 So welcome everybody. I am here today with Kelly King and Kelly King is a writing instructor a horse trainer and really a pursuer of Knowledge and she has been Putting together online courses and online training videos for equestrians just like you to help further your knowledge and your exposure to amazing trainers So welcome Kelly Thank you. Thank you for having me on. I'm thrilled to be a part of A part of this online horse share Yeah, it's so nice to have you you've got such a wide knowledge base and Kelly actually has helped us get some instructors that she does courses for so we had Andrea weighty and hopefully we'll have her for the the next online course She has some really valuable information and then we also have Wendy Murdoch and Kelly's put together courses for both of these these amazing trainers and she also has many more but Tell us a little bit. So, you know, you're putting together these these courses and it's a journey as we all know And all of our journeys are so unique and different to tell us a little bit about how this came to be Sure, so I I started out. I think like many professionals in that I was I working as many horses as I could taking horses in and training and teaching teaching riding lessons and I really wanted to be able to do something more for my Riding lessons students because I acknowledged that they would come and they would They would take their lesson. I was working with a lot of adults, too so they were hungry for like doing more and kind of often had this feeling of Trying to get as much in learning wise and practice wise in a little bit of time as possible So I really wanted to do more for them than just that hour that they would have to come to the barn So I I actually started creating some videos with them in mind I was creating videos with some of the things that we didn't really have time to give them as much practice with simple things like interacting with the horse in the field Putting tack on correctly understanding different types of tack and then a lot of the basic riding, you know riding information and posture How to use their aids that we were going over in the saddle or going over in their lessons So that they would have that when they were back home and not actually at the barn Because a lot of these students at the time were people that didn't have horses So that was their their practice time in between was watching the videos So that's that's how it started and then I was publishing a Weekly video blog and I would also write some articles and I was also putting that on a website And it just started to kind of slowly pick up an audience from people that were that were reading and as I started to gain an audience I I kind of got the idea for the the potential to be able to partner with other people with my Mentors and and the people that I was learning from at the time and wanted to learn from in the future To be able to bring their knowledge to a greater audience and I would say that is really my passion I love to learn. I feel like there's always more to learn and discover about horses. So So my my vision was to be able to create this platform that then I could partner with people and And really help I guess I just bring their knowledge to a bigger audience Wow, how cool and I think that's something that that Is so important for people to think about and understand I think people do but you need to be able to Kind of immerse yourself in the philosophies the theories the understanding when you're away from your horse Because once you add the horse to the picture, there's a lot more feedback that causes you to have to Respond and it totally changes your train of thought and in order for you to get, you know Really further faster. You need to be doing the studying on the side and Really develop your understanding, you know develop your toolbox and then you take it take it to your horse And now it's it's already integrated. It's kind of part of you and who you are in your knowledge base And it becomes so much easier And I think there's a lot of lesson horse programs out there that really could benefit from offering that sort of thing to their students because There's you know, when you go from week to week, that's such a that's a huge gap in You know, but you're almost relearning much of it at the next lesson Yes, yeah, and whether I'm working with a student in person or whether it's through the online courses I always try to pull out those skills that I see they could practice without the verse and sometimes it's The simple things like just handling the rope, you know, if they're talking about lunging being able to handle the lunch line You know make those loops without having to look down switching the The line, you know with your whip or your tool or with the reins, you know shortening the reins Or even if you're going to more advanced skill like riding in a double bridle, you know feeling having two reins and handling the rain and the whip like it's those things that We can separate some of the physical skill and gain that when we can focus on just those little chunks at a time Then it comes together so much more when we're riding and really that's what we do when we're training our horses Good training is always about how do we take this and break it down and teach the horses little pieces and then start to combine them Right it sure is that's so cool that you've been able to do that and and create courses through that now Tell us a little bit about the the courses you create and the people that you that you work with You know in creating those courses and then Start with that so sure so the What we're well what I'm striving to do is work with people That are Sharing the same values so we have a broad range now of different courses that we offer some