Our lesson/training program is designed to teach you good horsemanship skills from the ground up.  You will learn proper handling techniques that apply to all the horses here at Canyon Creek Farm.  Our goal is to successfully build and increase confidence between adopters and sponsors who are in training with their horses.   Our aim is to provide them the tools to properly advance as these principles not only apply on the ground with their youngsters  but in the saddle with our PMU lesson horses who are also in the program.  Adopters and sponsors come for training and lessons and  are able to add riding lessons to the training program as desired.    We offer group lessons and training clinics for students to gain extra  skills by handling a variety of horses of all levels.  We are unique in the fact that every horse here receives Natural Horsemanship training - thus we are able to evaluate the confidence levels of both our horses and potential adopters. Come see for yourself how our program works!

Canyon Creek Farm starts all our horses using Natural horsemanship techniques.  We consider this the basis of good horsemanship practices that can be utilized in all disciplines.  Natural horsemanship is basically horse psychology.

We are non profit - our only goal is permanent and proper horse placement. We offer you the ability to get to know the horse before committing to an adoption. We have an established time frame and curriculum now in place to insure that you are advancing and reaching your goals! Too often new owners are at a loss of how to properly handle horses. There can be a happy medium between the spoiled horse and the respectful horse. The owner most often, only lacks the tools. Our goal is to help the owner establish effective boundries that they are able to use effectively throughout the entire relationship. Our mission is to teach and guide the pair so that the horse ownership experience is both safe and rewarding and positive. Training should not be a lifetime venture. You will soon know if you have the right equine partner as you establish yourself as the leader through trust. The partnership should not be difficult or too challenging but exciting as both horse and owner progress with the least amount of resistance and greatest amount of rewards. Horses raised in herds have a very different mentality than what you can expect to find from horses raised in smaller more urban, non social environments.  It is not that they are more dangerous or unmanageable, but that they rely on each other in the hierarchy of the herd structure and when they are separated, each horse must then start to build trust and rely entirely on their human handlers. This is where the idea of natural horsemanship takes precedence. The owner/trainer must become the leader or ALFA horse as many Natural horsemanship coaches call it. There is much to be gained from all of the famous trainers, Tom Dorrance, Ray Hunt, Pat Parelli and here at Canyon Creek we share many of their philosophies. It is exciting to watch us take on new horses, each with a different status from the herd. Some are more than willing to give to humans as they were accustomed to giving to the leaders in their herd, while others possibly ranking in higher status take more patience and time thus a more experienced or willing human. Every horse is different and must be treated with this in mind. Through this process we are able to distinguish the horses that are child and beginner safe from those that will require an intermediate or advanced rider. This we feel is a key factor in assuring that the horse will be placed in the proper forever home. Matching your personality with the personality of the horse is the beginning of what we are pleased to offer - the chance to work patiently and effectively with the horse that you might like to adopt. Knowing the horse before you adopt assures you that you are making the right decision. Patience and trust are all we ask of you! During the preliminary training session we are able to assess the skills and confidence of the potential adopter. Is this horse/human relationship compatible? Is the student approaching the horse with confidence or fear? Is there a past experience that we need to understand? Is the horse reacting or responding? The potential owner must be able to effectively and safely show the ability to advance using these skills. We give the student tools in which to work with their horse and "homework" time in which to practice so the adopter can confidently move forward and work through things on their own. The object of this training is to gain confidence knowledge and move forward towards a defined goal within a reasonable time frame and be able to demonstrate when and how these tools can and should be applied during riding, and ground work times. The wonderful things that you are learning by practicing Natural horsemanship are merely tools to use when needed in your daily activities with horses!

Saturday is group lesson day when adopters and sponsors learn to apply their ground work skills that they are using with their youngsters on our adult lesson horses.  Our lesson horses are also rescued PMU's. KC Poco Bar Bailey, Rockette, Jackie and soon to be Cody,  INXS, Bailey and Oliver and Murphy! We have so much to brag about!  We are so proud of our "working" girls and geldings!