Annie's Bio

I've loved horses my entire life!

At six years old I started taking horseback riding lessons. My riding instructor gave me increasingly difficult horses to ride. By the time I was twelve, she was letting me ride her new horses in training, including working with her most difficult horses, and said I should consider training horses for a career. Then, as now, I've repeatedly found horses are the best teachers!

My Journey in Horsemanship

As a young adult, I volunteered to work at multiple horse stables. When I was 25 years old I got my first horses, Mystical & Madison (Maddy). Six months later I was boarding horses on our farm and giving riding and horsemanship lessons. I was into horses for the relationships and connection and so looked for the gentlest way possible to work with them.

I studied and taught Natural Horsemanship for over 20 years, drawing from influences like Pat and Linda Parelli, Carol Coppinger, Sharon Wilsie, and Karen Rohlf. I became a licensed Parelli Natural Horsemanship instructor and built my business, Connected Natural Horsemanship, around relationship-based training that emphasized communication, trust, and partnership.

I worked at a Florida horse rescue for a couple of years, helping mentally and emotionally rehabilitate horses who had been physically rehabilitated. I took horses with backgrounds of abuse and neglect and helped them learn to trust people, have safe ground manners, and start some under saddle to prepare them for adoption. This experience deepened my understanding of how trauma affects horses and the importance of individualized approaches to healing and training.

The Evolution to LIMA Training

In 2021, I acquired a wonderful equine partner, Sir Francis. He arrived as an extreme case and didn’t respond well to pressure-based training. Francis forced me to explore positive reinforcement (R+) training, and his transformation was remarkable — from an explosive and aggressive horse to a gentle, willing partner, Francis showed me the incredible power of trust-based training for traumatized horses.

Inspired by this success, I transitioned to teaching exclusively R+ methods and was ready to rebrand as "Connected Horsemanship: Clicking Forward." But then my confident, well-adjusted horse Khaleil taught me an equally important lesson. When I tried exclusive R+ training with him, he didn't thrive. Instead, he became confused and regressed. This experience taught me that not every horse needs the same approach, even when methods are applied correctly.

Discovering LIMA: The Best of Both Worlds

This journey led me to LIMA (Least Intrusive, Minimally Aversive) training – a science-based approach that allows me to give each horse exactly what they need. Francis continues to flourish with positive reinforcement methods that build his confidence and trust. Khaleil thrives with the clear, fair communication that comes from appropriate, ethical pressure and release, delivered with the same relationship focus I've always emphasized.

LIMA training has given me the framework to honor what both horses taught me: that true horsemanship means meeting each horse as the individual they are, using the gentlest effective methods for their unique personality, history, and learning style.

My Approach Today

After decades of experience, I've learned that the best training is individualized training. I read each horse's needs and emotional state, then adjust my methods accordingly. Some horses need the patient trust-building of positive reinforcement. Others need the clear boundaries that come from fair pressure and release. Many benefit from a thoughtful combination of both.

I love teaching horsemanship and giving riding lessons. I find joy in helping people create deeper understanding and connection with their horses, and empowering them to reach their horsemanship goals using methods that honor their horse's individual needs.

What I Offer

I focus on instruction rather than training horses for clients, because I believe the relationship between horse and owner is what matters most. My goal is to teach you to read your horse, communicate clearly, and build the partnership you've dreamed of – using whatever approach works best for your unique situation.

Whether your horse needs gentle confidence-building, clear boundary-setting, or a combination of approaches, I'll help you discover what creates the strongest connection and most joyful partnership.

My Philosophy

You do the best you know until you know better. Horses are always teaching us – we just have to listen. I can't bring most students or horses to the end result in one lesson, but I can get them a little closer to their goal. It's about meeting people and horses where they are today and helping them learn and progress together, one step at a time.

After 20+ years of teaching and training, I've learned that flexibility in methods often leads to stronger connections, and that the horses themselves will always show us the way forward – if we're willing to listen and adapt.

Ready to discover what approach works best for you and your horse? Contact me to begin your connected horsemanship journey.