Linus, an ill-tempered gelding named after the “Peanuts” character, brought Sarah to the Method and led her down the path of becoming an ambassador. The Missouri horsewoman started riding when she was 4 and got Linus, her first horse, when she was 20. The gelding came with a lot of baggage, and try as she might, Sarah couldn’t get through to him. “Eventually, he bucked me off and I ended up with broken ribs and a massive concussion,” she says.
The trainer she was working with at the time had run out of ideas to help Linus and recommended Sarah look into the Downunder Horsemanship Method. “As soon as I started studying it and practicing it with my horse, I saw a positive change in him. I love that the Method is all about safety first,” Sarah says. “Clinton has designed it and broken every exercise down into steps so that even if you’re an inexperienced horse person, as long as you follow the steps, you’ll stay safe.”
Sarah went on to work at an Arabian training barn and then began teaching lessons, a skill she discovered she had a natural knack for. Eventually, she found a facility of her own in the Ozarks and established her own lesson and training business. “I’m a sucker for teaching; I just love helping people and watching them progress,” Sarah says. She continued to build her program up until she was teaching 40-plus hours of lessons each week.
To continue to add to her knowledge and hone her skills, she took a variety of lessons and clinics with Method Ambassadors. Those experiences led her to wanting to attend the Academy and become certified to teach the Method. “I doubled the lessons I taught and sold a reined-cow horse I’d invested in to be able to save up enough money to attend,” Sarah says, and in the end, the hard work and sacrifices were well worth it.
As an ambassador, Sarah is passionate about teaching and sharing the Method. “I just love helping people with their horses, especially that moment when you see everything click for them and they start making real progress,” she says. “One way or another, horses have always been a part of my life and I enjoy sharing my love for them with others.”