focused on training some on like riding and biomechanics some on even just Horse behavior interaction with the horse and then someone horse care and there's always going to be overlaps with different instructors of People that use different techniques to get the same job done And I think that's actually part of the beauty of learning from different people as you can start to recognize that there There are different techniques different methods different ways of doing about things doing things and even different ways of thinking about things but when when the people share that the same values of really wanting the best for the horse of a positive learning environment for the person to for the learner and And Just of like kindness and being open-minded to different people's ideas and ways of doing things It really creates a great community So an example of what what the online courses look like so I have a lot of people when they first come in Maybe they've watched some of the the video shows that I've done that are like on my website or on YouTube And then they see a course and they wonder like how am I going to learn about horses? Especially when it's a hands-on like a riding or a training course you know through an online program and We the course will usually start with some of the theory, you know, so this is these are the principles behind what's being done This is the theory of why it's important whether it's I teach some of the courses to so whether it's me as the instructor or One of the other instructors a little bit about the background of the instructor and why they're Doing things that way that they're presenting in the course and then we get into the practical exercises and again It I feel that one of One of my skills and one of the things I really love to do is taking someone's Big ideas and like lots of lots of information and distilling it into these are kind of the first three steps And then once you have these three pieces, then you move on to this So that's really what what we love to do in the courses is like a good like any good You know even like university program it's kind of starting with here's the theory Here's the why and then this is what you're actually going to do to start to build specific skills Yeah, that's great because I think if you don't understand the theories and philosophies behind what you're doing The meaning is lost and it becomes very hard to troubleshoot When something comes up that maybe wasn't shown in a video because you don't understand all the But you know what took place before that point the philosophy the theory what why and how right and And no that that's fantastic I think that's a hard thing to do because when you're dealing with horse trainers and and you know, we're teaching We throw a lot at the wall right and and especially if it's in a live sort of Scenario, there's a lot that's covered and it sometimes jumps around So it's not always linear because you're dealing with different people and different horses and so it jumps around a bit Which is why clinics are great But sometimes they can be a little difficult too because it's hard to remember everything you learned because it wasn't set up in a logical way And for you to be able to do that to you know to bring it all together and to set it up in a nice Progressive manner for people. It really sets the stage for success, right? Yeah, there's a saying and I have I have no idea who to attribute this to but it's theory without practice is useless and Practice without theory is senseless. So it's you know, just that idea that we have to have a balance of both and With the clinics one of the things that I actually do because I have a facility that's located in Pennsylvania and We do training and lessons there but we also host a lot of clinics and any more almost all of our clinics are Basically kind of the prerequisite for attending a clinic is doing the online course and the success the the amount that people are able to do in the clinics and the way that they have Like giving me feedback about the benefit of that clinic has gone way up because From having that initial study coming in Everyone all the participants are kind of on the same page as far as you know, these are the The principles or the exercises that the instructor is going to be practicing and then in that clinic It allows for kind of that really rich discussion of you know Here's a problem that I was encountering with this or you know, and I heard another person say this how is this compatible? It just makes for an amazing in-person clinic experience when there's been that base level of study Done beforehand and then even from there I have a lot of people that say they go back to the course and then they get even so much more because it's that idea that we can Watch or read something one time and we get a certain level of information And then once we have more knowledge we go back and all of a sudden this like whole another Level is available that we can understand right Right. Oh, how cool and what a great way to do it and I'm sure the people that You know your instructors that that create the courses with you I'm sure they appreciate it so much too to because when you can come to a clinic and you can come with the Expectation that all of these students have basically been through your program in a way, you know And they they have that level of knowledge it you can step in as an instructor and you can really just take it You know forwards and upwards the whole entire clinic, which is which is pretty cool Yeah, and one of the things that I that I love about that too And this is the same thing that you know, you're doing for people through the fair here is that when we can Get to know teachers In this virtual way, it's actually really nice because