Horseman, Carroll Williams
Carroll working with me on lateral flection.
Carroll riding Sundae. She would never go like that for me.
Tuesday I got to spend the day with my trainer, horseman, Carroll Williams of Mardela Springs, Maryland. It had been about 2 years since our last session and we were both pleased with all that I have accomplished. When I met Carroll, I was a desperate woman. I had had my horse, Sundae for about 5 years and was at a dead end. We were at the point I just couldn’t get her to go. The trainer I was working with at the time told me Sundae was to much horse for me and to get rid of her. I thought some riding lessons might help as I really didn’t ride much. Which is why I couldn’t understand how this horse was to much for me. At my first riding lesson I rode a lesson horse. At the end of class my instructor told me I rode fine and I needed to get a new horse because Sundae and I weren’t a good match. She had never even seen us together! After a few lessons I quite. I was learning the Parelli method of horsemanship and this Parelli instructor just didn’t seem to fit into the program as I understood it, if you know what I mean. She did give me the name of a natural trainer, Carroll Williams. A few weeks later I was riding on the beach with Sundae and within minutes of getting on her she crow hopped and flipped me over her head. All the way home my husband, Terry kept saying “Your getting a new horse”. We decided to call Carroll and if he said I needed a new horse I would do what he said.
My first class with Carroll was stressful to say the least. What I noticed about him was he never made me feel stupid like some trainers did. He was polite, he asked if he could show me something or if he could ride my horse. He told me my saddle was all wrong, darn that salesman! I knew we needed something with a wide tree. He could tell me a lot about the horse. He wanted to know everything about us. At the end of the class I held my breath as I waited for his verdict. Would I get to keep my horse? I will never forget his words.
“Lady, I don’t know what people have been telling you but, you don’t need fixing. There are a few things we need to work on but, you have a great horse here and there is no reason to get rid of her” he said. That was probably about 8 years ago and Sundae and I are still going strong. We are now preparing for a big charity event in New Jersey called the Dancing Horse Challenge. Carroll worked with Sundae and I and all the other horses too. He finally got to meet Savannah and fell in love with her. I’ll keep you posted on our progress and it won’t be another 2 years before I have a day with Carroll. His insight on the horse and his guidence have been the reason for my success. I would suggest Carroll to anyone, it is far worth paying to spend the day with him. He works with me one on one with my horses and that sure beats any clinic where I have to share an instructor with 10 other riders.
When it comes to horses, Carroll Williams has been the most influential person in my life.
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Tags: Carroll Williams, horse blogs, Jowana Lamb, natural horsemanship trainers