I am a "new to horses" person, having started working with horses at the age of 55.  I have a 15-year-old Thoroughbred mare named Shadow who was (and is)  continually schooling me.  

The problem:  Some of her schooling had robbed me of my confidence.  She would get agitated and begin throwing her head and popping her butt.  I had no tools to get her working and thinking again.  I hung on and prayed I'd make it back to the barn without being thrown. 

Rachel worked with Shadow and me.  One of the first things she taught me was the one-rein stop.  She also showed me how lateral work takes a horse's mind back to work, away from fractious behavior.  With these tools, I find that Shadow's agitation has lost its terror for me.  We work through it and go on with our ride.

I have followed the Natural Horsemanship Method for a couple of years but really put it into practice in the last year by taking lessons from Rachel. 

She has really helped me by showing me how to implement the methods and the reasons behind them.  I have seen a tremendous improvement in my horse ( Nitro, a running quarter horse). 

I couldn't keep his focus on me, with his breeding being a more high strung breed, he was jumpy, antsy, didn't respect my space, tended to be impatient, herd bound etc..

What I found amazing was, as we began the ground work that insisted he focus on me,  many of the other issues simply vanished.

The trust that has grown between my horse and myself has been incredible and the quality of my time with him has become very enjoyable instead of nothing but work. 

I would recommend anyone wanting to improve their relationship with their horse to look into this form of communication with their equine. Rachel is wonderful in bridging that gap between horse and person.

The Natural Horsemanship method Rachel teaches is far more than just fluffy games and party tricks. Rachel does actually teach you to communicate with your horse and therefore have a more successful relationship with them.

She started my horse Sunny for me and has continued to work with us so that we continue to grow together. Sunny is a wonderful horse but her gentle hand and methods have made him even more special and such a pleasure to ride.

I can't thank Rachel enough for her time as well as her expertise in working with him. Oh, and I can't thank her enough for being so patient with me!