What The Students Say - www.horsecoursesonline.com

          I appreciate how very helpful you always are and how quickly you respond when I have a question about the program. It is evident that you care about the students and our best interest. Thank you for taking the necessary time to make this program a success. I am benefiting from it greatly and I know other students are too. Melinda De Wind

          Adriana Atkinson, Breyer State University student, gives this advice:
          It is really hard to tell you which class to take first- I have loved them all, and learned so very much, despite having a degree in veterinary medicine and a MS in Reproduction- the classes are amazing, deep, and up-to date, so here are some comments about some of the ones I completed, they might let you know what they have from the student's point of view- you can look at what environment you are in, what you can start using right away, etc.

         Bits, Saddle Fitting and Hoof Balance - not boring AT ALL- you have many assignments where you have to get to your horse and really try the things, analyze them, and work on them- for example, the hooves class- take pictures of your horse, measure their balance, compare them to the rest of the body, decide what the hoof would need to get done/ corrected for your horse to be in balance, etc- same with the bits and the saddles- and you actually have to go out there and talk to people- you learn to look at things from a different perspective, and realize how, even people who have been around horses for a long time, leave those things for others and don't know how it is affecting the health and performance of their horses- they wonder why their horse is "off" and are not looking at those things

         Nutrition for Maximum Performance - excellent- so detailed, yet easy to follow- learn how to analyze the feed you are giving, balance it correctly, and, many times, realize you are using things you didn't even need! You also learn the WHY of each nutrient and how it affects the horse, how their body utilizes it, and what to do in special circumstances- you learn what to use and how to use it correctly

         Behavior Modification Techniques: awesome- so many insights of why horses do what they do- a wonderful point of view that teaches why a horse acts in a certain way, and how what we do makes them respond in a specific manner- how to learn to behave according to what they would see in their herd, and get their respect because they understand what we want from them, and what will and will not be accepted from them

          Training Performance Horses- I am still working on this, and it takes months- I have never trained a horse from the beginning before, and I am working with one who never even had a halter on- what awesome points and tips to make training not only "easy" but enjoyable, instead of something to be afraid of- and I mean easy in the way that MANY times you go "ooohhh, so THAT is what I needed to do, I CAN do that!"- takes patience and perseverance, but it is amazing

          Coat Color Genetics- yes, LOTS of genetics- it is something I enjoy a lot personally and they start the course with the basics and the "simple" stuff, and work up from there- before you know it, you are working on all these genetic charts and working numbers and figuring out the genetic "mixes" and you are able to do it- loved that class!

          Legal Aspects: I am one of those who has always thought "thank God I have never needed a lawyer", and I do translations and have had to translate many legal documents- I was dreading the legal "lingo" and thinking it might be a class that will get me all upside down, and it was NOT- not only the teacher doesn't use any of the "aforementioned" and "whereas" etc language, it makes you think of many things that as riders. boarders, horse owners we should be thinking of and don't- many practical business points very needed in all aspects of working with horses, and very important for running a business

           The Business of Making Money with Horses- another awesome class that made me realize that there are so many things about the horse world I still did not know- and is not only about explaining how to make money, it goes through so many different aspects of things you will have to manage in each one, you can really tell if you would enjoy running a business in the specific area- even my husband, who is intimidated by horses- got excited about some of the things I was telling him I leaned, and wondered if we should try some of that as a "side business" when I am done!

          Equine Reproduction: even with my MS in reproduction, I learned some things very specific to horses- and is not just the medical part, is the management part that many times we are faced with a business- if you board, and one of the mares becomes pregnant, you are taking care of her, you will have to know what that mare needs month by month- what if they have some problems, or if someone asks you a "basic" question like what do you know of why a mare won't get pregnant- you will have that knowledge at the tip of your fingers- very good class, very detailed, and very well explained

          Conformation and Selection for Performance - what a great class! I have never looked at a horse that way before- and I will never look at them again the way I used to- and one of the most important things I leaned from this class is- WE are the cause for horses to not excel in the discipline they are working on- because we did not take the time and look IN DETAIL if the horse is built for that discipline or not...they might do ok, but if they are not built for it, they will never thrive- not only that, they will eventually have problems because of their body being pushed to do something it cannot support- one of the most important lessons from this: when you have a horse, you have what you have- they don't have "errors" or "defects"- they are just built the way they are, and they might just not be built for what you want them to work.
This class is also helping me a lot with the Equine Massage class- I think one and the other are closely related