you can just see who you're a good fit with on a Even on a personality level in the teaching style level and in a philosophy level, you know I do believe that we can learn from everyone, but there's also certain teachers that are just going to be most Beneficial for where we are at in our current skill set and also just certain teachers that we're drawn towards and when we can get more of that knowledge through What's now available through technology, you know and and online education then when we actually do go further to Pursue whether it's an online course, you know more in-depth study with that person or going to an actual clinic You kind of know going that this is where I want to be instead of, you know, some of the clinics you go and Partway in you kind of realize. Oh, maybe maybe this isn't the best fit for me where you know now you can figure that out earlier Yeah Definitely definitely there's definitely been clinics that I've been to and I've had students that have gone to and they just You know, it's it's they learn something and you do learn something at all of them But it's just not a good fit and it's so interesting because you know as a Kid when I grew up. That's what you did. You just went to clinics and horse fairs horse fairs We're a great way to do it because you could see a lot of different presenters and figure out who you really clicked with but it was always a live event and Now it's there's so much available to us just through the window of our computer, which is so unique and But it also can be overwhelming so that when you you look you struggle a bit with almost information overload and not knowing who to be listening to or you know learning from and I think it is helpful when things are brought together Like you bring certain mindsets of people together and the horse here, too I want to be bringing people with similar mindsets and Only those people, you know only only the participants that are interested in those sorts of philosophies are going to come attend and Then from there just like with your programs. You can kind of pull Together all the all the people that are really meshing and clicking with the way you think and Just with your personality type like you were saying and I think that makes a Huge difference in our ability to grow and progress with our horses. Yes quickly very quickly Yeah, absolutely So if you were to think of like one thing that you wish you had learned Early on, you know from the beginning that you didn't know what would that what would that be I Think it would be the idea that we can we can actually get accomplished much more and Get a lot further with the horses in the long run by going slower in the beginning, you know I do tend to be a type a kind of achiever type personality and I know that a mistake I made early on with my own horses and horses that I had in training was just trying to do a lot upfront, you know and trying to Pack as much into training sessions as I could and now I realized that actually by by going slower and You know, for example with a new horse spending those first few weeks where it doesn't feel like we're actually accomplishing that much then the the whole progression of that horse Just speeds up because it's kind of taking care of that emotional piece and that connection piece in the beginning Which makes everything else so much easier I think it's getting harder and harder for people to do because they Their life I think is just in general for all of us speeding up So we are you know, we're just kind of that's our expectant state is always quick quick quick and the busier I am the better and Horses they look at you have crazy because the world is so slow and Yeah, I think that's such a such a great thing to share because I think that's an important piece that The majority are missing Yeah Yeah, and it's not easy. I mean, it's hard to remember. I have to remind myself a lot But the more that I have practiced it and realized it with the horses The more I'm starting to realize how it applies beyond just horse training to you know, like get get foundational pieces in place Taking the time in the beginning Most things actually get easier in the long run Right, and I think that's that's key and I think I Always say that like horsemanship is really just life lessons It's it's lessons that you take from your horses and apply it to your life And it it makes you such a better person What but you've got to learn from the right people because there's also those trainers out there that are you know get it done fast if it's not working get firmer, you know, and and That isn't gonna apply to your life very well Yeah, yeah So right now What are you most curious or interested in? In your in your current journey, I would say at this At this moment There's two things actually so one when I was when I was a teenager I used to do quite a bit of long distance and endurance riding and as I started working with horses professionally That That kind of you know disappeared. I didn't do that anymore because obviously it takes a lot of time doing the conditioning and And preparing for for rides and putting mileage on And I had too many horses to ride to be able to continue that but it's something that I've I've always missed So I am exploring how to bring that Back into my life and back into you know part of my What I do with my own horses again So I'm excited about that and that's definitely another learning journey because I've been out of it for so long and Really excited for for what I can explore and learn there and then I've also become really fascinated by the challenge that we have with the the mustangs in the sense of You know, there's so many horses out there. How are they being? Rounded up. How are they being? Handled and you know, hopefully retrained