Horse Related Questions

The best clinics to bring a problem horse are the Colt Starting Clinics and the Versatile Horsemanship Level 1.  If you have a problem such as trailer loading that prohibits you from getting to our clinics, please call our National Coordinator to discuss our sending a trainer to you or to discuss options over the phone.  Our National Coordinator, Riva England, can be reached at 877-484-9718.

Aaron was very active in 4-H as a student and he values youth riding and mentoring programs.  He extends a warm welcome to any youth group member and they are encouraged to attend any Aaron England clinic as an auditor for free.  Youth group members who ride in a clinic and will be given a 15% discount.

We also offer the following discount:  if you are riding in a clinic and you bring other paying riders to the same clinic, we will give you a 10% discount for every rider you bring.

Clinic Questions
 

Aaron uses a series of levels in his horsemanship training.  Who do these clinics help?  Anyone who wants to improve his relationship with his horse. Horses are prey animals and as such they respond to humans as predators.  Horsemanship clinics break thru that paradigm and teach the owner how to work with the horse as a partner.  These clinics have helped every type and level of rider and every breed of horse.  Most participants decide that they will not train their horses any other way after learning Versatile Horsemanship since they love the results they obtain with their horses.

Versatile Horsemanship Level 1 starts working on the ground with the horse in a rope halter and lead rope.  Participants use their own horses and begin with the horse in a rope halter and 12-foot lead line.  The training progresses from intensive groundwork games to saddle work games that include rein positions, transitions and how to earn your horse's respect from the saddle.  A 'learning stick' is also introduced at this time.  The learning stick acts like an extension of the owner's arm, allowing the owner to have a larger realm of control over the horse.  The end result is that the horse thoroughly understands what his owner asks him to do, and the horse willingly performs.

What equipment to bring:  a 12-foot lead line, rope halter and your saddle.

Versatile Horsemanship Level 2 focuses on learning more advanced games and lead changes.  Riders work on the horse's impulsion, getting their go to equal their whoa.  Participants start the clinic with their horses on a 22-foot lead line.  A longer lead line gives the horse more freedom and that freedom brings out any disrespect the horse might still have for the owner.  At this level, owners learn to work in unison with their horses at liberty, meaning the horse has nothing making it stay by its owner's side other than trust and respect.

What equipment to bring:  a 12-foot lead line, a 22-foot lead line, a rope halter, a learning stick, your saddle and bridle.

Versatile Horsemanship Level 3 is where most clients tell Aaron all the preparatory work in the first two levels pays off.  Games are played off lead and owners ride their horses with little more than a Horseman's String.  When they do work on-line, it is with a 45-foot line.  The end result is a well-minded, unafraid horse who looks to his owner for direction.  This level is all about refinement and adding a higher level of communication between horse and rider.  Riders learn to do the minimum so their horses do the maximum.  The owner is happier with his horse and the true partnership between horse and rider is practically unbreakable.

This special clinic uses Versatile Horsemanship training to introduce any horse over the age of 2 to cow working.  Riders first use Versatile Horsemanship methods to ensure they are their horse's respected leader, and then move quickly into learning how to move a cow while maintaining control of their horse.  Riders work individually and in teams to move cattle through obstacle courses, teaching both the rider and horse how to read a cow.

Most trainers have clients sit outside the arena and watch the trainer start young horses or restart problem horses.  That's not how Aaron England teaches Colt Starting Clinics.  He brings owners and their horses into the arena and teaches them how to correctly, gently start their own horses.  As Aaron says, horse owners only have one chance to make a good first impression on their horses.  How you start your horse will have an impact on that horse for its entire life.

Aaron and Riva England are available for scheduled private lessons for any horse and rider team.  Riva has competed in English events such as Hunter/Jumper and Dressage.  Aaron competes at the national level in Cutting events, so they understand how to help riders of all backgrounds improve their horsemanship.  Week long one-one training sessions are also available.  Private classes start at $85 an hour.

