Quintessential Arabians: About Us


	About Us... Our History About Breeding... What we Believe: The Training of Horse and Rider Reference Letters and Client Feedback
	Our little family has been loving and caring for the Arabian horse for a long time, and I have been professionally training horses of various breeds and giving riding lessons in Hunt Seat, Saddle Seat, Dressage, and Stock Seat since 1992. I have been training horses since I was 12 years old, having trained my first horse for Western Pleasure, Trail, Reining, and Dressage. I primarily specialize in breaking young horses to ride and finishing already saddle trained horses for the show ring, as well as working with owners and riders to improve their riding, their relationship, and their horse handling skills and understanding of their horses. I work with a mixture of classical horsemanship techniques such as long lining and dressage as well as a common sense approach that works with the horse's own nature and derives a lot of natural horsemanship techniques. (Above: Ashleigh and Mikayla on MWF Donica, Below: Dan and Laurie) Dan, my true love and inspiration, supports and encourages me in every way possible and is the backbone of all of our programs. He helps out around the farm and is integral to events such as our Open House and Client Appreciation Day. He gives wings to my dreams! Ashleigh and Mikayla are a great help on the farm. They help out daily with chores, have a natural "way" with horses and Ashleigh, now a young lady in her teens, is also of help to me in starting young horses under saddle, and gains more experience all the time, having assisted with all ages of horse handling for most of her life, from foal handling to stallion handling. She has a particular love of our stallions Gadiel and Legacy of Roses, who both adore her. She is a gifted rider as is her little sister Mikayla, who has no fear. Alyssa, Sierra, and Christian are learning all about the horses and learning to help out with the horses and the farm along with their new sisters. To visit our new "Family Page", where you can visit a page dedicated to our family, with pages dedicated to each of the children and to us, click here. Together, we are Quintessential Arabians. (below: Mikayla and Angel, Ashleigh and Daisy) Our History... It all began when I was a little girl. I never wanted, in my entire life, to do anything other than work with horses! I have always loved them, always been drawn to them, and they to me. I began taking riding lessons when I was 12, and quickly became my instructor's star pupil, showing her horse, a paint, in open and 4-H shows in the beginner Western classes. The second year of riding lessons brought a horse of my own: a young and untrained Quarter Horse named "My Dads A Drifter", who I called Dustee. He became my best friend in the world. Dustee was extremely intelligent, and this coupled with an unruly and cantankerous attitude made him the rue of all of my instructors. He was truly a one person horse however, and we became as one creature. We swept up at the shows in Western Pleasure, Stock Seat Equitation, Trail, Showmanship and Reining. My family could not afford to have him trained, so I took lessons once a week and trained him myself. He taught me more to this day than any other book, person or horse! Eventually I outgrew my first instructor, and found a wonderful instructor who bred and showed Saddlebreds in Saddleseat. Needless to say, I didn't teach my Quarter Horse to go Saddleseat...ha! But, she taught me some very good skills and broadened my horizons and knowledge. I learned that one discipline or breed is no better than another, and learning different disciplines only enhances your training and riding ability. We continued to show, in Open Quarter Horse and All-Breed shows, and won three AHSA State awards but after years of showing both he and I were burnt out and bored. I then began to study and school in dressage, and continued to perfect our reining and dressage maneuvers to a high degree of excellence. Throughout all of this, I was always riding in the wilderness of Alaska for hours, as Dustee and I so loved to do. There was nothing better than pointing my horse away from home and just riding until I knew I had to turn around to get back home in time for dinner! Those stories are countless, but I recently had a story published in "Chicken Soup for the Horse Lover's Soul" about Dustee's heroism on one such ride, when he saved my life from a charging cow moose defending her calf. During my first two years of college, I went away from my Alaskan home to Oregon State University. I was blessed to work with over 40 horses (in fact every horse in the program). They were mostly warmbloods and thoroughbreds and I enjoyed taking jumping and dressage classes to the advanced level. I was honored to earn the highest points of the year in the final test for Advanced Dressage, judged by our Grand Prix level instructor. My desire to train horses never wavered, I always knew what I wanted to do. Oregon State did not offer an Equine Science degree, so I decided to transfer to Colorado State University. My decision to continue on into a career with horses was cemented into place when I had my internship as Assistant Manager of an Arabian breeding and training farm. I excelled, taking over all duties of management, training, and lessons. Despite long hours, I loved it, and here is where I became sure of my destination for a career. The positive feedback from clients was overwhelming and it became clear that this was what I was destined to do. I could not help but fall in love with the Arabian spirit: their incredible willingness to learn, their excellent dispositions and extreme trainability. I decided that I wanted to breed and train Arabians. I then moved to Washington State, where I began to train professionally and give lessons. I began my search for the ultimate Arabian mare to breed, after intense studying...and after searching long and hard I found my incredible Pure Polish foundation mare, MWF Donica, by Probat. I started her under saddle and was preparing her for show in the discipline of Country English Pleasure when I learned I would be moving to Okinawa, Japan. I spent my next three years there, and I spent most of that doing research on breeding, and bred my first Arabian, QA Divine Infidel. After coming back to the States from Okinawa, I searched for seven long months for a home here in Colorado, and during that time I worked as head groom for Sally Lavers (now Randle), a National level performance trainer who now trains for Wolf Springs Ranch in Westcliffe, Colorado. Then I moved to Peyton, purchased my lesson horse and my broodmares and began breeding. For news on our foals, see our News page! What we believe: The Training of Horse and Rider Our approach to training is simple: Communication is based on a thorough working knowledge of Equine Behavior. Great care and skill is then added to that foundation to complete the picture. In a nutshell, we are different in that we really listen to the horse. We respect our equine counterparts as fellow living creatures, and