Let me introduce myself:

 I would like to say hello to all the men and women, young and old, who read the Horse Previews Magazine.  I trust you’ve survived the winter with grace.  By the time you read this, it should be about over and things will be getting back to normal (whatever that is!).  It is the beginning of a brand new riding season and I am excited to be sharing it with you through these articles.  I am grateful to Horse Previews Magazine for giving me this opportunity.

   Let me start by saying, I welcome questions.  If I know what you’re interested in, I can better address the issues of relevance.  But, for the benefit of those who don’t know me, I will spend some time introducing myself and detail a few events that have brought me to where I am today as a trainer.  My training has changed dramatically in just the last couple of years and it is nothing short of miraculous to me how it all came to be. 

   I was born in Chewelah and raised on a dairy farm in the Springdale area.  I was 7th of 8 children (7girls and 1 boy) and we each had our own horse to ride.  We worked cattle, herded goats, checked fences and rode like wildwomen almost every day.  I can remember riding by myself by the time I was 3.  I broke my arm at 6 when I fell off and the horse stepped on me.  I had the fastest horse in the herd and we raced often.  It was a great way to grow up.

   From as far back as I can remember, I wanted to make enough money working with horses to justify having them.  I loved the challenge of riding a new horse.  Whereas, my other sisters were satisfied to ride their own, I was often in trouble for riding their horses without permission.  I didn’t want them to ride mine, of course, but I had a hard time resisting the feel of a new one under me.  When I would go to other people's places, I usually had to try all of their horses.  And if they told me one was a bit unruly, well, that was the one I just had to ride.  I wasn't much good at training then, but I sure loved to ride.

   I started my first horse at age 14.  My dad was handy with horses and he helped me.  She was a dark palomino QH and she taught me a lot about young horses.  I definitely caught the bug for training and began reading everything I could get on the subject.  I trained a few here and there for the next several years but it wasn't until I married my husband, Jim, that I began training full time.  It was still largely trial and error (lots of error!) until the year someone gave me a copied copy of John Lyons’ "Round Pen Reasoning".

   As I watched him maneuver the horse in the pen with no physical attachment, I was mesmerized.  And hearing him explain the reasoning behind what he was doing was like turning on a light and finally seeing what I had been struggling to understand for years.  It all made perfect sense to me and I could not wait to test it out.  Needless to say, I was totally fascinated when I could copy what John did with the same results.  Though I spent many hours untangling my rope as I learned how to throw it and get it rewound, I could not get enough.  I am still amazed, hundreds of horses later, at the simplicity of making that connection with a horse.   

   Jump ahead nearly 20 years to 2005 and I'm at Ride the West where Josh Lyons is one of the featured Clinicians.  Just to go and watch for 3 days was sure to be great!  But little did I know the chain of events that would start on that weekend.  First, I found out he was taking sign-ups for a 3-day clinic to be held locally in July.  The cost was out of my reach until a friend volunteered to pay half if I would use her horse.  Wow! This was great!  If that would have been all, it would have totally changed my level of training with the exercises I learned in those 3 days.  But, there was much more.

   Before the clinic was over, Josh told me of a pilot program he was doing and offered me 4-weeks of private lessons.  These would focus on the aspects of a  reining horse with flying lead changes, spins, stops, rollbacks, etc.  I was very excited for I had occasionally had to turn down horses due to my lack of education and practice in fine-tuning, so this was another huge step for my future.  It also was necessary if I was to pursue my goal of doing clinics where I could teach more people to connect with their beloved horses.

   Next step was finances and the horses.  I was to get 2 horses ready by teaching them the lessons learned in the 3-day clinic. Added to this was cantering on both leads and endurance.  I spent 3 months, 4-5 days a week, riding and working these horses.  One of the horses, a 6-year old Thoroughbred/Walker cross mare, I had just gotten from my mom.  I was to find her a new home because she would buck whenever she got scared.  I had bred and trained this filly and she had bucked me off 4 times over the years. I was at a lose as to what I would do with her.  Well, the timing was perfect and so was she.  I was ready when November rolled around and Josh came up for the first 2-week session.

   We worked hard for 2 weeks, he left for 3 while I practiced and then he came back for 2 more weeks.  I had never worked so hard trying to learn new things about training.  It was tough on the horses for they had to be pushed far harder than normal.  The weather the last 2 weeks was miserable for everyone.  It was during the real cold spell in December of 2005.  But it was worth it all.  What I accomplished and now can pass on to others was worth every minute working and every dollar spent.  When it was over, I had become one of the first two to complete the Josh Lyons’ Accreditation Program.  What an honor!  

   I have since been teaching clinics, giving lessons and doing training with greater results then ever before.  I have also become fast friends with one of the Northwest’s finest people, Susan Rae, and she has blessed me with the opportunity to participate at Ride the West as a clinician and to train for her.  I constantly tell her I owe her my life and cannot express how grateful I am for all her support.  Her show is incredible and offers the horse community so much!

   In closing, I owe many thanks to all of you who have supported me in this quest both financially and verbally.  I hope to pass on these new wonders to all who will let me, so you can find an even more fulfilling relationship with your horse.  And remember, if you have any areas that you would like me to address, please e-mail me or call me and let me know.  It will be a fun year together and I hope your looking forward to all the possibilities it holds.    Bye for now and God Bless-------Ann Kirk

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