| Horse Training |
| Riding Lessons |
| We offer a variety of training activities to compliment your equine lifestyle. Whether you have a young horse that needs basic training, a mature horse needing some refreshment work or would like to add new skills to your horse's activities portfolio - we will make it happen. Let's talk about designing a custom training program that works for you. All client horses stay at Freedom Ranch during the training period under the care of Mindy Smith Equine Services and our network of equine health specialists. |
| Riding is what we love to do most and we provide unique riding lesson opportunities on the beautiful Central Coast. From mountain trail to beach front riding lessons, we offer the best of both worlds. Our lessons can be given individually or in a group format, whatever suits your needs. |
Freedom Horse Training is dedicated to creating a wonderful human equine experience that is balanced between the needs and desires of both horse and rider. Mindy Smith offers a wide range of instruction including private and group trail rides, arena work, halter breaking, driving, groundwork, and much more. Mindy Smith has quite deservingly built a reputation as a leading Rocky Mountain Horse expert on the West Coast. This is largely due to her passion and dedication to the Rocky Mountain horse which has led her to live and breathe this breed for much of her professional career. Her signature style was established and has prospered utilizing the following philosophies: - Dressage mindset to setting and training the gaited horse - Mounted body work - Promoting resistance free riding - Teaching successful and harmonious group rides by understanding herd dynamics - Mastering natural and human made trail obstacles - Understanding and respecting proper trail etiquette between riders - Understanding how to allow your horse to make the right choices - Setting your horse up for success - Gentle herd management approach - Enabling riders to teach their horse to act instead of forcing them - Education as the foundation for skills - Honesty with your horse and honesty with each other - A passion for people, animals and sharing the amazing feeling only found when out riding on the open trails |
| FREEDOM HORSE TRAINING & RIDER EDUCATION |
| Group Trail Rides |
| Trail Obstacle Competition |
| Defining My Riding Style...... Not an easy task as it continues to evolve and transform as the horses ask me to. I want to teach people to ride so that their horse's ears are always up and their hearts are open. My biggest reward is when I finally witness a rider relax their spine, disengage their hips, and exhale- becoming one with the rhythmic motion of the being beneath them. I prefer an arena with no rails. I ride with no boundaries. I use naturally occurring tools, like a steep bank as opposed to an arena rail to balance and straighten a horse out. I use each obstacle on the trail to demonstrate to my horse how as a team we can overcome each challenge. Patiently allowing them to make the right choices. Setting them up for success every time, timing my rewards and encouragements so they too are proud of their accomplishments. I promote harmonious group rides by understanding herd dynamics. Trail etiquette and conscience ride management will assure safety and contentment for each horse and rider combo. Using resistance free riding to teach a horse to keep adequate distances not holding them back. I consistently do stretching and mounted body work before I start out on any venture. Thinking of the horse from the tip of his nose to the tip of his tail. I try to engage and manipulate every muscle and find it's full athletic potential. Increasing the range of motion of each joint. I ride through intentions. Using my mind, body and legs before I even pick up my reins. When riding the gaited horse I adopted a dressage mindset. Collecting the horse gently in my hands and driving them into the pressure with my legs. It is a very fine line between harnessing the head, neck, and shoulders of the horse, while keeping the rib cage bending and flexing, and driving the hind end or motor. Just like humans, horses become right or left handed or hooved. Due to the lateral nature of their gait, the gaited horse's dominant side is more apparent. If not vertically and laterally flexed this imbalance will create a hollow backed, high headed horse, that will drag its hind end. This horse will probably begin to pace and have unnecessary concussion on his joints and limbs. Horses take the path of least resistance, "the easy way." So if we allow them to get "strung out" they will chose the pace or trot. If we collect and control the frame or placement of their body we can set them up for the gait every time. |
| John and Carolyn Claudy |
| Great times, good friends, and incredible animals! |
| Praise your horse with your voice and your touch not with food!!!! |
| When working on the ground with your horse.....never wear sunglasses. You need eye contact for the communication to be clear!! |
| Remember your horse's ears are his eyes when you are on his back. Watch their ears carefully and you will know where they are looking and what they are thinking!! |
| When Mindy asked us to write a testimonial for her Website, the first thing John said was,"Tell them that I always come back alive." Well, that's true, but it doesn't capture the reasons why we ride with Mindy every Tuesday morning, and have done so for nearly two years now. In the beginning, Mindy showed us the trails, built our confidence, and helped us solve problems with our young Rockies. She's very good at explaining techniques for avoiding difficulties, like turning Tip's head into a tree on a narrow trail to avoid a knee banging. She understands my physical limitations, picks an appropriate route, and warns me of upcoming hazards. While we do ride on our own, we continue to observe the Tuesday morning tradition with Mindy, because our rides are just more fun when she is along. She's invariably cheerful and always has entertaining stories to tell. In addition, it seems the horses recognize Mindy's skill and behave better.in her presence. If we can't ride with her one week, Mindy will take one or both of our horses out for a "tune up." It's very reassuring to know she's there for us. We're grateful for the contribution Mindy has made to our lives. Carolyn and John Claudy |
Glenn and Bonnie Spence Little Man! |
