Trusted Resources: Empowering Your Journey
It’s not a solo show. Learn from many, grow together!
At Greenwalt Equine, I am dedicated to helping you build a collaborative and joyful relationship with your horse through positive reinforcement training. While my resources are designed to guide you on this journey, I recognize the value of diverse perspectives and the wealth of knowledge available in the equestrian community.
It's important to approach training with a critical eye, as not all methods align with the principles of positive reinforcement. To support your learning, I've curated a selection of reputable educators, trainers, and resources that embody ethical and science-based training practices:
Other Trainers
Shawna Karrasch and Jessie Hillegas are AMAZING trainers and even better people. Shawna is the one who originally started the R+ movement in the horse world and Jessie has been a professional trainer, competitor, and breeder for 20 years. They have been so kind and supportive of my business from the beginning and they DEFINITELY know what they are talking about, specializing in hunter jumpers and the horse show community. They are the real deal! I cannot recommend their membership enough. It is PACKED with wonderful resources you can’t get anywhere else!
Alexandra Kurland studied animal behavior at Cornell University and began teaching in the 1980s. She wrote her first book on positive reinforcement horse training in 1998. She is well respected in the animal training community and frequently presents at Clicker Expo. She is another one that I consider a “founding father” of positive reinforcement horse training.
Monty Gwynne originally learned from Alexandra Kurland and has been training horses with positive reinforcement for decades. She specializes in groundwork exercises and has a great video program.
Peggy Hogan learned from Alexandra Kurland as well and has also been training horses with positive reinforcement for decades. She has a great Youtube channel and specialized on choice and control and minis.
Hannah Weston and her mom Rachel, run Connection Training in Europe. Fun fact, Shawna went over there to help her set up her program! Hannah has a plethora of Youtube videos and a robust membership.
Animal Training Academy is the place where you can transform and grow your skills, enabling you to make your biggest possible positive impact on all the animal and human learners you work with. Follow along with our monthly deep dives, or discover invaluable insights in our extensive library of over 170 webinars, featuring world-class trainers. ATA boasts a community like no other. Its welcoming and responsive nature, coupled with a ‘no silly questions’ policy, ensures that you receive personalized and informative answers to all your specific training queries.
Animal Training Academy also has a GREAT podcast that I personally listen to all of the time!
Kansas City Area
Brea at Compass Equestrian has been a client of mine for years and has successfully integrated positive reinforcement into her training and lesson program. At this point, she is a skilled positive reinforcement trainer herself. I take regular riding lessons from her and cannot recommend her riding instruction enough. She is also the only person I would trust to put my horses in training with. I travel to MANY barns in the area, and Compass is by far my favorite boarding atmosphere. Brea works hard to foster and maintain a friendly, open, no drama zone. She is DEFINITELY worth the drive to Tonganoxie.
Brea founded Compass Equestrian to give students the opportunities she lacked growing up in rural Iowa. With nearly 10 years of professional experience, Brea is a World Champion in the Jumper division (2020) and a Reserve World Champion (2019) at the Morgan Grand National. Her expertise spans Hunter/Jumpers, Western riding, Saddle Seat, and Driving, bringing a fresh, versatile perspective to her training approach.
Equine Behavior
Rachael Draaisma is a trainer and behavior consultant who wrote the book, “Language Signs and Calming Signals of Horses”. This book details and illustrates equine behaviors and helps you read and interpret the behaviors they are displaying. This book will BLOW YOUR MIND! It is a must read for anyone who interacts with horses, no matter the discipline. After reading this, you will be able to speak horse! Rachael also wrote the book, “Scentwork for Horses.” She is a gem for the horse world, and often comes to Kansas for clinics, one of the only places she visits in the U.S.!
Products
This treat pouch holds more than you think, has multiple pockets, is flexible but durable, zips up, and is a great shape. It is my go to bag, especially for riding.
This waist bag holds SO MUCH food! It is my go-to bag for longer training sessions or for when I am training multiple horses. There are several pockets, and it is super easy to clean!
Shawna invented a great side bucket that is too narrow for a normal-size horse to get their nose into. Since it is hard plastic, it is my go to for soaked feed and then you can just rinse it out! I end up using this item most often in training, especially with horses new to R+. They always need to try and bite the food pouch a couple of times, and this hard side bucket makes it impossible for them to get food out of it. It is a little pricey, but DEFINITELY worth it!
These “treats” are healthy and safe enough to give in large quantities, but tasty enough to use as a jackpot or high value reinforcer. Horses LOVE these and so do I!
Books
READ THESE!!
Click on the picture to get the Amazon Link!
