About Megan Sorentino
As a little girl, Megan was absolutely in love with horses; her parents say she came out into the world saying, “horses”. At 5 years old she was drawn toward the beauty of horses, as friends and companions, and so she started riding lessons. Riding instructors throughout her youth employed Megan to: “Make the horse do it,” “Show the horse who is boss,” and “Don’t let them do that.” This harsh approach saddened and conflicted the little girl in Megan who still longed for that connection through friendship. For years, this was the only type of instruction she received; the only way she knew how to interact with horses.
In 2012, Megan was introduced to Classical Equitation work. This approach excited her, and allowed the little girl inside her to finally find the connection with horses as partners, friends and companions. Since that introduction in 2012 Megan has dedicated her life to showing others a better way of working with horses.
Classical Riding Training and Education
Megan studied the art of classical riding through the Foundation for the Equestrian Arts (FEA), an organization created to preserve, promote and share the art of French classical horsemanship. FEA supports the riding academy of the National School of Academic Equitation (NSAE), which offers clinics, professional training and certification in classical horsemanship.
Megan has participated in over 20 NSAE clinics in the last several years. Among other topics, she has studied the biomechanics of the horse, work in hand, principles of seat-work and managing fear in the horse and rider.
Classical Riding Training in the NSAE Professional’s Course
In 2016 Megan completed NSAE’s Professional’s Course. This year-long program included intensive daily study of classical equitation, teaching riders from around the world and working regularly with school horses to help them develop freedom in motion.
Megan continues her study of Classical Equitation through continuing to read books written by the old masters and with the help of Craig Stevens, who acts as a horse consultant for Classical Horsemanship.
Other Training and Education
Megan’s earlier training was at local riding stables, taking lessons and spending weekends at the barn. After becoming more hands-on in training horses, she learned natural horsemanship through clinics and lessons. Her experience with natural horsemanship gave her confidence in training horses and made her a better horseman.
Megan appreciated and was attracted to natural horsemanship’s methods for handling horses. However, she found herself looking for more precision and development, something to advance her riding beyond what she’d attained with natural horsemanship. Using fear to get what she wanted from her horses also never seemed right to her.
Megan’s search led her to the classical training. She has learned this training style through the clinics and courses with NSAE.
Megan’s Bachelor of Science degree in Equine Science and Business from Colorado State University provides a scientific and business foundation for her horsemanship training.
Riding and Competition Experience
Megan bought her first horse, a pony named Fancy, at age 11. Fancy turned out to be greener than she anticipated, so Megan began her horse ownership and training career at the same time. Over the years, she and Fancy have competed in several types of competitions, including jumping, eventing (a 3-phase competition with dressage, cross-country riding and show jumping), dressage and ranch sorting (a timed team event sorting calves from a herd).
Megan pursues many different disciplines with her other horses, including trail-riding, working cattle, ranch sorting, and galloping through the pasture. Every fall she helps with cattle branding at a ranch near Weldona, Colorado and helps friends gather cattle throughout the year.
Megan finds trail-riding to be a great way to build a strong bond between rider and horse. It also helps strengthen muscles and build courage in the horse, and the horses enjoy the change from arena work. She especially enjoys trail rides in Soapstone Prairie Natural Area and the Pawnee Grasslands near Fort Collins, and the DT Ranch in Morgan County.
To further her knowledge and skills in competitive dressage, Megan purchased a Trakehner named Falcon. Although spooky at first, Falcon built confidence with Megan’s training. He became brave and calm on the trails and at horse shows.
Falcon and Megan have competed in many dressage competitions together and in 2010 qualified for the Rocky Mountain Dressage Society Regional Championships.
After needing to retire Falcon due to a heart condition Megan bought herself a young Andalusian Lipizzaner cross named, Grayson. Grayson, had been seriously abused and was extremely dangerous when he came to Megan in 2012. She says Grayson was one of her best teachers, he taught her how to safely train a challenging horse to the high school level. Grayson is now a calm, talented dependable riding partner that Megan enjoys riding very much.
Horse Training and Riding Lesson Experience
Megan learned to train with her pony, Fancy. By age 13, she was training other horses and teaching riders who shared her love for horses.
Since incorporating classical equitation into her training, Megan has seen her own horses become happier and healthier. Her students and their horses have seen the same positive development.
What Megan loves the most about training is cultivating a deeper relationship with the horse and growing both mentally and physically with them.
Megan’s goal in training is to form curious horses that are excited to be ridden and excited to interact with people. Megan is constantly learning from the horses she trains and the riders she teaches. Helping horses and riders achieve a happy, harmonious relationship is her passion.