Staci has always been fascinated by horses. It’s a passion she shares with her mother, an accomplished horsewoman who made sure Staci had the opportunity to take riding lessons and spend time at the barn in her younger years. Because Staci’s father was in the military and the family often moved, Staci didn’t have the chance to have a horse of her own until she was 12.

When she got her first horse, a palomino paint mare, she initially spent most of her time brushing her and feeding her treats. “During that first year, I created the worst problem – she turned into an absolutely rotten horse because I thought the more I loved on her and fed her treats, the more she’d like me,” Staci says. “It definitely doesn’t work that way with horses. She just became pushy and disrespectful.”

Searching for advice about how to safely work with her mare, Staci came across Downunder Horsemanship. “I went to YouTube and found a lot of trainers who all offered different advice. Following them was difficult because they most often used already-trained horses to demonstrate their techniques. As soon as I found Clinton’s videos, where he worked with untrained horses, I was able to get results with my horse,” Staci says.

After learning how to communicate effectively with her mare and building a partnership with her, Staci went on to compete with her in a variety of events, from halter and western pleasure to reining. Over the years, she added more horses to her herd and switched her focus to team roping, breakaway roping and barrel racing.

When she learned about the Academy, Staci set a goal to become a Method Ambassador. “I love training horses and use the Method all the time. I took a lesson with Professional Clinician Shayla Smock and what she was able to help me accomplish with my horse in just four hours was so impressive. I knew I needed to get to the Academy so that I could learn as much as I possibly could,” she says.

At the time, she was working in the veterinarian field and mapped out a plan to get to the Downunder Horsemanship Ranch. “It took a lot of work to make it to the Academy, but it was so worth it,” Staci says. “I’ve seen the Method work over and over again on all sorts of horses and enjoy sharing it with others, especially those who are struggling with their horsemanship. I was in that position once and love being able to help people.”