About Me

My Dad grew up on a cattle ranch in Colorado. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t want to live on a ranch of my own. I’ve been riding for over 40 years, training horses for 35 years, and teaching young riders for over 30 years.

As an adult, I had to overcome health issues, weight gain, and debilitating fear to stay in the saddle. Along the way, I discovered a love for the geeky side of horses (saddle fit, biomechanics, etc.) and a passion for helping other adults fulfill their horse dreams.

I became passionate about first aid the first time I had a life-threatening emergency with one of my horses and the vet was an hour and a half away. I learned–and continue to learn–how to avoid emergencies through better care, how to assist my vet with better information, and how to help my horse until the vet arrives. I love sharing that information with other riders.

I became passionate about saddle fitting when I spent several thousand dollars trying to train saddle fit issues and then several more trying to find the right saddles. When finding the right saddle eliminated my life-long knee pain, I became committed to helping riders understand how their saddles affect not only their horses but their riding as well.

Growing up, my trainers emphasized how a correct form allowed me to assist my horse in doing his job correctly. As an instructor, I became frustrated by trainers who argued that equitation was just about “looking pretty.” I love demonstrating to fellow riders how our form keeps us stable and safe in the saddle and how our position affects our horses’ movements.

If you’d like more information, contact me at tanya@bentpinesfarm.com.