Equitable Equines
Because every relationship should be mutual
About Claire
I started in the Equine world in the way most kids probably do. I was a horse crazy little girl, I went to summer camps and eventually my parents got me lessons. I got my very own horse, Logan, when I was 13 years old and I spent the next 10 years in the Hunter Jumper world. I was a barn rat, mucking out stalls, filling water buckets (forgetting to turn off the hose) and dishing up grain. When I wasn't doing barn chores to barter for extra lessons, I was spending every moment with Logan. I would read to him, walk around letting him graze, and whispering all my secrets and dreams into his mane.
As I grew, I realized that the way I was taught to do things didn't feel right. I didn't want to hurt Logan or scare him. I just wanted to be his friend.
Well, as time passed and I became responsible for my own bills, I left the horse world and entered the positive reinforcement dog world. I became a professional certified dog trainer, with a focus on positive reinforcement and relationship building.
When I was finally able to return to the equine world, I knew I wanted to do it in the positive, ethical and humane way. So off I went, researching scientific articles and the latest studies in regards to equine learning, the impacts of pain and fear on the prefrontal cortex (the learning center of the brain), and the functional world of positive reinforcement with Equines. Of course the science is all the same, dogs, horses, donkeys, kids-- Learning theory is learning theory, so none of the information was new to me. I'd already been training animals professionally for 15 years at this point. But the physical ins and outs was new, and so I decided to join a supportive science based community and get my certification through SKE.
Now I spend my equine training time focusing on consent, mutual respect, relationship building and fun! I believe learning should be a joyful experience for both the equine and the human, and I love helping folks find safer, more humane ways to communicate with their horse, donkey and mule friends.
Services
Online Coaching
In Person Lessons
With online coaching you can work on your specific equine goals from the comfort of your own home, barn, or phone. Sessions can either be with you live with your horse and Trainer Claire coaching via video, or reviewing videos of your sessions together, after you've already filmed them.
$55 an hour
Trainer Claire will come to your location and teach 1 hour private lessons. Curriculum is based entirely on your goals and needs. These lessons are to teach the human how to train with their equine. Get a loving humane connection with your equine friend!
$70 an hour plus traveling fee.
In Person Group Lessons
Trainer Claire will come to your location and teach 1 hour or 1.5 hour group lesson! Share the price with a barn buddy or family member, share the learning! Curriculum based around each participants goals and needs.
$70 an hour plus traveling fee.
Clinics
Packages
Husbandry Support
Have trainer Claire come to your barn and teach a whole group of folks interested in the foundations of positive reinforcement. Or, if already familiar, work on specific challenges.
$80 per person, clinic minium 6 attendees. Clinic's half day
Packages are a mixture of private lessons and one on one training time for your equine with trainer Claire. These are for every 6 weeks, and can range from weekly visits and lessons, to every other, to whatever works for that equine and family.
Ranging between $400 and $600 depending on the mixture of private lessons vs. training sessions agreed upon.
Does your equine friend find certain husbandry skills challenging? Perhaps it's taking wormer, or wound care, or the dreaded hooves? Do you need help getting your equine to a place where being cared for isn't so stressful or scary? Trainer Claire has definitely been there and is happy to help! These sessions will be a lot like private lessons, but with a focus on building a safe relationship both with the human client and their equine, and with Trainer Claire and the Equine, so there is an alternative support person for your equine companion.
These husbandry support programs are more substantial, requiring a long term commitment both from Trainer Claire and from the humans working with her. These rates are determined by the husbandry skill(s) needing support and drive time.