What comes to mind when you think of a thoroughbred farm in the Bluegrass? Plank fences? Stone pillars with an Iron Gate entrance? A stately brick house? Rolling pastures of manicured green? This describes Pine Knoll Farm, but that's where the similarity ends.

Pine Knoll's mission is "to provide a comprehensive holistic facility that encourages the optimum health of both horse and rider and to unite horse and rider as one."

Three professional clinicians, each with a unique skill, but all intent on demonstrating proper methods of training and care, joined forces at a recent Adult Intensive Camp. Bruce Anderson, renowned as the "Horse Gentler," from Camden, South Carolina, Deborah Bowerman-Davies, international rider and instructor, from Buck's County, Pennsylvania, and Dr. Judith Shoemaker, international instructor/consultant in traditional and alternative veterinary therapy, from Nottingham, Pennsylvania, combined talents for the five-day clinic.

A group of participants and onlookers gathered outside the round-pen as the Horse Gentler stood in the center of the ring. His opponent, a three-year-old dark bay colt, galloped nervously inside the metal enclosure. Anderson, an imposing 6'4'', dressed in jeans and baseball cap, stood quietly with a lariat in hand. With natural, gradual movements, he walked at an angle in the horse's direction.

The colt snorted and ran faster. Anderson moved again, holding out one arm, creating an invisible block just in front of the horse's head. The colt turned and ran in the opposite direction.

"I'm using my body to apply pressure - the same way you use your legs and reins when you're riding. Basically, I'm riding the horse with my body on the ground."

In a short time the colt was changing direction with a minimal amount of pressure. "They're frightened, they're not sure what you want them to do," Anderson explained. "At this point we, the human, are imitating their world, acting and reacting - as to the alpha in the herd - simulating life as they know it. You're asking them to 'join up,' working with body movement, backing off to release pressure and letting them know they've done the right thing."

"When I want to remove the pressure, I take my eyes and mind off of him," Anderson said, returning to the center of the round-pen. The horse followed him to the middle and stood by his shoulder. "Now you know you have his trust. You've proved that you're worthy of being the alpha. Then, you want to bring them into your world - teach them to think logically instead of emotionally. You don't want them to assume or jump to conclusions-you just want them to give in to the pressure, understand and relax. It's a step-by-step process and you're building a foundation."

Then, with the lariat coiled, Anderson used a systematic process to test the horse's body. First, running it softly along the right side, front to back, then, moving to the left side. "We do this to test the body in order to find if we get a negative or 'fleeing' response. If he reacts, we know there are issues in this part of the body. So, now the negatives turn into positives because we know what areas to work on."

Finally, the horse was introduced to the saddle, bridle and the weight of the rider. "You use the same voice commands that you do on the ground. You already have a harmonious relationship and a partner who is ready to work with you and for you."

At the end of the session, Anderson and the colt appeared as if connected by an invisible rein. With body language indicating left or right and an occasional "uh, uh, uh," to discourage, the horse understood what was expected and was doing his best to please. Anderson worked with participants on starting, riding, jumping or combinations of handling problems.

Anderson's gentle teaching method has evolved from a lifetime association with horses. He represented his country, Trinidad, as a member of the show jumping team at an early age. He rides and trains extensively in the United States and England. By communication, listening, sensing, together with give-and-take timing, Anderson forms extraordinary unions with equine partners. He believes that a horse's first training is the basis for everything else.

"If the initial experience is positive, a solid foundation is laid and a remarkable partnership will develop and during the process a two-fold thing is happening. You think you're there to teach the horse, but in the end, they're teaching you about yourself."

Amanda Langos, from Nicholasville, Ky., signed up for the camp because she wanted to train her five-month-old pony and didn't want to develop any bad habits. Langos, barely five feet tall and tiny as a minute, was living proof that size is not a determining factor in successful persuasion. Anderson coached Langos from wooden bleachers outside the round-pen.

"It's much harder than it looks," she said. "But once you understand how your body movement creates or lessens the pressure on the horse, it makes so much sense. I have a lot more confidence now and realize it doesn't require force - just finesse. This method is the right one for me and my horse."

Deborah Bowerman-Davies' smile was as warm and bright as the sun shining on the outdoor arena as she watched participant Denise Mcginnis mount her horse "Rip Tide." Mcginnis, who competes in endurance and dressage, brought her six-year-old horse to camp "hoping to increase communication techniques and learn ways to keep her relaxed."

Bowerman-Davies stood patiently next to the rail as the pair circled. Then, moving to the center of the enclosure, she called out, "Do you feel his hind end underneath you? Can you feel the sequence of his hind legs? Do you feel the left/right movement of his back through your seat?" Within moments she placed her hand on the small of Mcginnis' back, making a few minor adjustments. "Can you feel the difference?"