Aaron England specializes in starting colts, problem horses, competition horses in most disciplines, and trail riding and family horses.  Aaron puts 10 hours on a horse over 2-3 weeks.  He meets with each client to determine what goals you have for your horse while it is in training.  Aaron contacts clients after the first 10 hours are completed and give the owner a report that determines whether or not more training is needed.

Questions about the International Learning Center

The ILC is approximately 10 minutes from the town of Goldthwaite, so it is often hard for participants to run into town for food during a clinic.  Please bring all the water and sports drinks that you might need over the course of a clinic.  You might also consider bringing snack food, breakfast and lunch.  We often take orders and have Subway sandwiches brought in (this expense is not included in the cost of the clinic).

There is a nice all-you-can-eat buffet style restaurant in Goldthwaite that most clinic participants meet at for dinner.  There is a Dairy Queen and a couple of Mexican food restaurants.  There is a larger variety of dining choices in Brownwood, about a 30-minute drive from the ILC.

We recommend you bring a coffee pot for you hotel room if you need your morning cup of java.  Mills County is a dry county so you will need to BYOB if you want to have a drink while in the county.

To check the weather conditions prior to a clinic you are attending, please visit www.weatherunderground.com.  The weather in Goldthwaite is typical Central Texas weather:  if you don't like it, wait 5 minutes and it will change!   The summers are milder than they are in Austin as the area is a bit higher and drier.  The winters are also colder and it can get very windy there.  We mean VERY windy.  And we mean much colder.  Luckily it is cooler than the Austin area in the summers and much drier.

About Aaron England

Aaron England has had a lifelong passion to learn what makes a horse tick.  From a young boy competing in 4-H to a young man earning a rodeo scholarship from Cochise College in Arizona where he earned an Associate's of Science Degree in Equine Science and Management, Aaron continued to search for better understanding of the horses' mind. 

Aaron's quest for more knowledge led him into many areas of horse-related activities.  He was president of several horse clubs and was a junior rodeo all around champion in his youth.  He supported his horse activities and furthered his education by working for horseman Bud Eipper on the C-E Cutting Horse Ranch and Bud continues to serve as a mentor and support Aaron to this day.  After college, Aaron gained further experience as the assistant farm manager and stallion handler at Dan Dar Farm, a race horse training and breeding facility in Washington state.

Returning to Arizona, Aaron and his father began a boarding, training and breeding program on their ranch near Tombstone.  Standing a well-bred cutting horse stallion, Docs True Grit owned by Bud Eipper, Aaron continued to learn and attended many programs in Equine Science from the University of Arizona, In 1996, he attended a Pat Parelli "Natural Horsemanship" demonstration and there saw the level of communication, trust and understanding with horses that he had been looking for.  Putting all else aside, Aaron began his four-year journey in developing his skills in Pat's program.  Working with countless horses and under Pat's tutoring, Aaron achieved his goals in Natural Horsemanship and became a Three Star Instructor, Certified Colt Starter and Difficult Horse Training Certifications.

With the Natural Horsemanship certifications completed, Aaron choose to branch off and became independent.  As a result he is in the process of developing a new program "England's Versatile Horsemanship" which will focus on helping students achieve an accelerated rate of learning finesse with their horses.  Aaron is exclusive in his training philosophies in that he is using "Natural" training techniques to develop horses for competition at the highest levels of competition.

To continue the development of his new program, and to further his quest for additional knowledge in horsemanship,  Aaron moved to Kerrville, Texas to the Leon Harrel Training Stables two and a half years ago.  As one of the world's leading cutting horse trainers, Leon allowed Aaron to build a solid foundation for a training program that offers both horses and riders a level of trust, communication and ability to compete at any level.   Simultaneously, Leon has been able to learn about the "Natural" techniques that Aaron uses, and has applied that philosophy to some of his young colts and difficult horses.

To list just a few of Aaron's Awards and Accomplishments: