I decided to take some in-hand lessons when my horse was recovering from hoof issues so we would have something to do while he was rehabbing. It was an amazing experience to relate to my horse from a different perspective, but it was the way my horse saw me that was lifechanging. My horse began walking up to me from the pasture and WANTING to spend time with me. As a dressage student you often hear the words "partners", "lightness", "suppleness", "self-carriage"... It wasn't until the lessons with Maria that I was able to feel what I had been told was supposed to happen. My horse became "light in my hands" and for the first time I was actually seeing my horse become light and relaxed... Classical dressage is an art and I'm excited to continue my education with Maria.

Maria's ability to read horses astounds me to this day. I was honored to be her student roughly 9 years ago and she saved my horse and I from our very traditional English background. She taught me how to get my very hot OTTB stretchy, relaxed, and willing all from the ground. Then, once I understood the groundwork she was able to teach me how to translate it to under saddle. Because of Maria I have been able to transform my relationship with all horses and am able to understand their basic needs without ever having to get on them. Maria saved my career with horses before I even knew I needed saving. 10/10 recommend her to anyone and everyone wanting to learn from her. She has an abundance of knowledge and will always put the horse first.

Maria Smith does horsemanship right. She sets me (and the horse) up for success every step of the way. Her wealth of knowledge is evident as it never feels like she's reading from a script. Maria’s experience, paired with a genuine desire to help, has me continually looking forward to showing up and learning.

After 30 years, I got the opportunity to become a horse owner again. I knew I wanted to be the best owner and rider I could be, but along with my new horse, we lacked confidence and experience. I knew I needed to work from the ground up. Maria has been the best trainer for the BOTH of us! The strides and goals in the last 5 months have given me and my horse the opportunity to have the kind of deep connection that I could have never imagined! Maria’s experience, patience and advice are truly unmatched!

We have been so impressed by the communication and partnership skills we've developed through lessons. Maria is particularly good at explaining a concept in multiple ways. So if you don't quite understand what to do, she will toss out another way to visualize the objective. It has been very helpful as we figure out how to move, cue or guide the horses in subtle, almost unnoticeable ways. Both my teenage daughter and I have been taking lessons from Maria for the last several months. It has been fascinating to see how each lesson is tailored to our respective horses and our individual needs.

I am excited to take a lesson every week because first of all, Maria is a very good teacher. She teaches in a way that I can understand. And second of all, I love that Maria teaches the best way to care for the horse in whatever we do with them. Also, learning how to do everything in the best way for the horse. She is very intelligent. I can ask her anything about the horses and she has an answer. The magic moments I have is when I find connection with the horse, and through every task I do in my lessons, I can always find a connection, and I love that feeling of getting to love the horses deeper. I want to know as much as I can about communicating with my horses so I can love them more.

Maria has done an excellent job with my horses. My 4 year old gelding had trust issues, and Maria melted his heart! She has worked with 3 of my horses, and she builds relationships with them all. I’ve learned so much from her, and she has really built my confidence. I excited to continue to learn from her and have her work with my horses!

Since I've been taking lessons with Maria, my journey with Blue has been incredible. With the very first lesson Maria showed me I had a different horse than the one I thought I had and the new one is awesome - stubborn at times but willing to try. From then on everything we do is better for both of us. She's taught me so many little nuances that are so much more effective with Blue than the way I was doing things. She's shown me how sensitive he is and how little it really takes for him to get the message. I've learned I was using way to much energy and he was reacting in kind. I'm still working hard on this as I'm having to un-learn a lot of what I thought I knew. Right now I'm happy, happy, happy.