Testimonials from our internship program

My name is Annika Boenig; I am German and I study "Equine, Leisure and Sports" at Van Hall Larensein in Wageningen, the Netherlands. To conclude my first year of college, I went to WildeWood Farm for an internship. I sent 10 weeks (18th August - 28th October 2007) on the farm.

By looking up the address of Hannah Campbell on Monty Roberts' website (www.montyroberts.com), I got in touch with WildeWood Farm. Hannah had been very good at staying in contact and quickly responding to emails. That I applied from overseas was not an issue at all!

Because I arrived on a weekend, I had enough time to adjust to my new surroundings: unpacking (I lived in the bunk house with Hannah's sister Lisa), feeding schedule and getting answers to all the questions I still had and meeting Hannah and Bobby.

I booked a direct flight (www.opodo.de) from Frankfurt Airport, GER, to Atlanta Hartsfield Airport, USA. This excluded stress with changing airplanes and lowered the chance of losing luggage which - even though - happened to me. Because I stayed for less than 3 months, I came in on a tourist VISA (this meant that I did not have to apply and wait for a work VISA of the embassy).

I learned about details of training horses through Michael Brooks and Hannah Campbell. Watching/participating in the riding lessons helped to find out about different techniques. This mostly depends on how the horses are kept and what the goal of the riding lesson is. Training and retraining horses demonstrated how well trainers can work together. Best methods can only be found when discussed and they are usually a combination of various ideas. Be open-minded when working at this horse farm!

For a college report which I had to work on throughout my internship, I was well equipped with information. Thank you for all the details that you were willing to share!

Hannah gave me lots of responsibility and trust: I was responsible for feeding; filling water troths in the 8 pastures and training a new horse named Fancy ("Strike my Fancy"). This made me feel necessary and part of the team. I did not mind to do extra work which Hannah assigned from time to time, such as cutting hay strings or bringing square hay bales to a pasture. Motivation derived from hearing that my assistance for horse training and horse care was helpful and needed. It is useful to be able to drive Four-Wheeler and have a driver's license!

I easily got along well with Michael, Hannah and Bobby, and Lisa. Boarding for free and on the property was a nice feature of my stay. Thank you!! I enjoyed my internship at WildeWood Farm very much!

"I've loved horses since I was a little girl. Horses are the most beautiful and mysterious animals on earth. In May 2007, I went off to the States, learning more about horse training and the Monty Roberts' philosophy.

I had lot of fun and the training was very interesting. Most of my questions I got answered. Hannah and Michael: Every day when I was riding different horses and watching you guys I learned more. Michael is a man who really understands to talk to horses. (especially baby horsesJ). I learned a lot from him too.

The first join up with my own horse in Austria wasn´t so bad. I was afraid to do anything wrong but Hannah was a good teacher. -The BEST-

Now I´m back in Vienna and I really miss to get up in the morning and feed the horses (my children). All the farm work was a great experience. It shows me, how a farm works. It was also very interested to watch the farrier, horse dentist or chiropractor. Every day was different. I loved it!!

If you think about doing the internship program at WildeWood I´m open for any questions. Mail: jenny_span@gmx.at Believe me when I´m say that this program was the best ever happen to me. …so try it!

Jennifer from Vienna/Austria

"When I decided to study equine management at University Larenstein in Deventer, Holland, I already knew this really was the right study for me. Equine Management is a study where you learn about breeding, management, organizing events, nutrition, exercise and training, science and several other topics.

Since I was a six year old kid I just loved horses. Since my first lesson at the age of six, I started riding frequently and learned a lot. I took care of a lot of horses from different owners, therefore getting a lot of experience. Training was always one of my favorite things to do, especially training young, so-called ‘green’ horses.

After a couple of years training I read the book ‘The man who listens to horses’ from Monty Roberts. After reading the book I was surprised and feeling really happy, cause I found a way of training that was right for me. During my second year equine management I had to choose an internship in a foreign country, and the choice was made very fast. I REALLY had to go to a Monty Roberts Certified Instructor, so I could practice his method and learn more about training. I sent an e-mail to some instructors and immediately got a reaction from Hannah. I don’t think my parents have ever heard me screaming so loud…

The 27^th of June 2005: there I went, off to The States, on my own, being very nervous and excited at the same time. When I met Bobby and Hannah, I was already more relaxed, because I knew they were good people and I had made the right choice. The next day I immediately started helping with a summer camp, which was a lot of fun. It is so great seeing those small kids riding the coolest horses and having a lot of fun. After the first week of camp, we started training a couple of young, three year olds from Hannah. Right away Hannah let me do a lot of things on my own, which was fantastic! Hannah is a great teacher, very patient and willing. Together with Hannah I trained several horses and rode a lot! I learned so much from Hannah and I had one of the best summers of my life, doing what I really love: training. Sometimes I had some problems, missing my family and friends, but Hannah, Bobby and Lisa made me feel at home, which was really wonderful.

