First, let me say that Kirsten Lee is magical with horses. I am in my fifties and returning to being with horses and riding after a 30 year break. I met Kirsten through her website and knew that her philosophy about the ways people and horses can be together was very aligned with mine.
I thought that I had some basic skills after having ridden for much of my youth, but quickly learned that I knew nothing about training completely green horses. From the beginning Kirsten grounded our time with the horses around respect, safety, and fun for both me and the horses. My two horses had been worked with for a few 30 minute sessions over a two year period before being introduced to Kirsten. In about an hour Kirsten loaded them both onto the trailer masterfully and, most importantly, without the horses feeling trauma or force.
Over the past few years the key things I have learned, and continue to learn from Kirsten are to give the relationship with your horses the time it requires, be fair and patient by allow horses to work through the things we are asking of them, be present every moment, and set appropriate boundaries in order to be a respected leader. I am still learning from Kirsten every time we have a horse interaction as she makes everything a teachable moment. Kirsten also taught me that every interaction is a learning opportunity for the horse. She brings wisdom, kindness, and an immense amount of knowledge into each training experience. Whether you are looking for natural horsemanship training methods, or riding lessons at any level, I would recommend Kirsten Lee as a master teacher, trainer, and mentor.