On the third day Mcginnis experienced a remarkable breakthrough. "It happened in a flash. All of a sudden I could feel exactly what the horse was feeling. I broke out in tears. It was a joyous sense of understanding. It was as if we were blended. There was a new rapport."

The teaching method Bowerman-Davies has designed is far more than training people to ride. "My motto is: Horsemanship requires skill. Skill requires knowledge. Knowledge can be acquired," she related. "Many students come to me for lessons, but what is the definition of a riding lesson? To many, it's to mount an already tacked-up horse and walk, trot, canter, and jump their way through a half hour on a push-button horse. That's not beneficial to a pupil, let alone the horse. The art of riding is to develop a partnership with your horse by allowing him freedom of movement, teaching him balance, and educating the rider to feel. It requires both intelligence and feeling. A rider must learn to use their legs, hands, seat and overall body balance."

"As long as you understand the nature and feelings of a horse, you can do anything," she said. Bowerman-Davies' enthusiasm penetrates pupils and equines like magic. She has dedicated her life to horses, caring for them, representing them and understanding them. As a former member of the British junior 3-Day Event Team, she's mastered the skills she offers students. Today she continues to ride and train with members of the United States Equestrian Team and Peggy Cummings, founder of "Connected Riding."

Dr. Judith M. Shoemaker, an energetic, committed veterinarian, arrived mid-afternoon to demonstrate a chiropractic adjustment on one of the farm's horses. Shoemaker, currently licensed in 15 states, uses traditional techniques and alternative therapies, such as chiropractic manipulation, acupuncture, homeopathy and herbs to treat her equine patients.

Camp attendants joined her in the shade of the stable and listened as she explained, "I prescribe drugs if they're needed, but I find that with chiropractic and other modalities, the necessity for their use in my practice has gone down about 90 percent." Her ability to pinpoint problems and put animals back in balance has brought her national recognition. "If a horse can't balance himself, there's no way to get beyond Training Level," she said.

Shoemaker treats her equine patients as individuals who have been shaped by their surroundings and the circumstances of their lives. She sees the whole horse, not the ideal mythical creature with perfect genetic conformation. "If a horse is walking and running 20 miles a day, as they do in the wild, and eating wild, natural, rougher stuff, his teeth and feet stay in balance. When these are balanced, there is not a lot of 'chatter' on the nervous system, so they can cope with things better and are less stressed physically and emotionally," she explained.

Participants nodded in agreement as Shoemaker pointed out discrepancies in the horse's stance. "If you own a horse, you don't need to have a big problem or a structural problem to benefit from this kind of care. You need to seek help if your horse isn't training to the potential of his mechanism."

In a quiet, soothing voice, she asked the mare to lower her head. The mare lowered her head a few inches. Shoemaker worked with the horse's poll area - the upper cervical vertebrae and skull. After a short time, the mare could stretch her neck and touch the ground with her mouth. At the end of the manipulation it was obvious the horse benefitted. "Her eyes even look brighter," someone commented.

"As riders, you must become aware of your own bodies, too. Sixty percent of horses have the same misalignments or compensatory misalignments as their riders. The rider is part of the moving mechanism and blockages or pains of the rider must be removed or the rider will ride them into the horse." Shoemaker continued explaining, "For years medical science has known that the condition of a horse's teeth, jaw and feet have a profound effect on his health and well-being. As it happens, those have an equally profound effect on his appearance and his abilities. Getting them in order is essential to getting the horse back into balance."

When owners Francis and Gillian Vallis purchased the 130-acre farm, 30 minutes south of Lexington, "We simply wanted to provide a place where foals could grow up with grace and freedom. We wanted every horse, no matter what its discipline, to be the best it could be. As you can see," Vallis gestured with her hand, "we've gone a bit beyond that," she laughed. "It's evolved into an Equine Performance Center that provides all age groups and levels a place to grow - both horse and rider. Our farm manager Trina McGuire works with the young children. She teaches them the basics of riding and caring for the animal. Now, with our team of clinicians teaching here on a regular basis, we offer an all-embracing program."

Pine Knoll Farm has recently completed an indoor riding arena so horse and rider will be more comfortable during inclement weather and riding won't be limited to daylight hours. The farm has a non-profit foundation, Four Harmony, which has many different programs, including one that provides for therapeutic riding. "This will allow children and adults with physical or mental learning disabilities and psychological or behavioral problems a place to grow and build self-esteem," Vallis continued. "There are well-documented studies showing the bond between horses and people and the healing power of the connection."

To the casual observer, it may look like a typical horse farm, but ask anyone who's been there. They'll tell you, "It's a horse farm of a different color."

(For a complete schedule of classes and programs offered, contact Pine Knoll Farm, 9863 Lexington Road, Lancaster, Kentucky PH: 859-548-4162.)

<<Back to Articles