Kayla grew up riding ponies and horses and got her first own pony at age 13. Although the cantankerous pony bucked her off and dodged into trees to unseat her, Kayla kept climbing back up in the saddle. From the pony, she graduated to an ex-racehorse that came with his share of quirks. “That’s when I was introduced to Horsemanship. Learning how to structure a training program in a step-by-step formula really allowed me to advance my horses to the next level.” At 15, she started working at a training barn where she began as an apprentice and then worked her way up to training four horses a day. “I got to where I could train the horses well in the basics of groundwork and riding in the arena, obstacle course and trails. But it was like I was stuck in the concept lesson for the advanced exercises. I was learning in little increments, but I knew that if I could work with a professional, I would learn and progress a hundred times faster,” Kayla says.
She found her answer in the Clinton Anderson Clinician Academy. “I wanted a career in the horse world, and I love to train horses and enjoy helping people. I knew the Academy would give me the knowledge I needed to be a better horse trainer and it would help me learn how to teach people better,” Kayla says. “The program gave me problem solving skills and the confidence to train almost any horse that would come in. The horses that came in were mainly horses that had been through multiple trainers to try and fix their issues. The Academy program was their last chance. I also worked with a lot of colts as well as a few of Clinton’s performance and Signature horses. Helping with the clinics at the ranch and teaching lessons to training horse owners under professional clinician Shana’s guidance allowed me to become a better teacher as well as horse trainer.” After spending about a year at the ranch in 2015-2016, Kayla started offering training, lessons and clinics back in Ohio.
Since the ranch, she’s studied under several reining trainers - Rodger Smith, Vincienzo Santos and Shannon Santos - to continue advancing her skill set and gain valuable experience in the performance horse industry. She also spent two seasons at a Wyoming ranch caring for and training their small herd of 12 horses as well as giving lessons and guiding trail rides for guests of the ranch. In the past several years showing in Extreme Cowboy Race and Ranch Riding have been fun and rewarding for her to enjoy her personal horses, and she’s now offering this option to clients as well.
YOUTUBE CHANNEL: Kayla Schlabach - YouTube
She found her answer in the Clinton Anderson Clinician Academy. “I wanted a career in the horse world, and I love to train horses and enjoy helping people. I knew the Academy would give me the knowledge I needed to be a better horse trainer and it would help me learn how to teach people better,” Kayla says. “The program gave me problem solving skills and the confidence to train almost any horse that would come in. The horses that came in were mainly horses that had been through multiple trainers to try and fix their issues. The Academy program was their last chance. I also worked with a lot of colts as well as a few of Clinton’s performance and Signature horses. Helping with the clinics at the ranch and teaching lessons to training horse owners under professional clinician Shana’s guidance allowed me to become a better teacher as well as horse trainer.” After spending about a year at the ranch in 2015-2016, Kayla started offering training, lessons and clinics back in Ohio.
Since the ranch, she’s studied under several reining trainers - Rodger Smith, Vincienzo Santos and Shannon Santos - to continue advancing her skill set and gain valuable experience in the performance horse industry. She also spent two seasons at a Wyoming ranch caring for and training their small herd of 12 horses as well as giving lessons and guiding trail rides for guests of the ranch. In the past several years showing in Extreme Cowboy Race and Ranch Riding have been fun and rewarding for her to enjoy her personal horses, and she’s now offering this option to clients as well.
YOUTUBE CHANNEL: Kayla Schlabach - YouTube