About the Instructor

I grew up on a horse farm in Md where from a young age I was very involved in the care of the horses and the daily operations of a working lesson/training/breeding/ show stable. I competed nationally while working up the levels in the United States Pony Club eventually earning my "B" rating. While in the pony club and then in the years following I had the opportunity to train with such wonderful trainers like Mary Drake (hunters), Robert Dover (dressage olympic medalist), Gi Gi Nutter ( dressage olympic rider), Judy McGaughn (dressage Grand Prix competitor), Joan Nielson ( Head trainer of the highly successful Merrymount Farm of MD), and Patrick McGaughn (WEG competitor ). These are just a few of some of the truly fantastic people I worked with along the way and I wanted to say thanks to all of you!

One of the biggest influences in my life was of course my Mom, Joyce Hall Ahrens. She is an extremely gifted horsewoman ( and artist!) and I learned a lot just by being her shadow for so many years. I am still learning from her. Thanks Mom!!

To further my knowlege I spent a year in an apprencticeship as a veterinary assistant at an Equine Veterinary facility and boy did I learn a lot! Later that training helped me acquire a position with the wonderful staff of the Edisto Equine Clinic where I saw state of the art veterinary work performed and was part of a staff that delivered the excellent care they are famous for. Those 1:00 am surgeries were worth it to see a horse that would not have survived otherwise completely recover.

Recently, I helped a good freind of mine who owns a racehorse training facility with the daily operations and care of the horses. The most exciting part, however ,was the chance to gallop alonside these gorgeous young racing hopefuls and play some part in their training . There is nothing like galloping on that track- such a rush- I loved it!

Now I devote all my time to my own successful operation Alcolu Equestrian Center, my fantastic students, my wonderful horses, my hard working husband and to my 3 yr old daughter. That leaves me with very little time for anything else!! I do own a beautiful paint gelding named Skywalker who I have leased out. He is a talented horse who competed very successfully in Florida on the hunter circiut and is now working on dressage at Heritage Hall. I look forward to the day when he and I will be a team again!

My teaching philosophy is that learning to ride should be fun and safe. I try to provide my students with the safest horses possible so they can concentrate on learning the correct basics ( the ABC's of riding) and stay relaxed. Tension interferes with learning and prevents true harmony with the horse. When assessing a new student I can tell a lot just by the way the rider asks for a halt. Do they use their seat and legs or do they use just their hands? I then ask them to stand up in the saddle. Do they tilt forward or back? I am amazed at all the riders that lack balance because they never were taught the proper basics.We've all heard the saying " just staying on a horses back is not riding". It could actually be luck! I have a saying that all my new students hear particularly the raw beginners " stand on your toes, land on your nose". I like to use imagery in my lessons since a they make hard concepts easier to grasp. When confonted with a road block in someones progress I will ask for help from respected peers and previous trainers. No ones pride should get in the way of a students progress and sometimes a different perspective can be helpful! Someday I hope to help one of my students obtain a working student position with one of the trainers I mentioned. These positions are hard to get and the competiton is fierce for them so connections help!! My goal is to help each student achieve their personal riding goals in a safe and relaxed enviorment while at the same time protecting my horses as much as possible from inadvertant abuse of unskilled hands, etc. This takes finesse to say the least! I continue to learn and I will continue to pass what I know and what I learn on to my students.