Co-Ownership Opportunities
Do you have the horse but wish to save on the funds to pay for your and his training? Do you seek a sophisticated, close, partnership with your horse? Do you wish to enjoy riding or competing at the intermediate and above levels in eventing and/or dressage? If so, perhaps there is a partnership possible for us. I looking for just such long term partnerships where training, instruction, showing, and care are shared between the triangle of horse-rider-and trainer. My goal is to showcase prospective talented horses while progressing you and the horse. Serious inquiries only please.
Working/Trade Programs
Working Students
I welcome ambitious students of all ages who wish to learn in a formal but lighthearted, yet structured working student program designed to teach professional horsemanship skills and advanced horse management/care, training, and teaching. I welcome students interested in all riding disciplines, but I have a special fondness for eventing and dressage students. My goal is to spark interest, provide cross base of training skills, learn barn management and care, in a professional, structured, but fun environment.
What You Will Learn
Exceptional opportunity to work with young upcoming dressage, eventing, and western horses. You will learn how to care, listen, and learn from horses; how to professionally groom, ride across disciplines, and begin to train horses with clarity and measured progress. Each week students will be taught and tested on care, riding, training, competing, through shadowing, ongoing instruction, and riding. Homework, discussions, and theory will be discussed continually throughout the process.
Download Example Lesson Plans
Time and accomplishments are recorded and certificates of completion and written letters of recommendation shall be provided upon successful completion of our time together.
Schedule and Structure
Time commitment: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday evenings from 4-8pm, and Saturday or Sunday all day (10am-6pm). Each day students will report on researched homework subjects (click here for lesson plan) and discuss and apply lessons between daily activities of ground handling, bringing in horses, grooming, tacking up, warm up, cool down, lungeing, auditing sessions, show prep, hacking horses out in the fields, lessons in starting horses, driving, western, dressage, and jumping, care and upkeep of equipment, keeping schedules for horses and tracking horses training progress.
You will have one dedicated lesson per week, many informal lessons and daily auditing of training sessions. Warm up, cool down and hacking regularly depending upon experience.
Minimum Requirements
Must be finished (or nearly finished) in high school or over 16. Adults welcome too! I start everyone with the basics, so skill level is irrelevant. You must be healthy, able to lift 50 pounds and most of all be self motivated and consistent.
Clients & Students
Horses
Abacus Amadeo
Spectacular 5 yr old Friesian Sporthorse, owned by Nazli Seewer, Sacramento, California. Amadeo, or “Day-O” as he’s called in the barn is a budding dressage star, in training until his owner is through graduate school. He is coming 5 now, and is learning freedom and lightness. He was started with groundwork and voice commands, and has large movement, kind spirit, and playful heart. He’s been a great ambassador for many students, showing how giants can be gentle, inquisitive and calm. He’s a cookie-cuter image of his other siblings from Abacus Farms and worth his weight in gold.. Look for him on the show circuit in 2008 in Washington and California therafter.
“Charlene understands Deo and his needs so well. I’ve been so happy with his progress. He’s come so far in the year he’s started. Charlene has been doing such a wonderful job with him. His movement is huge and he is so light. His trot is amazing and his canter feels just incredible. Thanks Charlene for training and taking care of Deo while I am in school." -Nazil Seewer
Rain
Owned by Karen McGee of Alaska. This is a beautiful, spirited Friesian/Quarter Horse Filly. This girl is the sparkle of everyone’s eye. She came to me unruly and with a tarnished reputation for running over everyone and ruling the roost. Now she is the apple of everyone’s eyes. Teaching all my students how to step each step while riding, and riding in lightness…. And she’s only just coming 3 yrs old! There’s not a person who steps off her who doesn’t want to buy her… She was started with ground driving, now dances with word commands at liberty, and does rollbacks and lead changes balanced and light. A solid little girl who’s touched many hearts and made her owners heart sing and not even three yrs old!
“What you have done with Rain is just fantastic/amazing; who would have imagined that not long ago my little Rain was breaking down gates and squishing barn managers under them! I think you are the real Horse Whisperer! Or just a sister to the horse." -Karen McGee
Hali
Owned and bred by Melody Helland, Tenino, Washington. This amazing girl is a promising young Hungarian warmblood and a Wistar baby. She is just coming 1 yr old this summer and is already beginning to play and learn. With only a few sessions she already knows shift, over, come, out, FETCH, and stretch.. She’s quite the star and for show off purposes will stand and run through her repertoire of tricks all on her own. Look for this filly at the Northwest Sporthorse Breeders Classic this fall.”
Horse & Rider
Sabine & BC
This student-rider team is learning lightness instead of “position”, which has freed her to have a good position, and is learning to step, walk and dance with her horse. As for BC, he came with much tension and stiffness, and now knows lift and bend and relaxation, how to enjoy his shoulders and back, so that Sabine doesn’t have to carry him anymore!. It’s been a gift to watch them unlock.
Sabine & Anny
Sabine is also learning how to befriend and teach a youngster. Last Year Sabine purchased a dear young filly with an old soul. Anny is a 3 yr old 3/4 friesian; 1/4 Quarter Horse who has an old spirit and old soul, and is so brave and stoic and steady each step of the way. I started her under the driving reins last fall, and we backed her this spring. She took to it with beauty and grace and never was afraid at any time... Nothing like voice commands and putting it all together.. building block upon building block.. And Sabine has learned how to speak with clarity and directness, so Anny is never confused. Now we work on straightness and strength... so that when she is ready and strong.. Sabine and Anny can ride the trails, show in the dressage arena, and enjoy eachother.
Angie & Sassy
oh, how lucky I have been to be able to start this lovely barogue, balanced, and beautiful girl. Then, I'm doubly blessed to have my dearest student Angie Purchase her and learn to dance with such a ballerina as Sassy. I am honored to help them continue...
Angie & Topper
Boy, there’s nothing like fostering close rider-horse communications, and this team has done it. When Angie first came to me for help with her new horse Topper, he was an unfocussed, bully of a big boy, and if you asked anything of him he’d throw a fit. It was clear; someone before Angie had taught him to fight back and he is lucky to have Angie who was willing to start all over. Into the roundpen we went. Then ground driving, then voice commands, then lots and lots of redirecting. Slowly he learned to stay present, trust that he didn’t have to fight, that he could choose to hear over block. And in one short year they have become a soft, sensitive, team, and Topper’s a happy boy. He no longer throws fits anymore, and he went from running from us, to running too us, and the bond between those two is a gift to behold. I feel lucky to have played a part in their dance. Thank you Angie for your trust and for your willingness to do hard behavioral as well as training work!
Nona & Karen
Karen bought this lovely girl wild at 5 yrs old; directly from the wide open range. She has learned to adjust to "domestic" life and she now drives and is under saddle.. she is intelligent, kind, and so athletic.. Thank you Karen for your trust in me to teach a spirit that humans are worthy of having a conversation. First time on her, we leg yielded, did turns on forehand and haunches.. and trotted! I can't wait to see this pair climb the dressage charts.
Client Testimonials
Nazli
“Charlene understands Deo and his needs so well. I’ve been so happy with his progress. He’s come so far in the year he’s started. Charlene has been doing such a wonderful job with him. His movement is huge and he is so light. His trot is amazing and his canter feels just incredible. --- Thanks Charlene for training and taking care of Deo while I am in school.”
Karen
“What you have done with Rain is just fantastic/amazing; who would have imagined that not long ago my little Rain was breaking down gates and squishing barn managers under them! I think you are the real Horse Whisperer! Or just a sister to the horse."