        David Hooper, Breyer State Univeristy graduate and certified Professional Horse Trainer:
        "I want to thank all of you for such a rewarding experience while I was studying for my Bachelor's Degree in Equine Studies. The two years I spent in your program proved to be an inspiration to me and a turning point in my pursuit of a career with horses."
        "The information, insights and training techniques I learned have proven to be invaluable as I work towards the starting of my new business. This is due largely to the dedicated, professional staff who are always there to provide feedback and support."
        "I would never have been able to go from a career in hotel management to one with horses wihout all your help."
        "I am honored to be a graduate of Breyer State University with my Bachelor's Degree in Equine Studies."

       Melinda De Wind, after she completed the Equine Reproduction course taught by Dr. Jack Sales, said...... "I am enjoying the program very much and have learned a great deal. I am very appreciative to you for making it possible to attain a B.S. degree in Equine Studies. Thank you!"

        Dale Heath, Conformation and Selection for Performance student says.....
"Great feedback, by the way. I am indeed learning a lot. I've been around horses a long time but I never really knew what the heck I was looking at or understanding how these fine creatures operate. This one -on- one feedback is excellent."

        Alecia Taylor, Nutrition For Maximum Performance student says.....
"Thanks for these lessons, I'm learning a lot. I've switched feeding for both horses, and they are really shiny and healthy looking. They looked fine before, but now we are getting comments on how much healthier they look. Coats are great, eyes shining, etc. My 16 year old Quarter mare is bouncing around like she is 4. Thanks to your course!"

         Susanna Marx, a student in Germany says: "I'm impressed with Tammy Fifer's online course: Dressage - Foundation for All Riding Disciplines and her ability to communicate through the internet. She is motivating me and I am learning how to overcome some problems with training horses. Her way of talking to me is what I enjoy most! She is 100% teacher!"

           L. Milward, a student in the United Kingdom, says this about the course "Nutrition for Maximum Performance"
           "Thank you so much for such an enjoyable and enlightening course, I really have such a greater understanding about the importance of selecting the optimum forage and feed for horses. Thank you for being so helpful, and enabling the information to be so readily available for us to learn."

           Julian Fernandez, from Tlalnepantla, Mexico says --
            ".....after finishing the conformation course, I don't look at a horse the way I did before....I see so much more..."

            "I really loved the online availability of the material and the self-paced system" says Susan Dahl of Burgessville, Ontario, Canada.
           "The course is very thorough, with well-written instructions and plenty of photos. In my opinion, the course is excellent for adult learning because it has theory, then a practice session, followed by both a true-false and a narrative quiz," says Dahl. "The course met all my expectations," she said. "I wanted to learn to train performance horses, and I sure did."


           Leslie Bennett, taking the Success Is Easy course How To Feed for Maximum Performance, says: "I am loving this online course. I'm so impressed with the courses, that in this month's newsletter (Leslie is referring to the Gilbert Horse Owners Association newsletter) I have a write up about the program."

            "As I look back over this course (Training Performance Horses), I have to smile and feel pretty good about where my filly is today," says Jeannie Choate of Menard, Texas.
            "It has been thought provoking and a challenge to really plan my riding sessions to really get something accomplished and have fun too."
           "Thanks for the opportunity to be guided through step-by-step. My filly meets me at the gate every morning, eager for her lessons, and we have a good partnership going."

         Carole W. "Thank you for making such a wonderful program available online. I have been telling all my friends about it."
         "It has been a challenge and a revelation. The challenge is having to read, analyze and justify. The questions made me think, observe and reflect."

         Tricia Jennings says this about the Behavior Modification course taught by Dr. Jim and Lynda McCall, "I am finding this course extremely helpful. I didn't expect to get as much
interaction with instructors. This last lesson was extremely interesting because I am going through the process of desensitizing a horse that I bought that had been taught by flooding.

           "It's a life saver!", says Carolee DeWitt of Holbrook, Arizona in describing the online course she just started.
            DeWitt is like most horses owners. She is pressed for time.
            "The minute I read the course description, I knew I wanted to register", DeWitt said. "I had read Don Blazer's books about training and was excited that I could learn his techniques just by using my computer."