13/01/2026
Hi Team,
I’m not very active on social media, but I'm very active in real life! A prospective client recently reached out to ask what I was all about. I thought I would share my response here.
I approach my horses and clients with the idea of helping them where they are at. They may just need a bit of help to get over a little hurdle, or they may want to strip things down to the foundation. My areas of strength are foundation training (all the basic ground and under-saddle work that every horse should have before specializing), problem-solving, and rider biomechanics. I work with people in many disciplines, because what I do applies across the board.
+ I help riders connect more effectively with their horses.
+ I teach techniques to improve relaxation, focus, feel, and lightness.
+ I help ‘problem’ horses with certain challenges like float loading, herd-bound behaviors, destination addiction, etc.
+ I use a mix of positive and negative reinforcement, classical conditioning, constructional approach training, as well as a good understanding (through the principles of Equitation Science) of how the horse perceives, thinks, and processes.
+ In some anomalous cases, I have engaged clicker training to good effect.
+ I teach liberty work on the ground and in the saddle (so fun).
+ I take a limited number of horses in for training for starting, pre and post starting, restarting, and schooling.
+ I'm a licensed coach with Equestrian Sports NZ, and I am in the process of getting my L3 coaching certification for NZ Riding for the Disabled.
+ I do give clinics at MEP (Marlborough Equestrian Park) now and again on basic groundwork
I would say my biggest influences have been Bill and Tom Dorrance through the work of Pat Parelli, David Lichman, Warwick Schiller, Tristan Tucker, and Karen Rolf, as well as (and more recently) the work of Andrew McLean and Mary Wanless. But my most influential teacher was a red mare named Paradigm, who challenged everything I thought I knew about horsemanship, may she rest in peace.
My background was riding hell-bent-for-leather on my $200 mix bread horse around the farm and then eventually going through the ranks of Pony Club and competing in Eventing on the West Coast of the US. I managed a riding stable in Calistoga, California, and learned from international event rider Matt Brown of East West Training (now on the East Coast) during that time.
I come to you, or we can meet up at MEP. I teach during the week, Monday afternoons (Waihopai), Tuesday (up the Wairau), Wednesday (MEP and surrounding areas), and Thursday (Hawkesbury). If these times and locations don't line up for you, just reach out - I'm sure we can make something work. If you want to be regular or semi-regular and you are available on a Wednesday, for example, I will put you in our Wednesday Messenger Chat. Each Sunday, I send out a message asking who would like a session that week. Regular weekly clients get priority for times, but I try and accommodate everyone, and most people are flexible to a degree.
If you'd like to tell me your story and see if I might be able to help you along your way, just reach out. Best methods are via email, or 'friend' my personal page (Anne Vawter) and message me there (sometimes FB messages to this page take a while to get to me for some reason)
Happy Trails,
Anne Vawter.
Photo Credit to Mandy Dawson
