prices go up, it doesn't mean the quality of the horse does too. It's also easy to jump into the performance horse price range when you see how fancy they can be. Regardless of budget, my goal is to find the best horse for your needs, riding ability, and goals. 

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Q:What if I'm just looking for a pasture pal and don't want to ride? 

A:That's completely fine too and we are here to help you find the most compatible partner to meet your needs as a horse owner. We know and understand that not everyone can or wants to ride, but still wants to enjoy horse ownership to its fullest. Whatever you're interest in purchasing your horse, it's my job to make sure you both match in skill, education, personality, and more. 

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Q: What if I've never ridden before but it's my dream to own a horse?

A: Horses truly are a large investment financially, time wise, emotionally, and even physically so before purchasing a horse I want to make sure we really set you up for success. I recommend we start with a finding a great local trainer who can offer you not just riding education, but also build your horsemanship and horse ownership skills in a way best suited to you. During this skill building time you'll be able to get a better sense of the type of horse you like (more woah than go or the other way around, size, personality, breed, etc) and we can even work together to more deeply discuss horse ownership, budgets, local facilities and everything else horse related. Then when you're ready to step into horse ownership we will work together to find the ideal horse for you. I highly recommend that training and lessons continue on with your trainer after buying your horse. Just remember, even Olympians take lessons! The education and growth never stops. 

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Q: How do I know you have my best interests in mind? 

A: The last thing I ever want for a horse, is for that horse to be in an ill-suited home where it isn't getting the proper care or attention it needs. Often times this comes from a mismatch in compatibility between horse and rider or owner, and sometimes life just changes and get's in the way. What I want for the horse is an owner that looks forward to seeing them, even on the rough days. I want to see owners making the best choices in picking out their equine partner so those horses stay out of sale barns, free up space in rescues, and stop jumping home to home. Because of these reasons I make sure to really get in depth with you in our initial consultation and throughout the process on the life you envision for yourself as a horse owner, and weed out what is and isn't realistic. Some horses need to be ridden every day, some can be pulled out only a couple times a year and still be the great solid horse they were last time you rode. Everyone's needs are different, and every horse is different too. If you're a brand new horse owner I feel it's my responsibility to give you as comprehensive a picture on horse ownership as I can and prepare you with skills and tools to be successful, as well as be a support system for you post-purchase. Even if you already own a horse and are looking for a new one, my job is to fill in the gaps and help you find a partner that you'll love spending time with. 

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Q: What happens if I get my horse, and things start to go south? 

A: This is actually not uncommon at all! For a variety of reasons you will likely see a change in your horse when he is moved to a new environment. Don't worry! When you demo your horse at the seller's location of choice, you are likely demoing the best version of that horse with you as the rider. The videos you see in the ads are also the best version of that horse too. After you buy him he'll be headed off to a new location, with new horses and new smells, new routines, new feed, and a different exercise regiment. Maybe he is used to pasture turnout and now he's in a smaller pen location only being rode a few times a week. It's also very common for horses to test out their new owners and riders to see what they can get away with. Maybe his behavioral changes is as simple as improperly fit tack. It's also possible he has some trauma you, as the buyer, were unaware of, and your horse is now experiencing. While horses don't have the same complexity that humans do, they are very emotionally developed creatures that can be sensitive to changes in their environment. This is the main reason why working with someone post-purchase is so important. Myself or a local trainer will be able to help you manage the changes and interactions that come up between you and your horse in real time so we can get past the bumps in the road and get back to enjoying your life as a horse owner asap. 

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I also recommend spending as much time as you can with the horse when demoing it, both on the ground and in the saddle. If the seller allows you to visit more than once, take advantage of that too! You aren't going to ride a horse you don't enjoy, especially if it's one you're afraid of or butt heads with. I'm a firm believer that in almost all cases you CAN move past those feelings but it's going to take reaching out for support, understanding that this is normal, and letting go of expectations to get there. You have to put the horse and the relationship first, and choose to learn and grow with excitement. I can promise you that love and bribery (something we understand better than leadership and boundaries) is not the answer to getting there either! But don't worry too much, take a step back and let's make a game plan together. 

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Q: What's something every horse rider and owner should know? 

A: I truly feel we need to look at ourselves first before blaming the horse. Horses are so emotionally intuitive that they see energy in us we may or may not see in ourselves. They can sense your weaknesses, fears, nervousness, insecurity, negative "black sticky-tar" feelings from a mile away just the same as they can feel our excitement, happiness, contentment, and love. It's important to check in with yourself before you see them. I know horses that will run away from their owner just from the vibes they are giving off that day! When the vibe changes, the horse comes running to meet them. Sometimes that vibe is negative or aggressive and angry, sometimes that vibe is positive, excited, and maybe even high octane sunshine. It's not the horses job to know the difference, but they do see that you're a lot of something and it's either super charging or overwhelming to them. So, when your horse is "having a bad day"...look first to yourself. Are you someone you would want to be around right now? Are you taking things out on your horse because you're having a rough day? What are you offering the the relationship? Are you revved up and energy dumping? Is your positive energy the equivalent of a screaming and overly-excited kiddos? Are you relaxed and confident? Scared and living in the future? Practice coming back to neutral and see what changes. Get to know your horse and learn to manipulate your energy! 

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Q: What is your horsemanship style? 

A: I strive to take a fairly laid back, ego-less, and emotionally neutral and light approach to horses. When I started out in the horse industry I was exposed to a variety of natural horsemanship techniques and schools of thought that really brought out in me a need to question everything horses did, but I never seemed to really solve the issues I was having with various games they recommended playing or get the concrete answers I needed. It wasn't until later when I began working with a phenomenal, professional, non natural-horsemanship centered horsewoman that I saw that I was making things more complex than they needed to be. When I started to dial it back, I was able to see the horse in the moment as opposed to living in the past and future why's and how's. I feel that boundaries, emotional neutrality, and laughter are key components when working with horses. I don't think that there is any one right way to train a horse, but that many wrong ways out there do exist. I think that horses are capable of far more than we give them credit for and that if we ask something of the horse in the right way for that individual, we can get them going along faster and with great, relaxed results. I strive to be a good horsewoman that keeps it simple, continues to educate myself, and takes from a variety of training methods so I have a wide range of skill sets to approach any situation with.