During my internship of nine weeks I practiced the Join-Up a couple of times, did a lot of training, starting young horses under saddle, I even showed three horses at two A-shows! I luckily came home with a lot of ribbons, the horses did really well. I can say I did a lot and I learned a lot! I had a lot of fun and a great place to stay, together with Lisa and three other interns. My internship therefore was a great success and I can definitely recommend the WildeWood Farm as a great place.

If you are thinking about doing the internship program at the WildeWood Farm and you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

"I came to WildeWood Farm as a new horse owner with a heart full of dreams of starting a small horse farm and with a very weak background in horsemanship. My first horse had become pushy, disrespectful and started rearing. After pain was ruled out as a probable cause I decided to fix Me. With two full weeks of vacation time available from my 9 to 5 desk job I contacted Hannah. I was on my way to one very intense working vacation internship. It has been one of the most rewarding two weeks I’ve ever spent anywhere. I learned so much more than I could have ever imagined possible in that short span of time.

Hannah is always spilling out tid-bits of horse knowledge with the most amazing analogies. In stressing safety, Hannah explains why or how ones actions or movements can create or prevent a dangerous situation. I learned many safe tips to use riding and in the handling of horses as well as expert advice on nutrition, breeding, foaling, raising yearlings, first time hoof trim and starting 3 year olds. There were also hands-on lessons of problem solving in dealing with remedial horses such as my horse with rearing issues.

For a grand finale, I was able to participate in a four day Monty Roberts Join-Up / Follow-Up Clinic. What an incredible experience the moment of Join-Up is. Monty Roberts often quotes “There is no such thing as teaching only learning” if this is true Hannah Campbell is the best learning aid around. Hannah is extremely attuned to what horses say and to the messages we give horses with our human body language. If you truly desire to learn about horses, walk beside Hannah, she is a wealth of information.

Hannah has given me the confidence that my dreams are attainable and the knowledge to be a good owner to my horse.

Thank you Hannah for all that you give, and for making my stay as warm and welcome as home and a special thanks to Bobby for all the insights on the business end, the movies and laughs and to Lisa for sharing your home, your knowledge, your pets and your friendship.

"Unfortunately, I did not have that much time in Georgia, but I'm really glad I got to spend at least ten days at Wilde Wood Farm. I had already heard many good things about life at Wilde Wood from my Swedish friends Helene and Karin, who had already spent one month with Hannah, Bobby and Lisa when I arrived. Still I was surprised by how much I got to learn during my short stay. There were always new things to learn at Wilde Wood Farm, cause everyday was different since every horse was treated as a different individual.

I have been riding since I was five years old and have come across many different methods and ideas about how to handle horses. Many times though, I have had the feeling that the methods themselves have been more important than the way the horses respond to them. In Sweden, tradition seems very important when it comes to handling horses. The methods that are tough still have a touch of military discipline to them. You are supposed to learn the right way to do things and then stick to that no matter what.

Alternative ways to this single option are never discussed. This traditional way of handling horses are said to be the right way because it is the safe way. Though I have too many times seen the traditional single-mindedness putting a threat to both horses and riders security. These are some of the reasons for why I have looked around for other ways of being with horses. When I five years ago read Dancing With Horses by Klaus Ferdinand Hempfling, I finally found it proven that there really are ways to actually communicate with the horse, instead of just learning the horse "the way we do it". Hempflings ideas are, from what I have understood so far, very similar to Monty Roberts, though Monty might have given it a more structural form, more easy to pass on and learn. It's all about body language and about responding to the way the horse acts, instead of missing out on opportunities to understand each other, which so easily happens when you are only reading the traditional books and are not reading the horse in front of you.

That is what Hannah was so great about, to read the horses. It was beautiful to watch her with a "problem" horse! Because the horses we were working with were so different, with their own different problems to handle and understand the world, the people and everything around them, Hannah adjusted the exercises and the pace to suit every individual. And this is why it is hard to tell what it actually was that I learnt from Hannah. I guess it's the whole approach to it. And to use your creativity instead of some kind of military authority. And all the small tricks she used to handle new situations, or to confront the classical tricks used by the horses themselves (such as bucking, rearing, and backing away in a loading situation). I was amazed by how well the horses responded to the structured way of working with pressure and release, (using our brains - that we have got, instead of using our strength - that we haven't got). To see Hannah handling a big thoroughbred who had earlier spent hours of not getting loaded, to see that horse trustfully trotting into the trailer right behind her was brilliant! (After all those unsuccessful and not very animal friendly techniques I've seen used by people trying to load ponies and horses at competitions etc over the years, it's still hard for me to understand that communication can be so easy.)

