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Sally Swift & Pam

I try to stay well rounded and up-to-date in the horse training as well as the riding instructor fields. If one becomes stagnated in her work, her students, be they four-footed or two will suffer in the learning process. Presently I am in the process of getting certified with NARHA to be able to teach in the handicapped riding program STAR in Billings. My horses and I are going to try competing in an up and coming new sport called Mounted Shooting, where riders shoot balloons from the saddle in timed events. Shima (the wonder horse) and I just hope we can have fun with it, it's a taste of the 'old west' come to life as we get to ride, shoot and dress as they did 'back then'. Learning something new is always a joyous event for me.

I began working with horses and taking lessons when I was 14 years old. Riding the hills on a horse, who, because of her skittish nature taught me to have very good balance.

I showed my home bred Arabian horses on the Class A All Arab circuit for many years in Hunt Seat on the Flat, Western Pleasure, English Pleasure, and Dressage and have trained and worked with all breeds of horses in my boarding/training farm in Vermont for the last 22 years before moving to Montana.

While following Centered Riding and working with Sally Swift for the past 24 years, I also studied Tai Chai, Polarity Yoga, Feldenkrais, to expand my knowledge of the flow of energy in the human body and to apply that to my riding and teaching. I became a Polarity Practitioner and a Reiki II Practitioner as a part of this natural expansion.

Through the years I have been blessed with the opportunity to work with or attend clinics with a variety of wonderful people. Allow me to name-drop a bit.

John Lyons, Robin Brueckmann (Dressage judge and author of several riding books), Susan Harris (Hunt seat instructor and author of the Pony Club books as well as several other horse books), Robert Miller ('inventor' of imprint training), Cindy Tarbox who worked with Carol Levell, Dr. Van Schaik, Gene Freeman ( a Monty Foreman certified instructor), Sally Haney (Dressage instructor), Mary Fenton (ARICP instructor of the year,1992), Pamela Hannay (author of Touching Horses and Shiatsu instructor), Francois LeMaire de Rufieu (author of several riding books ), Doug Mulholland (of Reining fame), Tom Campbell (cutting horse clinician), Harry Whitney (author of many magazine ariticles for national 'horse' publications including Horse & Rider), Ray Hunt, Kenny Harlow (Pat Parrelli certified clinician), Gary Severson (saddle fitting expert who fits saddles for the horses of the US Olympic team), Linda Tellington-Jones of TTEAM fame.

I worked in Handicapped Riding Program in Vermont and have taught instructors for MERAH/STAR in Billings for the last several years. As office manager for the largest chiropractic practice in Vermont for 6 years, I learned so much about back and spine problems and I take joy in bringing that to my teaching.

It would be impossible to list everyone who has touched my life and taught me, but I am grateful to each and every one of them for the knowledge they have given me whether by touching my life for a moment or for many years.

My goal in teaching is always to bring comfort and ease to horse and rider. Spotting discomfort in a horse is very often the reason for his misbehavior or lack of brilliance in his performance. Helping a rider become aware of the places that they may be 'holding' and making those adjustments immediately (sometimes stunningly) brings about changes in the horse's way of going. These wonderful changes are my thrill when teaching. I wish to bring this to every horse and rider.

Dancing with your horse instead of molding him to your will. Effortless movement between two beings working together in harmony and joy. Combining Centered Riding techniques and a great understanding of the art of communication with horses results in tremendous progress without stress to horse or rider.

Centered Riding teaches the subtleties of body position to give ease of movement to both rider and horse.

Riders with back problems, injuries, and fears can learn training methods and awareness that keep them comfortable mentally and physically. Horses find that once riders no longer interfere with their movements they willingly achieve a higher degree of performance.

The joy of effortless effort is possible.