Kim Burlew - Apprenticeship Program participant - Spring 2011

As a participant of apprenticeship class numero uno, I have to tell you it was one of the best experiences of my life!  I enrolled in the apprenticeship for a number of reasons.  First & foremost was to gain more knowledge that would help me overcome some fears. 
 
Somewhere along the line, I developed a fear of losing control while riding.  But, my love for horses is too strong to just give it up.  As most people, I have had my share of accidents while riding.  While they were nothing too severe, I was still shaken by my past.  I tried just going out & riding with friends on their horses, but that actually didn't help me at all.  All the horses that I rode were not very responsive to cues.  I remember riding on horse for about 4 hours on a trail ride.  The next day, my arms & legs were so sore from kicking to make the horse go and trying to turn the horse where I wanted it to go!  I had scrapes from being taken through bushes because the horse wanted to go his way, not the way I chose.  And if I wanted to stop or slow down, forget it!  So again, no control.  Many times I would come home from these trail rides with more fears than when I left!  I wanted to train my 3 yr old horse to respond to light cues, so that I had the control to make me feel more comfortable.  Marc keeps telling me that I am going to make my horse so "push button" that I am going to be the only one able to ride her, but that's what I want!!!!   
 
During the apprenticeship, Marc pushed me to make me do things that I was unsure of.  But he never pushed me farther than he thought my horse or I could handle.  The apprenticeship has done nothing but improve my riding abilities and elevate my confidence.  I did things and went places with my horse that I never would have thought I could have done before.

The apprenticeship was not just a walk in the park.  There were a lot of late nights, a lot of frustration, and a lot of hard work.  BUT you get out of something what you put into it.  All those late & frustrating nights, they certainly have paid off!  I have a 3 yr old horse that is so much better than most any horse that I have ridden.  And from here, well things are only going to get better.  The sky is the limit! And the best part, not only do I have an absolutely wonderful horse who is very responsive to my cues, but I can honestly say that I trained her!  The amount of pride that I have in being able to make that statement is worth it's weight in gold to me.  No one can ever take from me the knowledge I gained from completing this apprenticeship course.    

If you have a horse you want to start, but need some help, or if you have issues with yourself and your abilities for some reason, I highly recommend the apprenticeship program at Dixon Stables, for without it I can honestly say that I would not have the wonderful horse or the confidence in myself, that I do now.  For me, it was life changing.  It has elevated my riding abilities and confidence more than you could ever imagine!  I would never have addressed my fears (and even conquered some) like I have.  For that, I say thank you to Marc.  He has given me something that I will cherish forever.  Not only a ton of knowledge, but the experience of a lifetime!

Ali Travis  – Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England -  Montana, June 2010       

   My holiday to Montana and the Lonesome Spur Ranch was one of those of childhood dreams and that would make any little girls’ face light up. The two weeks which I spent at Lonesome Spur were the most amazing of my life to date. For so many reasons. Little did I know that when I managed to incorporate the week with Marc Dixon whilst on holiday at the ranch, that I would evolve as a person.
Having always been interested and had a love for horses from a young age, I’ve always been fascinated by the phenomena that is ‘horse whispering’. The idea of being able to communicate with them on that level intrigued me.
           I went out to Montana knowing very little. Not having had a horse of my own (although my mother and close family have and I have grown up around horses) I didn’t actually know what Marc could offer me. More than anything it was my intrigue and fascination to see him at work in the round pen and try and glean more of an understanding for the relationship between us and the animals that led me to attend his clinics for the week he was at Lonesome. I also hope that one day what I learnt, may assist me with my own horse…
           But I was also forgetting the personal issues which I had when I embarked on the clinic. I had been thrown off my uncle’s horse 9 years previously and although not seriously injured, this had dented my confidence massively not only in riding, but in a lot of things I do in life. I used to be such a spunky thing, willing to do anything and risk anything. But I’d lost my love for riding and the confidence I once had in myself and my own abilities. I had a fear for being out in the open on horse back in case they bolted and such.
          When Marc began the clinic he asked everyone who attended what they wanted and possibly expected from it. The majority, if not all of the others were issues in relation to their horses and how they could deal with certain issues that they had back home in England. I felt a little silly when I didn’t have anything specific to a horse related problem, but that mine was more about me. But Marc relaxed me and I told him about my fears and so on. Even writing this testimonial now is making me a bit emotional. I can’t tell you the journey that I underwent during that week with Marc and his family. It means so much to me.
From watching Marc in the round pen, to assisting with catching the horses and the trails we went on. But I have to say that my two most memorable events from that week were the ride out we did with Barry and the river crossing. Marc you know what I am saying as does Skyler!
I have never felt so alive, so confident in myself and my horse that day. It felt amazing!! Something I had lost, came back to me that day and I have never looked back. With Marc being out on the trail with me I could ask him questions as we rode and he offered his advice and direction.
But just in case we weren’t convinced that had done the trick, Marc used his judgement towards the end of the week to put me on another horse who I had seen acting a little broncy only  a day or so earlier. I think he did question himself on the drive over to Randal’s as to whether he’d done the right thing. No one had ever seen me so quiet! But he did absolutely the RIGHT thing! It showed me that I had the ability I needed to ride that day and I can’t tell you how much more amazing I felt. More so, it was the fact that Marc believed in me, that made me believe in myself. I will always thank you for that Marc (now I am crying!).
I only wish that you had seen me on Rope (Lonnie’s roping horse) on my last day, because we worked so well together with those steers. I was beaming from ear to ear.
Thank you so much once again for an amazing journey.
 
