TRAINER SPOTLIGHT
Because these training sessions with Ann Kirk are so well done and informative, we are keeping these pages up for you to see and refer back to. Ann’s contact info is listed at the bottom of this page.
"Hi Susan, my name is Connie Jean Ribbeck and I tried to get one of my horses to the Expo last year, however; he didn't really want to go and we did not make it in time! The good news is....we took him to Ann Kirk and she has really helped him do a 180 degree turn around and now he gets to stay here! He is no longer an accident waiting to happen. He is controllable and respectful. He's not ready for small children, yet, but I no longer worry that someone will get hurt"
Connie Ribbeck 1/2/2006
One of the reasons we do Ride The West, is to be able to highlight local talent, horses and businesses in the Pacific Northwest. Three years ago, a young woman named Ann Kirk contacted me after one of our Expos and was very enthused about the Expo and what we were doing for the horsemen in our area. She told me that she had a Training business and was very interested in becoming involved with our Program. That first year, I walked around a training session of Ann's, just watching and listening. We emailed back and forth a little, and then after the next Expo, she contacted me again. We had more time that year, and I asked her to come out to my house and I wanted to watch her work with one of my horses. That's all it took! When I say she has the expertise of a horseman with the heart of a horsewoman, it's the best way I can explain Ann. You will have the opportunity to follow here on our website as Anne started our then 2 year old Quarterhorse colt Fritz' Megabucks. Fritz had zip when it comes to training. We bred and raised him on the Farm. He is out of our AQHA mare Megan Mint and by McBride's Quarterhorse's Stallion Sunglow's King Fritz. I've asked Ann purposely to wait until Fritz is 3 to actually saddle and ride him due to the fact that like his sister Honeymoon Too, he grew fast and quick and is now nearly 16 H. So Ann began the ground work and she will take Fritz First Time to Saddle at Ride The West in May of '06. Ann also put some tuning on Honey for awhile this past Summer and I can proudly say that I now have 34 rides on her which is a LOT, because I haven't ridden that much in the past 2 years!!! I feel very confident and comfortable in recommending Ann Kirk to you if you are interested in lessons or training.
We will update the website every so often to show with pictures and text how and what Ann is doing with Fritz' training. Now in a normal training situation, it doesn't take 6 months to get on a horse's back. We're taking our program a little slower, because we are adding the online aspect, and because we have the time.....and we wanted to be able to present a finale at the Expo this Spring. So we hope you enjoy our Trainer Spotlight on Ann Kirk.
Ann Kirk was born in Chewelah and raised on a dairy farm West of Springdale. Her earliest memories include horses and she remembers early on, wanting to someday make a living working with them. Ann says God has been good to her and she has had the opportunity to work with all types and breeds without even placing one ad in a paper or on a bulletin board. Ann trained her first horse at 14 and was hooked. Since that time, she has pursued knowledge with a passion, applying what she learns to see if it really works and if it gives her the results that she wants. Ann has learned so much about how to, and how NOT to communicate with the Equine mind.
Ann is continuously in pursuit of learning and fine-tuning the art of how to truly finish a horse, but her specialty is starting colts and solving problems. She believes the foundation work should be the same no matter what the discipline desired. Ann works to develop a good solid trail horse which can then go in any direction. She has reschooled many horses that have been "overtrained" without the right basics. This leads to frustrations and problems. It's sensible horsemanship.
Ann is moving more towards training people to work with their own horses because she believes in the importance of the rider/horse connection. She can work the horse to be responsive to her, but she often sees that an owner can't follow through because there is no connection between them and their horse. Ann's main focus is teaching people how to listen to the horse's body language and to understand the roll that emotions play in the horse's performance. Ann says that when she gained an understanding of this and learned that it was possible to train a horse to control its own emotions, it totally changed the way she approached training and it's what she concentrates on when developing her relationship with them. Ann says "It has so changed the success I have had with horses that I want to share it with everyone I can."
Always pursuing more education, Ann recently completed an Accreditation Program with Josh Lyons. She is also looking at attending the Lyons School in Colorado later this year for additional training in their Certification Program.
For more information about Ann Kirk or to contact her, email her at info@annkirk.com; online at www.annkirk.com or call her at 509-292-2475. For questions related to our Trainer Spotlight, please email us at susanrae@ridethewest.net. Thank you!
