Evan's Horsemanship Philosophy
For many people riding or doing things with their horse can be stressful and frustrating. Their horse is interested in doing anything except what they’d like to do and they never seem to make any progress or worse yet they can get scared or hurt. I provide horses with a solid foundation based on the principles of psychology and leadership and I teach horse owners horsemanship that will allow them to become effective leaders to stay safe and accomplish any goal they set for themselves. For the last decade I have spent thousands of hours working with horses and their owners to help them achieve success.
About Evan
Evan grew up on a small farm in Port Orchard, Washington and have had horses all his life. They showed, he did Pony Club and 4H but it was not until he stumbled upon horseman like Pat Parelli and Buck Brannaman when he was a kid that he knew what he wanted to chase, the philosophy of horsemanship of Tom Dorrance and Ray Hunt. Over the years Evan has been influenced by dozens of brilliant horsemen and horsewomen and has had the privilege to have ridden with some of the best in the world including: Peter Campbell, Buck Brannaman, Trina Campbell, Pat Parelli, Martin Black, Joe Wolter and Dennis Reis. Even though he has been a professional horseman for over a decade taking in client horses and giving his own clinics, Evan is wholeheartedly dedicated to his own continuing education. Evan is absolutely a committed student of the horse and plans on learning up until the day he dies. Evan continues to ride with many of his mentors multiple times a year and in turn, the people that ride with him can rest assured that what he brings to the table and what he can offer you and your horse become greater everyday. Horsemanship, horses, helping people and horses understand each other is his passion, and his purpose in life.
The goal in both Evan’s horse training programs and his clinics is to leave the horse more at peace around people, around his environment and within himself and to leave you with a better understanding of how to communicate, how to build confidence and how to have purpose. Evan doesn’t teach a specific "discipline", but rather encourage students to develop problem-solving skills, consider the horse's point of view and take his expression and feelings into consideration.
Evan's Vision and Mission
“To me "Horsemanship" is the habits that humans and horses need to become partners. We define a habit as the crossroads between knowledge (the what and the why), skill (the how to do) and desire (the want for a change). It is based on principles of effectiveness. When you value the principles of good horsemanship you will develop the ability to know where the horse is at and the skill to do what needs to be done. Good horsemanship is not about breaking or training horses, it's about working on yourself and playing with the horses nature. You have to allow the horse the time it takes to learn something and when that happens you'll never have to redo it - because you didn't take the horse hostage.” - Evan Bonner