Regards,
Miss Ali

Alyson King, West Sussex, United Kingdom,Lonesome Spur Ranch, September 2010

When I decided to attend Marc’s clinic I figured that being a novice around young horses I would just take a back seat and listen and learn.  What I hadn’t taken into account was Marc’s total enthusiasm and passion for what he does, and his desire to pass on as much knowledge as he can.  We had a fairly wide range of experience in our group and very differing objectives.  With us all participating in the same activities, which varied from working with young horses in the round pen to driving cattle down a steep mountain, Marc was able to work with us guiding us through our own particular challenges with his vast experience.  I had no idea that I had it in me to take on some of those challenges, and I can’t believe how far my confidence increased in a week.  I found it so rewarding to be able to get some results so quickly, just by better understanding what my actions were communicating to my horse.   We all had such a lot of fun along the way.  My favourite moment was when Nicki, with Marc’s guidance, finally got Sugar to walk across the tarpaulin and got quite emotional  - we had all had our own “tarpaulin” moments during the week and knew just how good it felt.  The clinic was a great experience and lots of fun, with someone who had a big enough personality to carry us all through.  

 
Dave Bromm Purchased a Mule from us on 04/2010
Hi Marc and Elizabeth Dixon,
I told you I would let you know how things are going with Bridger. Well we are doing great, he was a little hard to catch the first week or so, but once he got to know me, he meets me at the gate when I go to the pasture. We went on a 3 hr trail ride with a bunch of local horse people and they all made comments about him, he was the only mule. When it came to walking down the trail, he can walk all them into the dust including walking horses. Oh yea, I almost forgot, he is the smoothest and most comfortable animal I have ever ridden. His manners around me and other horses are fantastic, he won’t even eat his feed if I am currying him, never tries to bit or kick at other horses, and I bought a mini as a pasture pet for him and the mini seems to be the boss. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know how happy I am with him and he will probably be around for a long time.
Thanks again,
Dave

Chuck Baker 09/2009
“I had a great experience meeting and working with Marc.  He took  my horse Comet,  a 5 yr. old that had minimal ground work, and in a few days had him walking, trotting and cantering.  This was quite a feat as Comet thought he could buck anyone off that mounted him but soon came to realize that he met his match when Marc started working with him.  Marc welcomed me to his barn anytime I wanted to visit without an appointment – that tells you a lot, as some trainers will only do that once you let them know when you are coming.  Marc’s natural horsemanship skills are as good as the professional trainers I have followed over the last 10 years.  His level of honesty is rare, one that makes him a true professional in the horse/human training business as he not only taught my horse how to be responsive, he also taught me how to be responsive to my horse’s needs.  It was a great experience watching Marc transform my horse from a “wild thing” to a great companion!  Thanks Marc!”

