My love of all things horsey started growing up in Alaska; jumping Icelandic Horses over the Alaska Pipeline was just the beginning! I have ridden around the world – I spent a year in Ireland at a steeplechase/event horse barn, interned at a fox hunting/event barn in New Zealand, and did a dressage intensive in Denmark. Stateside, I rode, trained, and competed up and down the east coast, working with Denny Emerson, Jimmy Wofford, Joe Fargis, David and Karen O’Connor, and Pat Parelli. I rode with Jim Graham (a selector for the USET) in the south for 3 years, competing thru the CIC*** / CCI** level on several horses I developed myself. I’ve ridden with William Fox-Pitt, Ingrid Klimke, Conrad Schumacher, Wendy Murdoch and more. On the West coast, I competed thru the Intermediate Level in Eventing, with top awards as the region’s top Prelim rider/horse combination.
A near death injury and extended illness allowed me to leave the high pressured world of upper level competition and develop a program that incorporates horses of all calibers and riders of all abilities. I also began my education to become a licensed saddle fitter, working to ensure that every piece of equipment I used was in the absolute best interests of the horses. My priority in both my teaching and saddle work is on developing positive connections between horses and riders; not just schooling exercises, drilling positions or selling equipment, but in understanding the why’s and how’s of what each individual (both horse and rider) need at that moment to become the best version of themselves.
To that end, I focus on how the rider and horse function together; how the rider’s patterns, posture and position can be improved to enable the horse to be a healthier, happier athlete and partner. For my saddle clients, that involves a thorough understanding of your horses conformation, body composition and postural health. Considering all the variables of saddle construction options, budget, and rider style, I work with you and your horse to find the equipment that brings comfort, support and stability from the very first step.
For my training clients, that means a deep rooting in classical methods applied across the spectrum of disciplines. Certified in the Franklin Method for Equestrians (the only person on the West coast!), I use various tools (balls, resistance bands, sponges, etc) to increase the rider’s awareness of what their body patterns are and how to improve them. Having over 2400 CE hours in horse biomechanics/anatomy/physiology, I also address the patterns and movement of the horse, helping the horse find a happier, more balanced way of moving across the ground while carrying a rider. Sometimes that means working from the ground first; in-hand work is used to show both horse and rider a better way of moving that can be easier to grasp, safer, and more illuminating. As a saddle fitter, the balance and comfort of the interface between the horse and rider is addressed as needed. Licensed at the highest level in Equine Facilitated Learning thru the HERD Institute, I have a great appreciation of the embodied experience we as individuals bring to our horses; the EFL facet adds a depth of understanding and illuminates broad reaching connections with ourselves, our horses, and our communities that go beyond a simple riding lesson.
But you don’t have to take my word for it! Here are some of my clients views on their experiences.
“Supportive, encouraging, humanistic way of recognizing the best in both horse and rider. Meeting them where they are and guiding them to the best of each other.”
“A problem solver of the highest caliber - no detail from bridle to saddle to girth to pad is overlooked. How all the equipment works together is considered.”
“My horse can finally move!! Trapped for years in tack that hurt both of us, I didn’t even know what was possible till Hannah showed us the way! Most appreciated is that she takes the time to educate, not just sell, so that I become the best advocate for my horses health moving forward.”
“Relentlessly positive and validating; noticing and encouraging the try and the small changes that are happening.”
“Horse centered, focused on what horse needs for its development, unwilling to compromise on what is best for the horse. Instilling and inspiring the responsibility of the rider as the steward for the horse’ experience.”
“Ability to explain and convey instruction in a variety of ways so that the information sinks in.”
