Simple Connection

Simple Connection The focus being softness and clarity, the horse always comes first. Encompassing the whole horse.

Keeping things simple, while helping you to connect with your horse. Heather Burke grew up riding and working with horses and began teaching and training in her early teens. She had the great privilege of working with Mark Rashid for the first time in 1998 and that experience started a lifetime journey towards softness in life and with horses. Heather has done many different disciplines including

rodeo events, dressage, western, huntseat, trail, ect, and has been an Assistant Instructor to Mark Rashid since 2004. She really enjoys starting young horses, but also finds great joy in helping troubled horses, as well as helping people build a clear, soft and comfortable relationship with their horse. Heather offers training and lessons at home in Wisconsin and also does some traveling for lessons and clinics.

Im going to be selling an older Black Rhino/About the Horse saddle. It's well used, but still in excellent working condi...
06/01/2026

Im going to be selling an older Black Rhino/About the Horse saddle. It's well used, but still in excellent working condition! 16" seat, ladies trail saddle, with a round skirt, on the original #2 tree, with a little extra rock. Works well on short backs, but will not work on your flat/round backed horses. Its a comfortable saddle with plenty of life left in it, I just dont use it enough to justify keeping it! Saddle will come with latigos and stirrups, no cinches. Asking $1500, but make me an offer 😉

05/29/2026

There are times in our horsemanship journey, where our human agenda isn't going to align with a horses ability. Meaning, they just can NOT do the job we had in mind for them, for whatever reason. Probably the hardest part of horsemanship is putting the human agenda and emotions away.

When did we stop feeling like we were doing things with the horse?

When did it start feeling like we were doing things TO the horse?

Was there a point in which it became our need instead of staying within the means of what that horse is capable of?

Are we just stuck? Or are we literally asking this horse to do something they are simply not capable of?

These are HARD questions to hear, and even harder to answer. So MANY factors play into the answers, too.

If we are truly paying attention though, and practicing our horsemanship in a mindful way, the horse is going to answer those questions for us.

This is a short video of Ella and her mustang, Atticus. Their journey has not been an easy one, but its really a pretty beautiful relationship they have forged through it all and it has really been such an honor to be a part of it! Riding is not a job that Atticus can do...for several reasons...and while that is disappointing, look at him 😍 The trust, the try, the thoughtfulness. He has come SUCH a long way in his time here and I truly can not wait to see what he and Ella can accomplish as they continue this journey together!

05/17/2026

Hey hey hey! I just had an August 90 day training spot open up! I might consider a shorter time, depending on what you are needing! Also have one winter space open if you are interested in getting you and your horse somewhere warmer for the Wisconsin winter months! 😉 Message me!

A very wise person said to me today, "Sometimes helping a horse means we stop trying to turn them into something they ca...
05/13/2026

A very wise person said to me today, "Sometimes helping a horse means we stop trying to turn them into something they cant be."

Those words kind of stopped me in my tracks for a minute.

I have had some REALLY hard horses over the last year. Not hard physically on me, but really hard emotionally. And not just one or two, but four in less than a year. Horses that have required me to really dig deep, to slow down, to use all my tools and to ask for help. Horses that were broken physically, broken mentally, had huge trauma, poor breeding, things that could be fixed with a LOT of time, and things that simply could not be fixed at all.

Sometimes, my job is to fix it. Sometimes, my job is to build it from scratch. Sometimes, my job is to fill in holes.

Always, my job is to do right by the horse.

Sometimes, thats acceptance.

Sometimes, that means you need to pivot.

Sometimes, that means you've got to let go of the human plans.

Always though, we do right by the horse.

A huge thank you to Devereaux Branham for a fantastic clinic this weekend! All riders did a great job and really made ni...
05/04/2026

A huge thank you to Devereaux Branham for a fantastic clinic this weekend! All riders did a great job and really made nice and mindful changes. I was truly impressed with how willingly everyone met their horses (and themselves!) right where they were at, even if it meant changing your human plans or goals for the weekend. Thank you all for participating and making the clinic such a successful and fun weekend! We are already planning for next year 😉 A few pictures from the weekend. Sorry, I didnt get everyone!

Last chance to get a lesson with Devereaux Branham! Teaching a clinic here in WI next weekend, May 1-2-3. I have just on...
04/25/2026

Last chance to get a lesson with Devereaux Branham! Teaching a clinic here in WI next weekend, May 1-2-3. I have just one single lesson space open, and there's plenty of room for auditors 😊 Shoot me a message!

I found this gem a few days ago...buried in a box with old photos. This is the first time I ever took guidance and instr...
04/22/2026

I found this gem a few days ago...buried in a box with old photos. This is the first time I ever took guidance and instruction from Mark Rashid! Ya'll see that date stamp?! When I shared this with Mark he said, "We both were a little younger then!" 🤣 It's been an incredible ride thus far, and I am SO thankful for this very first lesson with him and every single one that followed! It is an honor to work beside you, Mark, and I know I can speak for all of your instructors when I say that it is my GREATEST privilege to be a part of your legacy ❤️ Here is to many more years!

I have a couple private lesson openings yet! And plenty of room for Auditors! Mark your calendars...May will be here soo...
04/18/2026

I have a couple private lesson openings yet! And plenty of room for Auditors! Mark your calendars...May will be here soon!

So...TECHNICALLY, the Devereaux Branham Clinic in May is FULL! ..however, we have decided to open it up to folks that may be interested in just one private lesson with Dev! If you think you might be interested in that opportunity, please message me for details!

🦄May 1-2-3, 2026🦄

Mr. Lambeau is coming along! He's a nervous dude, that has minimal confidence. When he arrived, in his mind worry or fea...
04/07/2026

Mr. Lambeau is coming along! He's a nervous dude, that has minimal confidence. When he arrived, in his mind worry or fear meant LEAVE. FAST. NOW! Have ya'll ever seen a mule bolt? Or been holding the rope attached to a bolting mule? 😱 They are a force of nature, let me tell you. Especially if said bolting habit has gotten them a release enough times.

Lambeau has learned that just maybe, we don't need to just leave town. MAYBE we can think our way through these scary moments. MAYBE we are gonna be okay 🥰

Now that we've gotten the bolting under control, we have moved onto filling some other holes in his foundation. Ground driving is such a valuable tool! It will help him with everything that he needs to know to be a safe riding mule, AND in his case, the ropes will help him get prepared for wearing a brichen 😉

04/06/2026

I still have room for anyone interested in a single lesson with Devereaux Branham! If you think you might be interested in that opportunity, please message me for details! Also space for Auditors!

🦄May 1-2-3, 2026🦄

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Mequon, WI

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