Kim Burlew 08/2009
I was introduced to Marc about a year ago. I had a friend who was looking for a trainer for her horse. She wanted someone who would train her Arabian. Many trainers turned her down due to the breed. Not Marc. He believes in putting the same foundation on any horse, regardless of breed.
I was invited to the first training session for this horse, and of course I went to watch. His training session was amazing! He spent as much time as needed to get the horse prepared for saddling, and for a rider. It was wonderful to watch this horse go from scared and confused, to standing still while in a scary situation. I went to watch every chance I could to see the progression of this horse. After a month with Marc, this horse was hitting the trails with his owner. My friend has absolutely no reservations at all about taking this horse wherever she wants to go.
I have since watched Marc start many horses and mules. I have been to every clinic he has had at Dixon Stables. I have never seen Marc do anything different with any of the horses that he starts. When he tells you that he uses the same process for starting every horse, you can believe it to be true. To watch him take a horse that has never been touched to riding him in about 1-1/2 hours is very inspiring!
Many trainers do not want the horse owners to come and watch their training sessions. Marc encourages the horse owners to attend. He stresses the fact of learning about pressure and release, which is the basis of his training. I strongly recommend to anyone who is even remotely interested in having their horse trained to go & visit Marc or attend one of his clinics. It’s very educational to say the least!
I am now in the process of starting my own horse…. (With Marc’s assistance of course!) It has been frustrating and fulfilling at the same time. Although I am not making the progress that Marc would, I know he is there for me if I have any questions, or if we get stuck on something. (If I only had the courage of his 8 year old son Jed, I would be much farther along!) He has been the guiding force I needed to take on this venture. With his assistance I know I will someday have this horse trained just the way she should be. It may take me a while, but I will get there!
 
Lisa Pagliocchini 07/2009
After I broke my back when my first horse spooked for the umpteenth time, I gave up the Riding Parelli Methods and started to look elsewhere to different riding and teaching methods. I dearly loved my first horse, Cinnamon, and wanted to expend all possible avenues before I considered giving up on this wonderful horse. Cinnamon came to us severely abused and extremely untrusting of people, but eventually he learned to love me and my family so affectionately on the ground. However, Parelli method was not working because it tried to keep everything quiet and not teach the horse and rider to plant the horse’s feet instead of bucking, rearing and/or running away at full speed with a beginner rider trying to stay on.
 I was then introduced to Marc Dixon by my good friend and farrier, Barry Faulk. Marc patiently listened to my issues with Cinnamon and evaluated my techniques in ground work with my horse. He didn’t make fun of my beginner riding abilities or my back brace which I have to ride in that looks funny and severely limits my movement.
Marc taught me easily how to better certain ground games, read my horses, and get better control of my horse. When we got to the riding portion, I put all my trust in Marc to lead me through some very scary and rough mental issues trusting my horse again since the accident. Marc did not lead me wrong and got me and my horse through several scary moments and taught me how to deal with a horse in that state.
Marc communicates and listens extremely well, and is very patient for the horse to eventually show its colors. Cinnamon did not show 100% of his colors for a long time until 1 day he went off the deep end. Marc was very honest and upfront in saying I could put $1000s of dollars into retraining Cinnamon for me (and he said that may not even work), I could keep Cinnamon (a young horse who loved people to ride him) as a pasture ornament, or I could give Cinnamon a chance to get a person who has expert ability who could roll with the extreme hind end movement that Cinnamon had. Marc’s honesty was just what I needed to get me through the hump of giving Cinnamon a life in which he could be ridden and have a job. I totally appreciated Marc’s honesty.
What else I liked about Marc is that he teaches not just you as a rider, but teaches you to teach your horse both on the ground and in the saddle to deal with everything that could possibly go wrong. His methods center around the premise that you can never train your horse to all the boogies of the world, but you CAN train you and your horse to DEAL with the boogies of the world. He uses not just one method, but he watches and is up-to-date on many great clinician’s methods and gives credit to those great ones. Marc reminds me of Ken McNabb because he is not arrogant, not full of himself (like some of those clinicians), and he does not talk down to you regardless of your level of training. I continue to take all my horses and mules to Marc to further my training and further my horses in all different western disciplines. I value his friendship and his family, Melinda and the kids. Thanks Marc for the honor of knowing you and pushing myself to new and attainable limits!
 

Tommy Pruett 06/2009
I really enjoyed meeting you and attending the clinic.  The information was very helpful and was presented with a practical approach that anybody that wanted to could use to their as well as their horse’s benefit.  I appreciate the fact that there was no “program” that you were selling.  I have told several folks that I have dumb horse’s.  That can not tell the difference between a $90 and a $10 halter.  I would be considered a newbie to the horse world and realize that there is a lot of stuff I need to learn as well.  So keep me informed of future clinics and I look forward to working with you in the future.