Positive Horsemanship Coaching is designed for building skills through training. It’s a great fit if you already know what you’d like help teaching your horse (whether that’s cooperative care, basic handling, trailer loading, or riding) all using positive reinforcement. A Behavior Consultation, on the other hand, is about uncovering the why behind behavior challenges and creating a plan that supports your horse’s emotional well-being. We explore things like stress, environment, communication, and physical health, often before any training begins.

You won’t need much to get started! If you’re new to positive reinforcement, I’ll send you some basic recommendations for things like a food pouch, target stick, and clicker. If you’re doing in-person coaching, a target stick and clicker are included as part of your package. For virtual coaching, it’s helpful to have an inexpensive tripod to hold your phone or camera, and Bluetooth headphones so we can communicate clearly during live sessions. Don’t worry if you’re not sure where to begin, I’ll guide you through the setup so you and your horse are ready to learn.

Each package is designed to offer different types of support depending on your preferences, schedule, and location. Hands-On Harmony Best for you if you're within my travel range and want in-person coaching. We’ll meet at your location for one-on-one guidance, demonstrations, and real-time feedback. Compassionate Connection Perfect if you’re out of my travel range or simply prefer to avoid travel fees. We’ll work together virtually, using Zoom for live sessions that offer personalized support and real-time feedback. Positive Pathways A great fit if you’re just slightly outside my local travel zone. This hybrid option helps reduce travel costs, we’ll combine virtual and in-person sessions to give you the best of both worlds. Grounded Guidance Ideal if you want ultimate flexibility without live appointments. You’ll send a training video every other week for 3 months (up to 10 minutes long), and I’ll return a voiceover review with supportive feedback and next steps tailored to your goals. If you’re not sure which option is the best fit, feel free to reach out. I’m happy to help you decide!

That’s great! Many people choose to continue coaching after their initial package. We can talk about next steps toward the end of your current package and build something that fits your continued goals.

Absolutely! Many of my clients are just beginning their journey with positive reinforcement. This coaching is designed to meet you where you are, whether you’re brand new or looking to deepen your skills. I’ll guide you through the basics and help you feel confident every step of the way.

Positive reinforcement is just one form of Operant Conditioning. Operant Conditioning is how all living things learn through consequences of their actions (through reinforcement or punishment). They will either be rewarded or punished for their behavior. Positive Reinforcement (R+) is giving your horse a reward for performing the desired behavior. With practice, they learn that if they repeat the behavior, they will continue to be rewarded. Food and scratches are the most common reinforcers used in training. Negative reinforcement (R-) is the removal of something the horse finds annoying or unpleasant to increase behavior. The horse is learning from the relief of pressure applied. Positive punishment (P+) is the addition of an aversive to decrease behavior. An example of this would be if a horse attempts to bite and we hit the horse. If all was applied correctly, the horse would be less likely to bite in the future. ​ Negative punishment (P-) is the removal of something the horse enjoys to decrease behavior. An example of this would be if you are going to feed your horse and the horse attempts to bite so we take away the food. The punishment is the removal of the food so the horse would be less likely to attempt to bite when being fed in the future. ​ It's important to note that "+ and -" are not representing good or bad. They simply mean adding something or subtracting something. They are merely mathematical symbols.

Using positive reinforcement creates a situation in which your horse is eager to learn and truly loves to participate in training. When training with positive reinforcement, the horse is seeking a reward and is offering behaviors instead of trying to find relief/release of pressure. Horses trained with positive reinforcement will act differently overall. ​ You will also notice a change in your own thoughts. Instead of focusing on what your horse did wrong, you will be thinking of what your horse did right. With such training, you will be able to teach behaviors more effectively without needing pressure and intimidation. Your relationship with your horse will dramatically improve!

Clicker Training is training done using a tool called a clicker. The clicker is used as a marker or bridge signal that marks the exact moment the horse performs the behavior we are looking for. It tells the horse "yes, that was it!" and now reinforcement is coming.

Yes! Positive reinforcement works for ALL horses, from minis to draft, calm and "child safe", to dangerous and aggressive. It has been used to fix even severe behavioral cases. It works on all species from dogs and cats to the biggest and most dangerous zoo animals like bears and lions.

Any form of training can be done poorly. Oftentimes when people give a horse a treat, they may not be aware of what behaviors they are reinforcing before they give the treat. ​ In order to train with food we have to teach the horse how we want them to behave around the food. This is what we teach before anything else. We teach the horse how to stand calmly with us while we have food and how to take the food how we'd like.

No, you do not have to stop everything just because your horse is trained with negative reinforcement and you now want to use positive reinforcement. In fact, I don't advise that unless for certain situations. Your horse will need those skills in the meantime. Your horse still needs to survive in the human world. But we will need to work on keeping positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement separate.