we credit their intelligence and capacity for feeling, always with the understanding that their response to stimuli is based on their own unique genetic code as well as prior experience. We read, feel and sense their subtle language and accomodate their equine needs, looking at all things from the standpoint of the horse we are working with, "thinking like a horse." We attempt to not "humanize" the horse in our approach to management and care. We believe in creating happy horses that enjoy their work and enjoy interaction with people, and our horses reflect and prove the methods we use. We believe in excellence in all aspects of care, from nutrition and management to training...and again, our methods reflect these beliefs and our horses reflect quality and excellence in all aspects. To get these results, laying a solid foundation is paramount and patience absolutely mandatory. All training and re-training begins on the ground. The horse is taught to tie quietly, yielding to the pressure of the halter. In fact, the horse is taught to be quiet in all things, to be quiet and patient in his spirit. He is taught to lead with a pillow of space between his handler and himself, learning limits and where he ought to be. He is taught to think and be brave in the face of fear; to respect and trust his handler, and refrain from climbing in his pocket. With the aid of our round pen, the horse is taught to longe and free longe, to respond to voice commands and body language. We usually put the horse in driving lines and work them thoroughly with changes of direction and sometimes over cavaletti at this point. He is taught to "join up" with people, trust and respect the human to be the leader, and that to be "with" someone is where safety lies. Humans become part of his "herd", not something apart from it and outside of it. Then the bit, bridle, surcingle and saddle are introduced, one at a time- with patience and thorough sacking out. The horse is calm, and is treated with understanding. No steps are missed, no impatience is ever allowed to enter into the process...we move at the horse's speed. The horse is taught to submit to the bit, turn left and right, stop and move forward all with saddle and bridle from the ground, and when the horse is thoroughly comfortable we mount. The mounting process involves many steps, as do all of the things we do with the horse. The horse must show no fear of the trainer bouncing on either side, weight and mounting on both sides, touching of hands and legs all over his body, and movement of the rider front to back, side to side. The horse is then led and longed with the rider up, and finally ridden alone. The mounting and riding process is smooth and uneventful because the horse has a solid foundation of trust, acceptance and submission and a thorough understanding of what is being asked and how to respond accurately. We have developed a positive relationship based on respect and trust and the horse is happy and confident with his daily lessons and ability to think and learn. A horse's progression in training is determined by its physical abilities and mental capacity to learn. The systematic development of the horse's body is critical for resistance-free training. The frame and task of carrying a rider while holding their body in that frame is a difficult and demanding physical task for the horse, and must be learned. When a horse shows resistance, there is always a reason for it. Usually, either the horse doesn't understand what is being asked, in which case the trainer must go back to previous lessons, or the horse is physically incapable of performing the task due to lack of muscle development or discomfort. Training can progress no faster than the physical and mental ability of the horse. We place a great deal of emphasis on the development of a horse's body and mind. A strong, pain-free horse with self-carriage, a soft mouth, quiet transitions, good collection and extension and a good attitude are the goals all horsemen strive for. These qualities do not just happen, but are the result of carefully nurtured, skilled training and development. We read each horse for subtle changes in their attitude and body and this tells us what amount and type of work is acceptable to each individual. The ability to "read" a horse is something anyone can develop if they so desire. Great time and patience must be used in the development of this skill and to become truly astute takes many years and many horses. Look at every horse, every day. Watch them in the herd and see how they communicate with other horses and people. Look at their eye, watch their nostrils, breathing and ears. See how they posture with their body. Notice distention of nostrils, ease and rhythm of breathing, condition, texture, brilliance or dullness of coat or hooves. Read their excrements for color, quantity, frequency, length of fibers and content of undigested food. Observe your horse's attitude, listen to their foot falls, feel their presence and sense their thoughts. You will start to become aware of a new dimension in your understanding of this spiritual creature that you share your life with, and your life will be enriched because of it! All of the basic training we do here is based on dressage, which is really foundation training for any discipline since it is firmly based on classical horsemanship techniques. We use many of what is now termed "natural horsemanship" techniques, which I have learned from the horses I have worked with and have been doing since I was a young girl. We learn from and share thoughts with nationally accomplished horsemen and believe that education and an open mind are the keys to success when training horses...this includes being open to you and your horse's thoughts! We offer specialized training in the disciplines of Dressage, Western Pleasure, Hunter Pleasure, English and Country Pleasure, and Halter. Our facilities include an outdoor ring and round ring, and horses are turned out daily. Every aspect of their comfort is attended to with care and attention to detail. We are known to have solved many behavior problems, and enjoy working with all levels of horse and rider. We particularly enjoy teaching beginner riders and laying a foundation for them that will allow enjoyment and a positive relationship with horses throughout their lifetime. We believe in training the owner as well as the horse, because there is no greater reward than seeing both horse and owner working together with harmony on common ground. About Training... Click above for more photos of horses in training over the years... Learning to Ride... Click above for more information on riding lessons... Our Students... Click here for lots of fun photos of the students who are part of our family, riding and having fun! About Breeding... Click here to see the beautiful mares that make up our broodmare herd! Our Stallions... Click here to see our gorgeous stallions! Letters of Reference and Feedback from Clients... Our Family Pages... Click here to see our individual family pages...visit Dan and Laurie's page, Ashleigh, Mikayla, Alyssa, Sierra and Christian's pages!