"When I was five years old I started taking riding lessons, and that is when it all started. I didn't have a set path of what I wanted to do on my horse riding venture, however I knew my love for horses was growing, and my parents knew it wasn't something they could just brush off.
At the early age of seven I earned enough money picking up rocks for my parents and neighbors to afford a pair of ponies, which were untrained, unbeknownst to us. By then we had moved to another location, so we didn't have the guidance of a trainer to get us through this experienced... I remember sitting down in front of the TV watching Clinton Anderson's Downunder Horsemanship then running out to work my ponies, and this was my day to day, home-schooled life. Fast forward 2 years and I had trained those ponies up to the point that when I outgrew them in size a year later, one went to a special needs 4 year old to help her learn to walk, and the other went on to pull a cart through children's hospitals. By then, the desire to train had already set in.
So I trained my own horses for the years to follow, and studied every natural horsemanship training book and program I could get my hands on. I took this knowledge and applied it to my horses which I trained for reining, team sorting and penning, competitive trail, western dressage, and eventually, speed events, bringing in dozens of trophies, trophy buckles, trophy tack, checks, and many many blue ribbons.
I began interning whenever I could with natural horsemanship trainers, attending clinics and studying the work of Clinton Anderson, Ken McNabb, Craig Cameron, Chris Cox, Monty Roberts, Buck Brannaman, Kyle Shurig, Carson James, Pat Parelli, Sean Flarida, Tim McQuay, John Lyons, Martha Josey, Dena Kirkpatrick, Bo Hill, Troy Crumrin, Sherry Cervi, Lance Graves, Kay Blandford, Charmaine James, Al Dunning and Bill Dorrance.
From all of these studies and hands on experiences, I developed a program that had the open mindedness to reach into this plethora of knowledge to help a wide range of horses. I strongly believe and still do, that every horse is an individual, and that not every horse fits into a cookie cutter program! I believe that natural horsemanship is the clear way to go, and that when you speak a horse's language and get the attention of a calm mind, they are truly able to reach their full potential, and that's something pretty special.
Along the way I have enjoyed coaching students young and old on how to become better horse men and women, in everything from basic horse handling and riding, to accomplished competitors and certified trainers in my Trainer Training Course.
What good is knowledge if it's not applied? If it's not shared? If it's not used for good? I believe in natural horsemanship. I have seen it change literally thousands of lives and to say I have a passion for experiencing this, is a massive understatement. I take pride in my teachings, and in turning out horses with good, solid foundations, built on understanding and clarity, which gives them a happy, healthier life, where they can be adored by their owners.
I'm Sabrina Alvarez, and this is my training program, Unique Horsemanship."