Insights Equestrian Journal
Designed by her amazing husband as a space for thoughtful reflection on lessons and rides, the Insights Equestrian Journal invites riders to set goals, big and small, and track their progress along the way.
Use the journal to keep horse-health-related notes in your calendar, upload photos or video clips from rides, and record your observations as your training evolves. A special “Alert Michelle” tab even allows you to send questions directly when something sparks curiosity or confusion during your learning process.
If you’re interested in starting a journal to document your journey with your horse, contact Michelle and she can help you get started.
Accountability Groups
These groups are built around the idea that there is a larger community of horse enthusiasts navigating the same journey.
Dressage is challenging, and the equestrian lifestyle comes with plenty of ups and downs. It’s easy to feel like you’re the only one experiencing the struggles or setbacks along the way. These groups provide camaraderie, inspiration, and sometimes the extra push we all need to stay on track.
Current groups include:
Stretching and Fitness
Dressage Theory
Competitive Strategies
Communication happens through text, email, and occasional Zoom meetings. Join the community and stay connected with others who share your goals and passion.
Unmounted Breakthroughs
One of Michelle’s favorite pursuits is helping riders understand what correct riding principles are supposed to feel like.
To do this, she brings an assortment of creative tools—from water balloons and balance discs to cardboard cutouts—designed to help riders deepen their awareness and develop feel. You may even find yourself being lunged without a horse as you explore balance, alignment, and movement patterns.
When riders begin to understand the sensations they’re searching for off the horse, it becomes much easier to recognize and recreate them in the saddle.
Michelle offers private unmounted sessions on site, which can include the unparalleled benefit of working with her Equicizer, Phoenix. She also hosts organized Unmounted Insights programs—often called “Riding in the Living Room”—where groups gather to take a deep dive into a specific riding topic.
If you’re interested in setting up a private session or organizing a group gathering, contact Michelle directly. Each experience is tailored to the needs of the riders involved.
Horse Search Guidance
Finding your next horse partner is both an exciting and complex process. It often involves clarifying your goals, defining appropriate parameters for your future partner, evaluating video presentations, asking the right questions of sellers and veterinarians, and honestly assessing the compatibility between horse and rider.
Michelle believes that watching the right horse-and-rider partnerships grow together is one of the most rewarding parts of this profession. When a well-suited pair commits to the process of training together, the results can be incredibly fulfilling.
Because of this, Michelle is happy to assist at many different stages of the search process. Her involvement can be as simple as reviewing a video to assess suitability, or as hands-on as traveling with you to evaluate and test ride potential matches.
You may arrive with a clear wish list, or Michelle can help you develop that vision. If you’re beginning the search for your next partner, it’s worth starting the conversation.
Online Lessons and Video Reviews
Technology such as Pixem and Pivo has made distance far less of a barrier to learning.
Michelle has dedicated most Saturdays to teaching online lessons and reviewing training videos with riders. She also takes online lessons herself each week and strongly believes that while virtual instruction may not replace an in-person lesson, it is an excellent second-best option—and far better than waiting weeks or months until schedules align for an in-person visit.
Regular lessons help maintain momentum, inspiration, and the productive pressure that keeps training moving forward. Thanks to modern technology, riders and coaches can now work together effectively—even from different parts of the world.
If you’re interested in getting started, Michelle is happy to discuss the different technology options available. Online lessons are best suited for committed riders who have clear training goals and a desire to keep progressing.
Mentorship and Collaboration
Michelle enjoys collaborating with like-minded professionals and mentoring up-and-coming riders and young professionals within the industry.
No one builds a career in horses entirely alone, and having guidance and trusted colleagues along the way can make a tremendous difference.
If you’re looking for someone to run ideas by, need advice as you begin your professional journey, or simply want support navigating challenges in the industry, Michelle would be happy to connect. Before frustration turns into burnout, reach out and start the conversation.
Consultation
Problem solving and thinking creatively have been part of Michelle’s approach to horses and training her entire life. Through years of experience and the opportunity to learn from many top professionals, she has developed a deep well of knowledge to draw from.
If you’re dealing with a stubborn training issue, struggling with a riding habit you can’t seem to fix, developing a project you’d like to bring to the public, or seeking advice about barn management or time management, Michelle is happy to listen and offer insight.
Sometimes a fresh perspective is all it takes to unlock the next step forward.