It took me a long time to really feel like I understood what training horses is really all about. I have owned horses for about 30 years, but from about 1968 untill 1984 I did not have enough resources to get to a qualified trainer. I owned a very sensitive mare that I always thought was just 'crazy', because I would go to  performance shows and she would tear around the ring as fast as she could go. I never did well and was very frustrated because of that.  In the early '80's I decided that I wanted to learn how to train horses proffessionally.  Back then there weren't a lot of trainers to go to, and I had no idea of how to tell who was qualified and who wasn't. By pure luck I answered an ad from LOS ALAMOS DRESSAGE CENTER  which was run by Major Hector Carmona and his wife Gail. I spent 9 months as a working student, which even now I frequently regard as some of the happiest time of my life. For the first few weeks I had a lot to learn and some times thoguht I would never get it. Coming from a one horse owner to a proffessional barn meant I had to be taught things I had taken for granted. Finally I began to 'get it' and started to relax which meant I also started to ride better. After my 9 months was up, part of me really wanted to stay, but I also felt any success I had was not because of me, we had lessons 5 days a week, of course I could ride well. But I began to wonder what I could do oon my own. So I left and after a while I realized that I had only gotten half of the 'puzzle' on how to ride. I know needed to learn how to 'put it together'. I wanted to go back to Los Alamos but Major had since died, I was heart broken, I hadn't learned everything I could from him yet! So I decided to stay close to home and found a trainer near me, only about 45 miled away, this time I could take my horses!! I had taken a few lessons from Joanna Fowler and knew her to be very correct with a heavy emphasis on the basics. I went up to Redmond and stayed with her for 9 months. Once again I had a lot to learn. somewhere along the way I had picked up a severe 'twist' in my body which kept us at just a walk-trot for what seemed like several months.  I used my arab gelding, Zakri as a lesson horse, however, after about 3-4 months he did not look like an arab any more. When he developed all the dressage muscles he looked to me more like a trakehner. I also had a thoroughbred gelding that I had brought with me, his name was Tar Baby, I rode him only after all my other work was done. After my 9 months with Joanna was up I came back home and began working on my own. Zakri had to be put down due to an enterolith so I just had Tar Baby.  So I began working with him. Now I was really starting to see what she had been talking about. Without any outside help we worked on all the 2nd level work plus  half-passes (which he loves, I have to do them last because once he start to half-pass he thinks that is all he needs to do for the rest of the day) He is such a blast to ride and while I am on him I am thinking thank you, thank you, thank you, to both Major and Gail and to Joanna. My goal for 2010 is to be finally able to show him at 2nd and maybe 3rd level and aim to qualify for the reegional and then national champioships. I am not sure how long I can train him by myself but my goal is when I have taken him as far as a I can on my own to go back to Joanna for help. It is very important to me that as much as possible his performance is because he and I have learned together. Once I am out of my depth I will reach out for instruction. Once Joanna said she could no longer help me I wanted to go to Dietrich Von Hopfgarten but he passed away a years or so ago so now I am not sure where we will go