and adopted out afterwards. It's uh I've I'm at this stage where I've become more aware of what the problem is But I don't know the solutions. I'm not You know, I'm not familiar with what people are doing to try to um Find a solution. So yeah, that's something that I'm also very interested in and starting to learn more about And I think there might be an intersection between those two. So we'll see what happens Definitely, definitely. I um, we have somebody locally that works with mustangs and does endurance riding and she's able to do it barefoot because their their feet are so good and You know, you know about the proprioception and how you know, just how important that hoof flex can be but I think I mean with a thoroughbred it might not be pot You know, you alls are adjusting to fit the horse So it may not be possible for horse like that with the mustangs. I mean, they're just built to go Do that sort of thing and they're they're so sturdy So that's pretty cool that that you're looking at doing that Yeah, and I've had the pleasure of um of working with several mustangs Mostly ones that people had actually like they had adopted training wasn't going well And then they came to came to me to help with the training the horses and I just found them to be wonderful horses and really a pleasure to work with like just so intelligent and just tough, you know hardy horses, so uh, yeah, but I'm you know looking at it from the bigger picture and Just the all the challenges that go with it both politically as well as training solutions It's something that I'm I'm excited about exploring I think that's that's an interesting way to bring bring some Advocacy into into the mix of what you're doing I mean, you are an advocate for for horses and for people learning about horses You're an advocate for both, but I think that brings just a whole other element Into it. So I think that's that's pretty neat that you're going to be be looking towards that So I can't wait to follow along on your journey it's It's if you if you it'll be nice for you in the respect that maybe you're going to be getting them fresh off the range instead of Maybe getting ones that that people are have already fooled around with because I mean as you know that It's so much easier when you have a clean slate versus something with baggage Yes, yeah, absolutely and being a trainer that has specialized in working with behavior problems, which I I really enjoy but that means that I You know, I've done a lot of the horses that that have a lot of baggage And there's a lot more to work through, you know, when I have a young horse that's pretty much been Out in the field and minimal handling, you know to start them is so easy compared Compared to the horses that have had more experience and a lot of that experience not very positive Right, right. Yeah, that's that's cool. So, um I guess what if we haven't touched on anything that you would like to touch on what would be some Last thoughts or messages you'd like to leave the audience with Well, I loved how our discussion kind of took the The route of learning, you know and thinking about different teachers and kind of the process of learning So I I would say for people that are That are wanting to learn and this encompasses whether you're, you know, new to horses or you're just getting back into horses Or if you've been a lifelong equestrian, but you know, you're still Looking to gain more knowledge and better yourself I think if we would actually they could give ourselves a little bit more of the Empathy that we often give the horses, you know, in the sense of like we mentioned earlier breaking down the learning process Being understanding that they have days that are going to be great and they have some days that are just going to be off They can't get as much done And that there's sometimes that you know different horses have Different personalities and different learning styles. It's all the same for us as people And when we can embrace that and be a little bit Perhaps kinder to ourselves in the learning process and all of the different things that come with it, you know With horses and riding since we're doing something that has physical risk Fear is a big part of it and there can be a lot of shame around that And I would just love to see that viewed more as this is just part of the process It's a challenge to to be worked on but it's not something to You know to feel bad about or to feel less than because of so Yeah, that that would be the message that I would want is that you know, that's Learning is a journey. It should be enjoyed if you can look at it with More kindness towards yourself and more of an objective view of trying to Understand how you learn best and how you can best Um You know find the find the teachers that really resonate with you There is unfortunately like at anything. There's some teachers out there that Do not take a positive learning approach and you know, if you feel belittled by or unsafe with a teacher It is it is okay to move on. There's others out there that Can help make it fun again Thank you for that. I think that's an amazing message and so important and It really is going to empower our audience because I think sometimes people People don't get that feeling of empowerment. So thank you. Thank you. I mean that is If anybody wants to rewind and listen to that a couple times that's that is so good to hear So I would like to thank you. Callie for being here today. This has been Just wonderful. You're a great person to talk to you've got so much so much knowledge And I would like to thank everybody for being here. I appreciate you joining in and listening and And I guess until next time happy horsing around Very good. Thank you so much Paula for having me on All right. Thank you. Bye