Natural Touch Horsemanship with Rebekah Pearson
Source: Press Release
Millington, TN
March 5, 2008

New to the Mid-South horse training industry, Rebekah Pearson is taking the horse world by storm! Ms. Pearson has owned and ridden horses all her life. However, when she met Jerry and Donna Blancett her whole perception of horse training changed forever. She first met them at the Shelby Farms Equifair seven years ago. “I decided that day to send my horse, Sunny, to them to be trained. Words can’t describe what I achieved during that month of training. When it was my time to work with my horse, I was thrilled needless-to-say. While working with my horse, I noticed immediately that my horse was more responsive, respectful, calmer, and was finally a pleasure to own.

Soon after that the Blancett’s asked me to apprenticeship with them so that I could learn about training horses using Natural Horsemanship. With Jerry’s incredible horse-handling skills and Donna’s acute insight into the equine psyche, I developed knowledge of horses and horse training that I couldn’t have even imagined before I met them.

This thirst for knowledge and my love for horses had opened my eyes to a new and better way of training horses. In addition to apprenticing with the best natural horsemanship trainers in west Tennessee, I’ve gone to various seminars, attended numerous clinics, and have diligently studied the horse (the best teacher of all).”

Located in Millington, TN, Rebekah Pearson uses a method of horse training called Natural Horsemanship. Natural Horsemanship is a method in which we use the horse’s natural language (body language) to communicate with the horse – by teaching the horse to think instead of react; by using the horse’s natural responses to get the desired results. This type of training builds a solid relationship that is based on trust and respect.

“The goal of my training is to develop a partnership with the horse and teach the owner to develop and expand that connection into a lifelong relationship. To develop this partnership, you must understand that a partnership with your horse is like a marriage; it is an indescribable bond between horse and human that very few people are lucky enough to experience. To achieve this unity, one must have feel, focus, and timing.

Feel - the ability to tell when a change has happened in the horse, adjust and reward the horse for that change.

Focus - not only keeping your horse’s attention, but it relates to the focus you have for your work, on your job at hand.

Timing - knowing when to apply pressure and when to release the pressure.

To attain these qualities, you must gain experience. To gain experience, you must seek out knowledge and practice what you’ve learned. Additionally, it is important to have reasonable expectations for you and your horse. Making unreasonable expectations only creates more problems. In the same sense, you should expect your horse to respect you, your space, and what you ask of him. None of this can be obtained without a lot of hard work and dedication. And, last but certainly not least, there is that dreaded word – patience. Patience is dealing with the situation at hand and not getting upset or frustrated about it. How do you accomplish this? Through knowledge! ‘Where knowledge ends, frustration begins’.”

Rebekah has three main training programs: 30-day, 45-day colt starting, and 60-day advanced training. The 30-day program concentrates mostly on difficult or “problem” horses. Horses with issues such as: bucking, rearing, spookiness, trailer loading, clipping, saddling, leading, etc. For more advanced training, she offers the 60-day advanced training program. During these sixty days, she teaches the basic groundwork and riding exercises as well as more difficult exercises, both on the ground and in the saddle (i.e. two-tracking, side-passing, leads and lead changes). Her colt starting program is a 45-day minimum.

“The reason I make it a required 45-day minimum is because I do not think that a good start is just something that happens in a horse’s life; I think it is everything!

When I am asked to try to work with a problem horse, I will go back, build a starting point, and see what is missing. Once I develop the foundation, then I can start to work on the actual issue the owner is having with the horse. However, the majority of the time the issues cease to exist after I gain respect and trust from the horse.”

During the last week of training the owner is invited in to be taught how their horse was trained so that they may take this knowledge home and continue their horse’s education. This week long horse and owner session is a requirement that she believes is crucial to the development of the owner’s relationship with their horse.

“Horses have so much to give, yet they ask so little in return. Let me help you become the leader that your horse is eagerly looking for.”

Rebekah Pearson is taking horses starting in April of 2008. If you have any questions please feel free to call her at 901-326-1561 or email her at rpearson536@gmail.com.