Many small lessons, an introduction to a whole new method to get inspired by and learn more about, and a hell lot of laughs and good memories were some of the things that I brought from WildeWood when flying on to Denver to continue my short one month travel the US."

It has been very interesting to see her work with all the untrained horses, getting them used to things like loading into a trailer by going backwards from it, being touched by a long fake arm when all they want to do is to kick and run to get out of there, getting used to wearing a cowboy hat (!) or taking a shower.

I have learned a lot, have had a lot of fun and I am sure that this experience will be a helpful tool when working horses in the future. To come here was very motivating and I will try to learn more about speaking “horse” from now on. And if I run into any problems with these animals, unable to solve them myself, I know who to contact! And if I am ever back in the area, I know where to go to feel like home! Thank you both!

Feel free to contact me via e-mail if you have any questions that you think I might be able to answer! Moving on to see some other aspects of the horses’ world in the USA,

This note is from Helene Ymsjo, from Sweden. She was our third intern here; Sept - Oct -2003.

It all started when I read the book "The Man Who Listens To Horses" by Monty Roberts. I got very interested in his methods but also very skeptical. I wanted to know more. He talked about Join-Up and Follow up, but what about the rest? Monty seemed to know a good way to tame and start a horse under saddle but then what? How does he solve other problems and how can I use his principles to educate the horse further? I decided to leave Sweden and go to the States to find out, and very fortunate Hannah welcomed me and my friend Karin (and later Ida) to come and work with her as interns at WildeWood Farm.

I have had about 15 years of horses experience, including starting horses under saddle, training young ones, doing a lot of shows in dressage and show jumping and training trotters, so now I wanted to see if there was alternative methods to all I had learned before. My goal was to see how Hannah handled all sorts of difficult horses using Monty Roberts methods, methods without violence. I wanted to learn little tricks that can be useful when handling horses and I wanted to know more about the horse language. I also wanted to practice Join-Up with lots of horses to see how they all differ and how to differ the training if needed. My aim was to one day myself be able to solve different problems with horses and also to teach others.

Me and my friend Karin got to stay in "Grannies house" with Hannah's sister Lisa. It was very nice to get our own house where we could cook our own meals and where we had a computer, video, and we could also borrow books from Hannah so that we had something to do in our spare time. Because we stayed so long, one and a half months, we got to join two 6 days Join-Up clinics and got the information we needed to be able to help Hannah working the horses. It was very useful and I learned a lot. Practicing Join-Up, halter-work, loading different horses and long lining was very educational and the best part was to see Hannah work with real problem horses that no one else wanted to train or didn't want to give a chance. It made me very happy to see that there is a way for all horses to be trained to what we want them for, without much work at all, just a lot of knowledge about how horses communicate and understand us. Hannah is very good at what she is doing and it is always a pleasure to see her work. Thank you so much, Hannah, I have learned a lot from you. And thanks Bobby for fixing the computer, heating and other stuff, and for all your bad jokes.

I got most of my questions answered, I learned what a Dually halter is and how to use it, I learned how to use pressure and release in different situations, I learned how to get a horse used to clippers and how to get a horse well behaved in general. I also learned that there is always a way to solve problems and apply Monty's principles on the further education of the horse, by using pressure and release, but as far as I know there is no book about it. I will try to get more education in Monty's methods in the future and if nobody else writes a book about further education of the horse, I might do sometime in the future..

If you think about doing the internship program at WildeWood farm and have any questions about it, you are welcome to write me an e-mail, heleneymsjo@hotmail.com Helene Ymsjo, Sweden

If the work feels hard, go dig a ditch or two, and the work will feel a lot easier.."

This note is from our first intern here at the farm. Lindsey stayed for the month of July, 2003. We loved having you!

"When you leave home for a while, one of the things you want in your destination is the feeling of home. You know the warmth and welcome and all of those special things that make home. Coming to WildeWood Farm has included all of those, even the feeling of family. The lingering scent of horses always made me smile and each day was filled with so much joy and learning that I could not wait until the next. Working with many different kinds of horses truly opened my eyes to their different kinds of personalities, each special in his/her own way. I have been more than impressed with the knowledge and skill that I have gained here and feel much more prepared for my continuing journey in the horse world. Hannah, as my mentor, you have helped me so much and have given me the confidence to being this business, and the skill to be successful in it! In my eyes, you are one of the best! Bobby, you have helped make my stay here so enjoyable with all the laughs and encouragement. All my love," Lindsey Carney.

Lindsey offered that if anyone had any questions, to please email her at lindsaberry31@aol.com