Clare
This is my personal testimonial about Midori Morgan, a teacher, a horse woman and person. To explain Midori's capabilities and expertise. I'd like to tell my story of the last 8-9 months and Midori's part in that.
I grew up on a farm and spent most of my time from age 6 'til age 21 with and around animals including horses. I did what many adult women (with some experience and little knowledge) do, I took some lessons from a few different people and then bought a horse... It was a very rash and undereducated decision but every thing happens for a reason.
The horse I bought is 5 years old had had little training and about 20 rides, all his training had been with heavy bits and saddles and big spurs and always with other horses. Or course this is all what I discovered after bringing him home. Thinking I could just read a book and do about a week of round pen work and ride him around bare back... I learned the hard way.
I had Chief one week and got bucked off. My back was very seriously injured I was unable to walk for about a week and then had about a 6 month intense recovery period.
After I fell off I went straight to the emergency room as I couldn't move. About 5 days later when I went out with my husband to see Chief. I couldn't go near him... I was petrified. I had never been scared of any horse in my life (let alone my own)! It was an awful and uncontrollable feeling. I'd walk up to the fence and have this huge lump in my throat. "This is nuts!" I thought, and I forced my self to walk into the field, but still couldn't get near him... or course Chief was even more scared of me and wouldn't come near me either.
So I asked for help, one of the best decisions I made. I had met Midori and I had ridden one of her horses about 6 months before and we had done some work together but she had not been part of this whole horse buying mess I had gotten my self into.
So we started from scratch. I won't go on and on about each step of the process as that would take way
too long... but it has been an amazing process...
I remember one of the first days we where working together she said "how do you feel about walking him through this gate" I said how frightened I was and that he may run me over (which at the time felt so ludicrous to me but I couldn't stop feeling afraid) Midori said to me "ok that's just fine" and gave me permission to be afraid of Chief. Then she said: "What would make you feel safe around a gate?" and we started with where I felt safe and built up very slowly. Chief's and my cooperative re-learning under Midori completely changed my understanding of horses and how to work with them. It also changed Chief's ability to be confident in all kinds of new situations that he had no confidence in before, and this goes with out saying for me as well.
During my recovery Midori guided me through training with Chief on the ground, before I got on his back again which honestly I didn't think I would ever do. Midori has taught me to stop and make sure I know what I'm asking for before I begin, to focus and to be patient with my self and Chief. She has helped me to be kind and consistent, to be fair and firm. It's amazing when I think back to all the years of riding with bits, heavy hands and horses hopping around being afraid of me and every thing else and then wrestling them in to a sad submission... getting angry and emotional... Now when I work with my horse it's a mellow time for both of us. Now Chief bends his head to say "what do we do next" and walks up onto a scary wooden stand and says "this is cool I trust that you'll only ask me to do stuff I can do and that we've worked up to" he's soft and willing and I'm confident and consistent.
Midori has giving me so many tools to hone my focus and get me to this amazing place I am with my horse! There is so much more to learn together. But it's at the point where I can't wait to go to my horse now and come up with new things we can figure out.
So that's my story but it should also tell you about this horse woman who lead me to find confidence and patience and horsemanship. Midori practices all these things with her own horses. Midori truly practices and is humble about learning as well. She is very much a leader.
Another amazing trait about Midori is her courage and willingness just get in there and do things. She is a very capable person who is bold and creative when problems arise. Weather it's shoeing her own horses , fixing an electric fence or coming up with a new way to show you how to get you and your horse to a place of cooperation Midori is amazingly capable.
Midori is a truthful person with her self and with others. This seems like a funny thing to list in ones credentials as a horse trainer but to me it means she won't misguide you, she will only ask you to do what she knows. It's like the way you have to be with horses, because they can smell a fake a mile away.
Midori has been around horses for her entire life and it shows. She is dedicated and in love with these amazing animals and is incredibly capable when it comes to sharing her love and knowledge. Oh and she can sit a trot like nobody I've ever seen : )
I would strongly recommend her as a teacher and horsewoman.
Clare Carver and Chief too!!! (503) 662-3129 clare@clarecarver.com