About
Riding and horsemanship lessons - equine communication and riding with love and higher purpose - from the heart!
Heart to Hoof Horsemanship: Riding lessons and horsemanship with Yvonne Welz in the Queen Creek/San Tan Valley area, available at Wishing Welz Ranch, or I can travel to your horse in the local area. Sweet, gentle, well-trained lesson horses are available (they are the real teachers!!). Students beginner through advanced, and lessons are customized to you. Children over age 8 are welcome. Seniors are welcome. And every horse lover in between.
Current rates: $45 per hour at Wishing Welz Ranch, or mobile lessons $55 per hour in Queen Creek/San Tan Valley (travel fees apply outside that area).
What "style" do I teach? No, it's not "English" or "Western" - it is the language of the horse, pure and simple! I do use comfortable "English" dressage style saddles and bitless bridles on my horses, but you can use any kind of tack you'd like, whatever you and your horse prefer.
Experience horses for the first time - riding or just being with horses and learning from them! There are lots of horse activities that can be done on the ground. Being around horses is healing to the mind, body, and spirit. Learning how to communicate with them using body language can create personal breakthroughs!
For the advancing horseperson: learn natural horsemanship skills, connecting and bonding with horses, schooling exercises to develop horse and rider including liberty work, in hand work, cavesson work. For the more advanced rider, learn collected riding skills. Specializing in bitless bridle use and selection, and transitioning horses to bitless riding. Partnership, love, and harmony with the horse always comes first!
We are a genuine holistic center: my other services include consultations for more natural horse care, diet and nutrition programs, natural health management, designing equine facilities and paddock set ups for better horse care, developing therapeutic rehab exercise programs for horses recovering from injuries, fine-tuning our communication with equines, and more!
Yvonne Welz is a professional horsewoman with over 30 years of equine management and training experience. Formerly a competitive dressage rider, she schooled many horses up to an advanced level and achieved national awards with them. Always focused on learning, she has studied the art of classical horsemanship for over 25 years, including the French classical methods. She has trained many horses from scratch, acquiring them as yearlings or untrained, starting them out under saddle and schooling them to higher levels. She has enjoyed giving riding lessons to children and adults since the 1990's. In the 2000's, she studied several different methods of natural horsemanship, and also trained in equine nutrition, saddle fitting, and barefoot hoof trimming. She was instrumental in helping to introduce the methods of natural barefoot horse care to the USA in 2000. In 2013, she embraced collected high school riding without the use of bits or spurs, and has not looked back. Enjoy her holistic approach and absolute love for the horse!
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I love helping people achieve their dreams with horses!
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Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new student?
Lessons are tailored to the exact needs of each individual student, whether they are looking for advanced guidance and fine-tuning, or just starting out with a first time horse experience.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
Yvonne Welz is a professional horsewoman with over 30 years of equine management and training experience. Formerly a competitive dressage rider, she schooled many horses up to an advanced level and achieved national awards with them. Always focused on learning, she has studied the art of classical horsemanship for over 25 years, including the French classical methods. She has trained many horses from scratch, acquiring them as yearlings or untrained, starting them out under saddle and schooling them to higher levels. She has enjoyed giving riding lessons to children and adults since the 1990's. In the 2000's, she studied several different methods of natural horsemanship, and also trained in equine nutrition, saddle fitting, and barefoot hoof trimming. She was instrumental in helping to introduce the methods of natural barefoot horse care to the USA in 2000. In 2013, she embraced collected high school riding without the use of bits or spurs, and has not looked back. Enjoy her holistic approach and absolute love for the horse!
Do you have a standard pricing system for your lessons? If so, please share the details here.
Current rates: $45 per hour at Wishing Welz Ranch, or mobile lessons $55 per hour in Queen Creek/San Tan Valley (travel fees apply outside that area).
How did you get started teaching?
I began teaching children and adults how to ride in the 1990's. Over time, as my techniques with horses evolved, people began to seek me out for my unique and compassionate approach to horse training.
What types of students have you worked with?
Beginners of all ages, children through senior citizens; as well as riders interested in dressage, natural horsemanship, French classical techniques, in hand work, upper level horsemanship and most especially, riding and schooling at higher levels in bitless bridles.