.

 Looking for a true Haflinger trainer?  Looking for a Haflinger trainer with a proven show record of champion horses from All Breed Shows as well as Haflinger Breed shows as well as trail rides and drives and works with young foals?  Looking for a trainer who cares about you and your horse, your situation, and your short and long term goals?  Looking for a trainer who can communicate about the progress of your horse in a positive and timely way, and also show you how to get the same results from your horse?  Look no further!  We are here to help you with all your Haflinger dreams and goals!

Our training program is tailored for every individual.  We offer training services for every stage in you and your Haflingers level:

From foals through yearlings we offer basic to advanced groundwork.  This covers everything from halter work, tying, leading, grooming, picking up feet, bending, lunging, moving hindquarters, forehand, walking, trotting, stopping, backing, and leading all on a loose lead, as well as bathing, clipping, trailer loading, and obstacle course work (walking and trotting over poles, tarps, water etc)  We believe in a solid foundation and have found that many Haflingers have not been taught a basic foundation.  Many Haflingers that come to us have been 'started' by their owners, who have read books or purchased videos with the best of intentions in mind, but didn't have the time, consistency, or the ability to fix the problems that arise that aren't mentioned in the video's or books.  Usually Haflinger youngsters who come to us either have become bullies to their owners and attempt to walk all over them, or they have had very little work and the owners are intimidated and/or the horse is scared and flighty.  Our goal is to work with the horse and owner to achieve a training program that doesn't stop after they leave our farm.  We give the tools necessary to help the horse and owner continue to move forward, and give a step by step report on what is going to need to be worked on, obstacles that may come up as the training continues, and additional exercises to work on.  These sessions are usually performed twice a day, in short sessions rather than one, long session as we find that Haflingers tend to work better and be more willing to please and try harder when younger in shorter training sessions.

Two - Three Year olds  We build on the basic foundation started above.  We do advanced roundpen work, working more with advanced voice commands and body language, walk/trot/canter work on the ground.  Introduction to bridle, saddle pad and saddle, or harness. Extensive long lining or ground driving, around and through obstacles.  For our riding horses the first backing and walking, turning, stopping, bending, flexing, and moving forehand and hindquarters.  Light trot work, getting the horse use to carrying weight, and working off of leg and voice commands.  These sessions are usually very short and encourage the horse to stay happy and fresh.  We do not work our horses down, and want them to enjoy their job and look forward to working with us.  We are very careful about starting two year old Haflingers under saddle.  They must have the right temperament, size, be mentally and physically ready for light backing.  Not many are at age two.  We usually will not accept any two year old for saddle training until at the earliest the fall of their two year old year, and we never canter two year olds under saddle.  This is saved for later in their three year old year when they can physically handle a canter without being heavy on the forehand or rushing because they are trying to keep their balance.  Three year olds are what we usually like to start for saddle work as we can work them and they are more mentally ready for the job at hand.  Driving horses again depend on what they are ready to do, both physically and mentally.  

Late three year olds and older:  All the above mentioned and then we work on further collection and figure out what job this horse will be best suited to do.  The Haflinger breed is so versatile that we try to find a job that each horse will excel at if that be trail riding, a family horse, western, trail, hunter, jumper, pleasure driving, combined driving, draft, or our personal favorite, an all around performance horse, who is good at several disciplines?  We work with the owners of each Haflinger to find out the goals of the owner and what they hope to accomplish and help them best find what will make everyone happy.  At this stage we are working on leads, collection, working very much off of legs and body positioning, and trail riding and getting the horse out to shows and new experiences.  Much of our training at this point depends on the owner.  If the owner wants to do dressage and is a intermediate to advanced rider, we will put the leads on teh horse to cue from a halt to canter with the slightest touch of the leg.  However,  If the owner is a beginning rider whose goal is to strictly trail ride, we don't want to train her horse to pick up a left lead canter from a standstill with the touch of the right heel!  The poor owner could go flying through the woods when she only adjusted her body position in the saddle because the horse has become so sensitive to cues that he was only doing what was asked!  We have to make sure that all of our training fits the needs and ability of each rider, which is what makes our program so great.  We give you the tools to work with your horse, and advance when you and your horse are ready..