Raised on her family’s hobby beef farm in western New York, Method Ambassador Chelcie Johnson grew up with a love for horses. Although her parents were not horse people, her aunt is an avid horse lover and had Chelcie in the saddle by the time she was 3. As a young girl, Chelcie took riding lessons and was at the barn every chance she had. When she turned 14, she got her first horse, a spunky mare named Shannon.
Although Chelcie had spent many hours in the saddle and working with horses in general, Shannon was an older horse set in her ways and very green. “I soon realized that I was in over my head with her,” Chelcie says. “I tried my best with her, but I couldn’t make much progress.”
Soon after getting Shannon, she took on a position working for a stable, and the owner of the barn introduced her to the Method. “He told me that if I wanted to work at his barn and handle his horses, I had to learn the Method, so I got busy studying it,” she says.
When she saw how the stable’s horses behaved and responded to her use of the Method, she decided to teach the Fundamentals to Shannon. “She did a total 360,” Chelcie says. “I was excited that I was learning how to communicate with her and that I’d finally found a way to create a bond with her.”
Looking to take her horsemanship to the next level, Chelcie enrolled in the Academy. “It was an opportunity I had been thinking about for a while. In 2016, I participated in Clinton’s 10-day Fundamentals Clinic to see if getting more involved with the Method was something I wanted to do,” Chelcie says. “After the clinic, I was ecstatic with what I learned and the progress I made with my horse. I knew I had to come to the Academy.”
As a Method Ambassador, Chelcie helps horse owners create safe, willing partnerships with their horses. “I’m always finding ways to improve my horsemanship and I love helping other horsemen reach personal goals and create a bond with their horses,” Chelcie says. “Learning how to effectively work with your horse and communicate with him while having fun and making progress is what it’s all about.”
Chelcie is based in Darien Center, New York, where she trains horses for the public and teaches private lessons and clinics that focus on the Fundamentals level of the Method. Learn all about Chelcie on her website and contact her directly at 716-848-9204 or [email protected].
