About Chelsie Kallestad

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"Hi! My name is Chelsie Kallestad. I am a Natural Horsemanship Clinician and Instructor, and I currently offer Natural Horsemanship Clinics and Private Lessons. The 5 Components of Chelsie Natural Horsemanship are: Lightness, Politeness, Patience, Consistency, and Confidence in Both People and Horses."

I believe that horses are wonderful creatures that are often misunderstood. It has been my lifelong passion to play with horses, learn how to communicate with them, and help other humans improve their relationships with their own horses. It is my sincere hope that we can, through our dedication to this cause, make the world a better place for horses, and the people who love them."

Chelsie and "Tashi"

"My love affair with horses literally began in infancy. You see, I was born into a horse crazy family! When I was 8 months old, my mother began taking me on long mountain trail rides in a pouch strapped to the front of her body. Soon, I graduated to riding behind the saddle. Before 2 years of age, I was riding my own horse on trail rides all over the Rocky Mountains in Montana.

Out of necessity, I began to figure out ways to communicate with my Arab, Cricket, early on. For example, since my legs were too short to reach past the saddle pad, it was tough to ask Cricket to break into a canter. Since I wasn’t about to let my older sister and cousins have all the fun, Cricket and I worked out a communication style all our own. When I wanted him to canter, I just wiggled the reins and he would step into his lovely rocking horse canter! My mom tells me that I could post before I could walk."

Chelsie and "Cricket"

Chelsie and "Sea Bisquit"

"Anyway, as a child, I was exposed to the principles of natural horsemanship for the first time. Although we had always believed in gentle training and handling methods, we began learning about an even better way! The principles taught by people such as Tom Dorrance, Ray Hunt, and others became part of who I am."

Chelsie (left) and older sister Kassie (right) cantering down a mountain stream in Montana,

where they grew up.

Chelsie and "Cricket"

Chelsie and "Sea Bisquit"

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"I have been fortunate to have a variety of challenging horses as part of my life. After my first horse, Cricket died, I inherited my sister’s Arab, Two-Son. “Tootie” was a lovely horse, but not without some trust issues to work out. He was very herd bound and refused to leave the house without his pasture buddy, Honey. By applying approach and retreat principles, as well as developing a trusting leadership with Tootie, we were soon riding off alone together with no problems at all."

At Left: Chelsie on "Tootie", fording a creek in Montana.

Above: Chelsie's older sister, Kassie.

L to R: Chelsie's cousin Susan, Chelsie's Aunt Sally; In center: Chelsie on "Tootie";

Furthest right: Chelsie's sister Kassie.

Left to Right: Kassie, Chelsie, Susan, Sally

Left to Right: Chelsie's Mom, Carolyn; Dad, Steve; Chelsie; Kassie

Foreground: Chelsie

Background: Susan

"Hearing stories of the cruelty that horses are often subjected to strengthened my resolve to make the promotion of natural horsemanship my life’s work! I soon realized that training horses wasn’t enough. A well trained horse returned to an uneducated owner quickly returns to the problems created before. So, I decided that the best way to help horses was to help people. I wanted to show people that there is a better way, and that they can have a better relationship than they ever imagined with their horse."

"Then, Shalon entered my life. This Arab had been labeled a “dangerous runaway.” His well intentioned previous owners had tried to “break” him of this by using harsh bits and cruel training methods. By the time I met Shalon, he was a nervous wreck. His mind was dominated by fear of humans. He was difficult to saddle, bucked when cantered, was a farrier nightmare, and according to his previous owners, he was prone to just freak out and blow up. He was on his way to euthanasia when I somehow convinced my mother to let me bring him home.

I learned more from Shalon than I ever thought possible. By applying the gentle techniques I had learned from the natural horsemanship masters, Shalon and I soon developed a very close relationship. In an amazingly short period of time, I could do anything with him. The trustworthy leader he found in me changed him forever. "

"Shalon"

Chelsie and "Shalon"

"I longed to find a way to help others develop this kind of relationship with their horses. So, in addition to my ongoing horsemanship studies, I began focusing on learning how to effectively teach and communicate with humans. This wasn’t an easy journey for me. Early in my childhood, I had become very ill and almost died. The long stay in the hospital and the endless test and treatments left me incredibly shy and introverted. I knew that this was a big obstacle for me to overcome. But, I never allowed myself to think, “I could never do that.” Instead I forced myself to think, 'I’ve GOT to do that!'"

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Chelsie instructing at a clinic

"Now, when I am teaching, I experience only joy and excitement. If I feel nervousness or fear creeping up, I just take a deep breath and focus on my passion! I think that overcoming these personal challenges has helped me to become an empathetic teacher to my students. I love to help people overcome their own obstacles, such as low self-esteem, physical limitations, or lack of confidence. This is why I always work to create a learning environment in which my students feel safe, relaxed, and free to express themselves. I try to never make anyone feel wrong or stupid…person or horse! I never pressure my students to do anything they are not comfortable with. The comradeship that develops between my students and me is a powerful tool for learning and growing. I have also learned that one method does not work for every horse or every human. Patience and imagination are key."

"I have always had a deep respect for the principles of classical dressage, and my application of these principles to natural horsemanship brings up so many wonderful things to learn about! I have experienced the advancement of many horses and their owners by applying dressage principles to natural horsemanship.

My ideal students are passionate about horses, want to learn a better way, want to develop a relationship with their horse, build confidence, and have fun!

To me, Natural Horsemanship means speaking to our horses the way they speak to each other, in a way that they can understand…what is natural for them, not us. It’s never too late to start. Horses are so forgiving. It’s never too late to change a technique and your horse will always forgive you. The wonderful partnership and relationship that you will have with your horse in the end is worth every effort. The bases for these methods are love, trust, confidence, fun, and mutual respect and understanding."