Salt Horsemanship

Kevin began his life with horses as a 15 year old when he became an apprentice jockey and followed on to be an A Grade Jockey for several years. After retiring from race riding he took up breaking and pre-training thoroughbreds and discovered a new found interest in riding and handling young horses. Kevin started to think more and more about alternative techniques to starting horses under saddle and training them as opposed to “breaking”. His thirst for knowledge of all things equine has always been at the forefront for him. After moving to Teesdale (west of Geelong) several years later, Kevin accepted an offer of an apprenticeship to become a farrier. He completed his apprenticeship and was working only on horses’ feet, but had his own horses that kept his interests in training. Again his thirst for knowledge led him to a clinic with the master horseman Ian Francis and after only two days with him he was hooked on Ian’s training methods. Kevin has studied Ian Francis and Clinton Anderson’s training techniques and is now a firm believer of this method of training which focuses on a soft, supple and willing horse. Achieving this from the ground first and then in the saddle. With the growing demand for rider and horse education Kevin scaled back his farrier work in order to be able to train horses and instruct riders using these techniques. As well as enjoying training his own horses, he is passionate about training other horse owners about the importance of having a solid foundation on a horse before you go on to expect them to perform more complex maneuvers and tasks. His focus is on a foundation that will enable you to build a better relationship between you and your horse and a softness that will enable you to achieve greater results in any discipline. Riders of all skill levels will benefit from Kevin’s training as sometimes you must take a few steps back to be able to leap ahead.