testimonials

"My teenaged daughter had a fabulous medal horse with one issue - he flat out refused to jump water - neither a liverpool nor open water. Fortunately, Jodine Carruthers came to the rescue. She worked with her and the horse for just two sessions. To our great relief, the horse learned to willingly jump water and in the following show season my daughter and her equine partner went on to win many medal classes and jumping championships. Heartfelt thanks to Jodine. I highly recommend her to anyone with an equine behavioural performance issue." Leslie Martin

"We truly appreciate all the help, patience and instruction that Jodine Carruthers has given us over the past year. As inexperienced horse handlers, we took on the task of owning an untrained 3 year old gelding. Sounds a little crazy, but with Jodine's expertise, our horse, Prince has become the "perfect horse". Jodine's techniques were easy to learn and to convey to our horse. She taught us how to be firm but not aggressive, how to use small steps to get the best results and gave us the confidence to work with our horse on our own. Both my husband and myself and Prince have learnt so much from Jodine in the past year, we are all so thankful." Theresa and Sandy Thomson

"Jodine's practical and common sense teaching makes it easy for her students to understand exactly what it is they are trying to achieve. It is then no big deal to progress rapidly with their new found knowledge and Jodine makes it fun as well as well as informational." Jane Holderness Roddam

"Jodine is a very gifted horse trainer who is able to recognise what each horse requires in order to become a happy and confident equine partner. Her patience, fairness and feel for the horse as well as her ability to set them up for success are unparalleled. In two decades of working with horses myself, I have not come across a trainer who has a more consistant approach to creating trust and respect than Jodine. She has an incredible sense of knowing how far she can push a horse (and handler) so they can make progress while never losing confidence and trust. In my opinion, this is why my horses are so happy in their work.

Jodine has taken my connection and work with horses to a deeper level and I am truly thankful for all she has taught me! One of the greatest gifts in life is the experience to be in harmony with a horse, and Jodine empowers people and horses to achieve this." Simone Engels

"When we purchased our Appaloosa Maggie we were completely unaware of the behavioral issue that came with her. Maggie was deathly terrified of trailers. Unfortunately we were inexperienced horse owners and should have clued into the problem when the previous owners had difficulty getting her into our trailer when we picked her up. We were assured that this was non-typical behavior for her but we soon learned that this was not the case. Later that summer, when we went to put Maggie into out trailer for our annual pony club camping trip, Maggie had a complete melt down. It took us 2 ½ hours persuading and forcing to finally get Maggie into the trailer completely against her wishes. It was clear that Maggie had had an extreme fear of trailers. We were in a dilemma as our daughter takes lessons and participates in numerous horse shows which required Maggie to be trailered often.

Jodine came highly recommended by our dressage instructor. When we first met Jodine she did a great job explaining her methodology and process for rehabilitating Maggie. Also after an initial assessment she did a great job informing us where she thought Maggie was psychologically and what it would take to help Maggie overcome her fears. Because of a previous negative experience with trailers and being forced into them Maggie had issues with trust and experienced fear around trailers. Jodine worked with Maggie and our 11 year daughter Marissa once a week for an hour. Over the course a few sessions, Jodine had Maggie entering our trailer and working through her fears. Eventually Jodine had Maggie entering our trailer with anybody at her lead. Also through this process our daughter Marissa learned Jodine's methods and has become extremely competent at handling our horses.

What probably impressed us the most with Jodine's approach was the gentle and humane way in which she worked with our horse. She demonstrates a true honest respect for this noble creature. Jodine is incredibly patient and seems to understand and anticipate the horse's thoughts and needs. Thank you Jodine, for salvaging Maggie and Marissa's relationship and confidence in one another. Without your help we would have been forced to give up on and sell Maggie which would have broken our hearts.

We would not hesitate to recommend Jodine to anybody faced with behavioral issues with their horse and are looking to share a positive relationship with their animal The results we have witnessed from Jodine gentle hand are permanent and we still enjoy today." Linda & Tim LaCharite

“Jodine is deeply connected with horses. She combines this gift with an inquiring mind and the willingness to explore. She has done her research in the horse world, psychology, human dynamics and neuroscience. Horses understand Harmonious Horsemanship and benefit from this approach. Everyone who truly loves horses wants to have a genuine connection with them. It is time for Jodine to share her work and help others reach harmony with their horses.” Deborah Marshall

"The time I spent with Jodine as she was starting my young horse was exceptionally valuable. Not only was Jodine able to instruct my horse but also was able to educate me in the whys and wherefores of her techniques. It was this, more than anything, that enabled me, a novice green horse handler, to take a four year old ( who had had a year off and major surgery) and bring him back by myself. All of the tools and tricks had not only been demonstrated, but also discussed, so that when things started to disintegrate, I had a plethora of options at my disposal to draw on to put everything quietly and correctly back on track.

