One of the participants in our last workshop was Sarah Matlock, an instructor of Applied Equine Behavior at Colorado State University. We originally met Sarah at CHATTcon (Convergence of Human and Animal Training Technologies) in Seattle in July and were lucky enough to have her come learn with us earlier this month. Below are some comments she made regarding Terra Nova and the workshop, which she has graciously allowed us to share:

“This past week I had the incredible experience of participating in an extensive workshop over positive reinforcement training with Shawna Corrin Karrasch at Terra Nova Training Center in New Mexico. This workshop was truly unique, from the beautiful Santa Fe-style Bed and Breakfast at the Bobcat Inn, to the awesome experiential learning with my fellow cohort and Terra Nova staff!

Shawna, you bring the science of classical conditioning to life through your infectious positivity and immense love and compassion for horses. What you do is not only an incredible skill, but also an art! Thank you for sharing this with me.

Amanda Jaylikethebird, your passionate vision to bring this science to the industry is contagious and inspiring (not to mention the game-changing equine management practices at Terra Nova, like the track paddocks filled with enrichment and trickle feeders ?)!! Thank you for bringing this dream to life!

Shout-out to Gilly Slayter, Mary Richards, Robyn Strong, and Marsh Graves – for your patience with my attempts to marry what I know with what I’m still learning.

And to my fellow workshop participants who I now hope to call life-long friends!!

This past week goes down in the books as a definite transformational moment in my pursuit to understanding best practices for equine learning and welfare. ?????”

Sounds fun, huh? We won’t be conducting another workshop until spring, but if this sounds like something you might like to experience for yourself, please keep an eye on this page or leave a comment below to be added to our newsletter. We’d love to have you join us in the future!

Sarah and the rest of September’s participants will understand the choice of photo. 🙂