Equine Connections/About Us

1. To make horse training; clinics; equipment; continuing education, and, professional support; accessible and affordable to horse owners.

2. To help horse owners understand the behavior and psychology of horses, and the challenge this represents to humans.

3. To create a supportive network of students who inspire others, by possessing extraordinary horsemanship skills; a desire to be the best they can be for the horses in their lives; and, people who place great value on helping others to achieve their horsemanship goals through safety, leadership, unconditional love of horses, and developing exceptional communication skills.

The "Equine Connections" Program makes it possible for people to learn how to train their own horse so that the results are reproducible time and again. The program helps people to understand how horses learn, and what they can do to influence learning so it occurs faster and without resistance. The further you go in the program depends on how much you want to know, and how much you want your horse to know. No matter what training level you desire for your horse; YOU need to be good enough to get him there.

Regardless of the discipline you ride, what type of equine you have, or the age of yourself, or your horse; the "Equine Connections" Program will make it possible for you to safely achieve confidence, trust, and respect on the ground, in the saddle, or in-harness.

The Level I - " Respect & Partnership" Program teaches you how to establish safety through consistency and persistence. Students learn how to use unconditional love, communication and leadership to develop a "trusting partnership" based on safe and predictable behavior. Your horse will come to you without having to "catch him"; he will stand still for saddling and mounting; he won't bite or step on your feet; he won't crowd or push into you; he will pick up his feet; lower his head for bridling; and, so forth.

Under saddle or harness, your horse will go when you ask him to go, and stop when you ask him to stop. He will also learn how to move right, left, up, down, sideways, backward and forward without an argument.

The Level II - "Trust & Liberty" Program involves intensive discussions about equine behavior, psychology, and the learning-theories of horses. You will learn to refine your communication skills in order to start making real progress with your horsemanship dreams. As trust and respect problems disappear; willingness and perfection begin.

The Level III Program - "Ultimate Trust", is for students who wish to develop "flawless refinement" in their communication with horses. At this level of trust and respect, your horse will do anything, because you are that good. Whatever your horsemanship dreams are; you can make it happen.
Horse training doesn't need to be expensive or difficult, and it doesn't need to be "just a dream". If you are ready for a challenge and desire to make "horsemanship" your goal, Equine Connections will take you where you want to go. Success with horses is about becoming a partner and a leader. Learn how, by making it fun and interesting for your horse and yourself. Let "Equine Connections" show you how to develop the horse of your dreams.

“The people behind Equine Connections”

The people behind Equine Connections represent the 100+ students who have participated in clinics and mobile lessons since 2004, and whose photos are scattered throughout the pages of this website. They are people who desire a partnership with horses, and who are willing to start living their dream.

My name is Lisa Paddock, and I am the owner of Equine Connections. I have had a life-long passion for horses, but more than 11 years ago I discovered that I was seriously “out-horsed” by a mare that I rescued from a bad situation. Once she was feeling better, I needed to be rescued from her! That’s when I discovered the power of natural horsemanship training. Not only did this require my own self-improvement, but it required that I learn how to use my horse as an image of myself. It’s a journey and a process that never ends. For me, it’s a welcomed challenge and one that I work on each and every day. I am grateful for all I have learned from some of the greatest horse trainers, including Pat Parelli, Ray Hunt, and Frank Bell. I consider myself a student of them all.

My specialty is retraining people who have allowed their horse to develop bad and dangerous behaviors. The Equine Connections program is about "changing you" so that you can set the proper example for your horse to follow. When a horse's behavior becomes so unpredictable that they are no longer enjoyable to be around; it's time to boost your leadership, while preserving your own confidence. My goal is to teach people how to become the leaders of horses, because without changing the human, the horse will never reach its potential by learning how to trust, how to try, or how to respect.

I am grateful to Christy & James Parsons who have generously given their emotional and technical support to this endeavor, as well as the students of Equine Connections who are the backbone of the network: "people helping people, for the betterment of themselves and the horses in their lives".