Susan and Tigger
Client Testimonial - Susan S. and Tigger
When we went to Canterbury Farm the first time, we were visiting to meet Paula and decide whether to bring our horse Tigger there for training. As we pulled up the driveway, Paula's husband John was working a horse in the round pen and my ten year old daughter Heather's mouth dropped as she said "Did you see that? That horse is cantering around the ring with no halter or anything and all he did was point and it changed directions!" I was thinking the same thing, even though I already had an idea of natural horsemanship training techniques.
In addition to Paula's evident knowledge and skill and the beautiful facility, one of the things that impressed me on this first visit was that Paula was very clear about her expectations for commitment and involvement from the horse owner in the training process. I wasn't looking for a place to just leave my horse and then pick him up a month later with current problems solved. After our visit, the question was no longer should we bring Tigger to Canterbury Farm, but rather, how soon could we get him there!
A few weeks later, Tigger was checking out Canterbury Farm - his new home for a month! Paula was great in the interim period, with helping us find a trailer to transport him there and other questions we had. I was very excited and had high expectations for what he would learn.
There were two main problems we were having with Tigger that we needed training help from Paula for. Whenever he felt the pull of being tied, he would "freak out" and pull until he either broke the rope or what he was tied to, which was very unsafe. He also always acted up with the farrier and was beginning to rear when he was being asked to do something he did not want to do. I knew that these unsafe behaviors would only get worse and multiply if we did not learn how to handle them early.
Tigger (and Heather and I) spent a lot of time with Paula during that month and there is no way to describe the enhanced comfort level and relationship that we have now with our horse! The results of working with someone who understands natural horsemanship and teaches you to truly understand your horse are amazing. As Paula told us from the beginning, some of the problems that we had talked about would seem to go away without being directly addressed and she was right. We started in the round pen with getting Tigger to respect us and be attentive to us. We learned what to do when he "shows a little bit of attitude". Tigger became more confident and trusting in us as we gained more confidence and trust in him.
Paula's ability to work with horses and with people of all ages is very impressive. The most worthwhile aspect of our training was that we can approach new issues as they come up. I have been able to continue to apply the techniques we learned with Tigger and also with our other horse since we've been home - and we feel like we have a whole network of new "horse friends" to call on!
Thanks Paula!!
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