Lisa Wysocky opens the gate to the small pasture and the five horses immediately look her way.  First one, then another, raises their head, and a few whinny.  As a group, they begin ambling their way toward Lisa, but before long, the amble becomes a jog and then a gallop.  All slow well before reaching her, before finishing their approach at a sedate walk.  This group of horses is one of several at a therapeutic riding program where Lisa currently trains.

“It’s all about developing trust, confidence and respect from your horse by setting clear boundaries and expectations,” Lisa said.  “Your horse will feel far more comfortable with you if he or she knows exactly how he is supposed to behave, and how, based on his behavior, you will behave toward him.”

Lisa earns a lot of the respect she gets from her horses from traditional groundwork, such as longeing and long lining, combined with desensitizing exercises.  All of the exercises were specifically developed to further the horse/human partnership.

“We as people too often expect our horses to relate to us on our level, on a human level,” she said.  “But horses can’t do that, because they are horses and only know how to think like a horse.  So we have learn to think like our equine partner.”

Lisa has documented how to do that, and to develop the trust, confidence and respect that every horse and human partner needs in her latest book My Horse, My Partner: Teamwork on the Ground (The Lyons Press).  The companion My Horse, My Partner DVD was independently produced and is sponsored in part by Nutrena.  Many of the ideas she discusses come from a lifetime of watching horses.

“I started riding when I was six years old and got my first pony when I was eleven,” Lisa said.  “The pony was a two-year-old named Dondi and I had to figure out how to train him.  I boarded him nearby in a small neighborhood and, somehow, had the understanding that for him to be safe for me to eventually ride, I first needed to get Dondi accustomed to the bicycles and balls that the kids in the neighborhood were constantly riding and throwing, along with all the noise they were making.”

Lisa did that by combining the longeing and ground driving techniques she learned from library books, with desensitization to plastic bags, pom poms, and noisemakers. Throughout, she watched her pony intently for subtle cues that he was uncomfortable or accepting, uncertain or confident.  She began showing an Appaloosa mare she got at age twelve, and received a degree in Light Horse Management from the University of Minnesota before heading to Washington State to train professionally. Now based in Nashville, Tennessee, Lisa has been involved in the therapeutic riding industry for about five years.  She is a certified NARHA (North American Riding for the Handicapped) instructor and in 2007 was named by ARIA (American Riding Instructors Association) as one of the Top 50 riding instructors in America.

“At this stage of my life, I really want to motivate people to understand what their horses are thinking, how their horses are thinking, and how to develop a safe, confident, trustworthy equine partner,” Lisa said.

She does this through her books, videos and clinics, and as a consultant to a number of therapeutic riding programs across the country where she helps not only with herd behavior and development, but with staff and volunteer trainings.  Her clients have also included mounted police departments, colleges, 4-H and FFA groups, individuals, pony clubs, mounted drill teams and others.

“It is so exciting for me to get an email from someone who attended a clinic or who read one of my books, and have them tell me I helped them in some way.  It might be a little thing that I said or did, but that one little thing made a huge difference either in their life, or in their relationship with their horse,” said Lisa.  “That, to me, is more fun than receiving a thousand blue ribbons.”

Something else that is becoming a lot of fun is Lisa’s affiliation with The Power of a Whisper Lecture Series.  Lisa and fellow horse trainer Sam Powell have teamed up to present a series of classroom lectures on equine behavior, thought, movement and problem solving, all illustrated with Power Point slides.

“Sam and I often have the same thoughts about horses, but our approach in getting there is different and that makes for some pretty interesting discussions,” said Lisa.  “The Power of a Whisper Lecture Series is a chance for horse people to get up close and personal with two different clinicians, and to ask questions.  That format is not possible in a large arena setting.”

While we talk, Lisa watches a horse flick and ear and turn his head slightly.

“That horse was just treated for a fungus and as a result has been bathed a lot recently.  He hates baths.  He’s telling me with his body language that he doesn’t want any human interaction right now.  I need to find a fun activity for him so he can once again look forward to his time with his human partners.  He used to compete in trail classes and did very well, so maybe a trail course on the ground with lots of praise,” she mused. “or maybe a light massage first and the then trail course.”

Whatever the choice, you know the horse is in good hands, as are Lisa’s readers and clinic audiences.     

Lisa’s tour and clinic dates, and the dates for The Power of a Whisper, are handled by Mike Meade (931) 215-2627, mmeade@tracylawrence.com.

To learn more about Lisa send email to lisainfo@comcast.net, or visit her Website. Be sure to watch the 60 second My Horse, My Partner promo clip, take the survey, sign up for Lisa’s monthly newsletter, and download some freebies.