I highly recommend that anyone starting a young horse go through this proceedure. One can see the process, understand the process, and (ergo) use the process with tremendous success." Leigh Smith

"Just a note to tell you how great George was. He was a star, we went out on the Monday and schooled over the liver pool there and he cantered and jumped the snot out of it but didn't even think about stopping! We schooled some more and when Mairin relaxed he was jumping it so nonchalant. He did the regular warm-up the next day and I took the top rail off the first time and he didn't look but Mairin did!

He showed all week and did the CET jumping phase as well as the other 2 phases and the jumping phase had an oxer over the liver pool to a 1 stride to a 4 stride skinny, so he cantered on up and she just kept her leg on and over jumped in was fine in the one stride but cantered by the skinny as she had too much horse. Oh well, I was over the moon!

I just wanted to thank you again, love your method and if you ever get back here and want to do a clinic EVERYONE wants to do it! We will pay you very well!" Kristen Johnston

"Jodine did a wonderful job working with my 2 year old Welsh stud colt Biscuit. I asked her to come out and do some troubleshooting for me as he was starting to be aggressive when being led out to the pasture and didn't seem quite as happy as he used to be. He seemed to be frustrated much of the time and our relationship, which had been good before, was becoming more and more confrontational.

In our session Jodine showed Biscuit how to recognize human boundaries and personal space as well as to respect his own boundaries and comfort zones. Then she gave me the same lesson so that I would be comfortable reinforcing this on my own. She also showed me how to meet his need to play and interact with people in a way that was safe and fun. Throughout the session Biscuit seemed very happy, respectful and enjoyed learning his new skills.

The next day I noticed a huge change in Biscuit that has lasted to this day. He seemed way more relaxed and was comfortable to just stand beside me without trying to crowd into my space. His difficulties about being led disappeared completely after just one session and when they did reappear in a minor form, months later, I was able to recognize that it was a problem with me and correct it quickly and without any fuss. Big thanks to Jodine for her help!" Gen and Biscuit

" I came to know Jodine through the Calm and Confident workshop I attended and felt that she had so much to offer. I've worked with her for the past year and she has given me so many "ah-ha!" moments on my journey with my young horse. She has built up our trust in each other and is helping me be a leader in presence as well as mind for my horse. Jodine identified gaps in Caleb's learning and has helped him learn how to handle himself with poise. It's so great to feel like we're collaborating in his education. My farrier recently commented on how much better behaved he is to work around. Results speak for themselves!" Edie Fishlock

"When it came time to start my young gelding I decided to look around for a trainer to help me with him. He is not the easiest horse to handle and he is bigger than I was used to so I felt that to make the experience as positive as possible for both of us it was important to find a good match. I was becoming concerned because the answers I was getting from inquiries was to “send him somewhere for a couple of months and have him broke.” That isn’t want I wanted. I wanted to be part of the process so I could see where he had difficulties, where he was nervous and what solutions the trainer used so in the future I could take him back there to a safe place. After asking many people who’s opinion I trusted and who’s approach to relationships with their horses was similar to mine, it became obvious that the only person around who would come to train at my place, with me and my horse and who was not interested in “breaking” but a supportive teaching environment for all of us was Jodine Carruthers. Of all the trainers who were named to me, she is the only one of whom no one had anything negative to say. I must say that she has met and far exceeded all my expectations when it comes to training him. She is professional, respectful of him, me and herself and is always willing to work with him and not against him. I highly recommend Jodine to anyone wanting work on any kind of behaviour or learning block or issue. Just watching her and listening to her has taught me an immense amount as well as the horse." Philippa Brown

"After having my first horse for a couple of years I found that my lack of confidence was holding me back. I talked to a couple of people who highly recommended Jodine. After just a few sessions my confidence greatly improved. I now have a whole new relationship with my horse thanks to my time with Jodine." Nancy Nedokus