Growing up, Natalie was the typical horse-crazy girl, collecting toy horses, drawing pictures of horses and watching every horse movie she could find. She started riding when she was 6 and went on to try a variety of disciplines, including reining, vaulting and eventing. “I’ve done a little bit of everything, but the English disciplines, particularly jumping, have always been my favorite,” she says.
Natalie pursued her passion for jumping and worked with top trainers in her area, advancing up the rungs of the sport, riding more challenging horses as her skills progressed. A few years ago, after suffering several riding accidents in a row that resulted in serious injuries, her confidence began to falter.
“I started to feel unsafe and knew that the accidents were from a lack of knowledge,” Natalie says. “My mom was watching horse videos on YouTube and came across Clinton. She shared his channel with me.”
In short order, Natalie watched all the videos Clinton made available on the social media platform. “I was convinced that this was the training approach that would help me better connect with my horses because of Clinton’s focus on safety and establishing a partnership with the horse,” Natalie says. “I wanted working with my horses to be a partnership, but I couldn’t figure out how to get to that point. The Method made it possible for me.”
After taking a lesson with Method Ambassador Tammra Minteer, Natalie became dedicated to learning Clinton’s training program and made plans to become an ambassador herself. The ambitious horsewoman always had the goal of establishing a career in the equine industry and saw a great opportunity in the Clinician Academy. “I love learning about horses, and I couldn’t sleep at night knowing that the knowledge available in the academy existed and the doors were open to me,” Natalie says.
As an ambassador, Natalie loves helping others with their horsemanship and training horses to be safe, willing partners. “I enjoy helping people who are in a situation like I was, where I was losing my confidence and as a result my passion for horses,” Natalie says. “Clinton’s put together an incredible program and I want to share it with as many horse owners as I possibly can.”
Natalie is based in Fort Collins, Colorado, 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 Natalie on her website and contact her directly at 970-206-4919 or [email protected].
