WELCOME to
Student Stories
Hear from Balanced Riding Course Alumni about their journey with horses, their highlights and their challenges
Story 1
Tara Elizabeth & Nike
Tara moved to Korea and thought her life with horses was over… until she met her off the track Thoroughbred Nike and helped him find a new track in life.
Story 2
Sara Ritzen
Story 3
Shardo Ulferts & Lucy
To help a friend during her illness, Shardo began caring for her difficult mare, Lucy.
Finally, she decided to do more than just the barn chores and feeding, and started riding, but needed more help understanding Lucy’s antics.
Story 4
Katie & Corona
From rediscovering a love of riding on a trip in Ireland to saving her horse Corona from going to auction, hear Katie’s story and lessons learned in her journey with Corona.
Story 5
Madeline & Evelyn
Meet “re-rider” and now rescue horse trainer Madeline Cohen, who returned to riding after a long break and adopted Evelyn, a rescue mare with only 3 months under saddle. Madeline shares her journey of learning and what is helping her and Evelyn succeed as a team.
Story 6
Teri Hinrichs
For Teri, one horse was not enough… in this video, meet Teri and hear how her passion for her horses grew and blossomed. Teri shares a beautiful reminder of the REAL reasons we ride and why many of were first drawn to horses.
Story 7
Amanda Radcliffe
After losing her mother to breast cancer, Amanda promised herself not to wait to try new things and do what she loved.
She returned to riding after 50 years away and with her horse Trinidad, found a way to reconnect her family.
Story 8
Elizabeth Marquet
Elizabeth started as an older rider and discovered the joy of focusing on the moment with horses, away from her busy work life. Through her riding journey, Elizabeth experienced a massive change in confidence and discovered a symbiotic relationship as a polo player with her horse, Pim’s Cup.
Story 9
Amanda
Amanda wanted to continue her education in riding even when she couldn’t be on a horse. Over the Balanced Riding Course, she discovered how to ride using her whole body and seat, helping her rely less on the reins, and has grown with confidence as a well-rounded horsewoman.
Story 10
Kathy Dunn
After a scary fall, Kathy took a step back from riding to deepen her relationship with her horse, Willy, and work from the ground up. Through meditation, visualization, and the support of the online community, Kathy developed a better feel for riding to achieve a more secure seat and improved confidence in the saddle.
Story 11
Andy Testa
Andy worried she did not have the skills to help her rescued mare work through issues from her past. Slowly, they kept working to create a relationship based on trust.