Method Ambassador Anna McCoy learned to ride when she was 4 years old on a feisty pony named Duchess. She got her first horse, an Appaloosa mare named Spirit, at the age of 9. A week after becoming Spirit’s owner, the mare unexpectedly attacked Anna. The incident led the young horsewoman to Star K Farm, a local lesson barn, where she was able to develop a trusting partnership with Spirit and compete in hunter/jumper shows.
When she was 15, Anna moved to Florida and began homeschooling so she could compete on the Arabian Horse Association circuit. She earned her lessons and rides on horses by working at show barns, and competed in a variety of disciplines that included saddle seat, western pleasure, ladies side saddle and harness driving. The last year Anna competed as a youth on the circuit, she won a reserve national championship in ladies side saddle and multiple top 10 placings in other disciplines. “It was all due to hard work. I did not have much money to put toward my showing, so I worked in exchange for the opportunity to take lessons and ride horses. I am extremely proud of what I accomplished,” she says.
After college, the ambitious horsewoman opened her own training and lesson business and has been helping people better their partnerships with their horses. “I believe in the Method because it works. You will get results if you follow the steps. It helped me fill in some gaps I was missing in my knowledge. It’s frustrating when there is that communication barrier between you and your horse,” Anna says.
When she learned of the opportunity to study the Method in-depth, Anna enrolled in the Academy. “I love to teach people and help them communicate with their horses,” she says. “Those moments when I’ve learned something new and the lightbulb has come on with my horses have always stuck with me. Helping other people experience that with their horses is very rewarding.”
Anna is located in Albany, Georgia, where she trains horses for the public and teaches lessons and clinics. Contact Anna at 229-869-9620 or [email protected]. Learn more about Anna on her website.
