Dakota, an unstarted gelding, led Christa to the Method and the career she has today as a Method Ambassador. The California native grew up with a passion for horses and began taking riding lessons when she was 8. She participated in a variety of disciplines, from jumping and barrel racing to gymkhanas.
“I was in a typical lesson program, and I always wanted a horse of my own. My parents couldn’t afford to buy me a finished trained horse, so instead, they bought me Dakota,” Christa says. Christa was 16 at the time, and although she was an accomplished rider, she didn’t have a clue how to begin training an unstarted horse.
Christa searched for help online and discovered that Clinton would be teaching a Fundamentals Clinic in Corning, California. She attended all three days of the clinic and was glued to the action and education taking place in the arena. “I loved every second of it and ended up buying all of the kits because I wanted the knowledge so much,” she says.
After successfully taking Dakota through the Method, Christa began training horses for the public and was hooked on the results she was getting. “The Method works for every single horse, no matter what discipline or type of riding you do,” Christa says. “Clinton has laid out the steps, all you have to do is follow them.”
As much as she enjoys training horses and witnessing their progress, it’s helping people and sharing her knowledge of the Method that gets the committed horsewoman fired up. “My passion is teaching people and helping them get better results with their horses,” she says. “When you understand how your horse thinks and how to communicate with him, you can accomplish anything.”