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Beneficial to all... from the experienced horse-person to the beginner.
I recognize that each horse and horse owner is an individual, and try to address each aspect of that dynamic as it presents itself. For more information or an evaluation call Christa Petrillo at (707) 688-4358
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Bridle Work with Christa Petrillo
Horseman’s News October 2009
Click here to read the article (570 k-bytes PDF file)
Round Pen Technique with Christa Petrillo
Horseman’s News August 2009
Click here to read the article (1.36 mb PDF file)
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Our eight year-old mare, Onyx, was having some attitude issues and had definite missing links in her training. She was not supple, turned like a tugboat, could not seem to collect herself, and would not maintain an even gait at the trot and lope. We continued to work with her and had friends who were more experienced than we were ride and work with her. However, while she made some progress she still had a far way to go before she would be the reliable trail horse we hoped for. A work injury for Phil and a heart problem for the person we had riding Onyx during Phil's absences resulted in Onyx being worked very little; she gained a tremendous amount of weight, wasn't making progress in her training, and her attitude was beginning to backslide. We began asking about trainers around local horse circles as well as asking our veterinarian and farrier for recommendations. Christa's name came up time and again, and the reports were always glowing. We knew Christa would be at Cal Expo, so we made a point of stopping by her booth, meeting with her and chatting with her. We were both very impressed with Christa's professionalism, knowledge, training, dedication, and business sense. She was very personable and we loved her passion for horses.
In January of 2009 we took Onyx to Christa for training. In no time at all, Onyx was in excellent shape. She has become supple, can collect herself, turns her body well, and has a desire to please that has been carefully nurtured by Christa. Onyx now generally maintains a steady gait, though at times we need to use the "tricks" Christa taught us to do so. We are very pleased with the training our horse has received and continue to be impressed by Christa's professionalism, dedication, integrity, knowledge, and business sense. We are very lucky to have found her!
But that isn't all....Christa has also trained us so that we can continue to work with Onyx and nurture her into an even better trail horse. Christa is just as good at training the riders as she is at training the horses.
Christa holds a study group at a local book store on Tuesday evenings. She discusses nutrition, conformation, health, and training techniques at each of these sessions. She is extremely knowledgeable about all aspects of horse health and management and comes to the sessions fully prepared with hand-outs, informal quizzes, and appropriate props. We find the discussion of the training techniques to be very useful, especially when coupled with the riding training for the horse owner that is part of the horse training package. She is very good at explaining the maneuver and frequently uses a model horse to illustrate the point. We then find it easier to understand and perform the maneuver when putting it into practice in the arena. These sessions are suitable for the newest rider to the most experienced; everyone walks away better educated about horses and their care and management.
We highly recommend Christa as a trainer of both horses and riders.
~ Phil and Adrienne Eichenberger ~
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