Having come from a classical riding background, I was fortunate to learn from excellent instructors. I earned my Galop 7 (French riding level) at 13, a go-getter, competing in show jumping, hunter, and eventing. Galop 7 meant I could compete in young horse classes. However, this meant more falls, repeated refusals, and eliminations than genuine enjoyment in training horses. The frustration of not finding solutions led me to change clubs and completely switch disciplines. I spent a year focusing on Western riding and pony games, where the horses and ponies know their job perfectly. I was incredibly bored until I met a mare who had come straight from the amateur show jumping scene. Unstoppable in the arena with a Pessoa bit and martingale, I once again found myself helpless on a mare who was completely out of control, despite her having the strongest handbrakes.

Overwhelmed by the situation, my curiosity led me to investigate whether the film "The Horse Whisperer" was just a movie. The only person talking about a training program in 2000 was Pat Parelli. At the time, information about equine psychology was scarce and practically nonexistent in French; I learned in English through snippets shared by American students. Online training courses didn't exist yet.

When I attended my very first Andy Booth demonstration in the provinces, I was impressed by what he was able to do with riding school horses he was handling for the first time. It wasn't the quality of the technique or the "wow" factor of the exercises that excited me the most, but the connection that was created between him and the horse.

That's what I call connection today!

I threw myself wholeheartedly into this program, but as Linda Parelli, its co-creator, so aptly put it, it hasn't evolved since she finished writing it. And yet, there was still so much to create and develop. Linda is living proof of this with her brand new Happy Horse program, which I now teach.