My Story
My name is Kyle Van Splinter and my passion is teaching humans & their horses through
HORSEMANSHIP
We move as One.
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As a very young child, I had a deep down love and desire to be with horses. I dreamed about horses almost every day yet I didn't have one directly in my life. I read every horse book imaginable: all Walter Farley books (Black Stallion series), Black Beauty, My Friend Flicka, etc. Eventually I was lucky enough to have a horse friend of my own. English riding and jumping were my entrée into horsemanship.
"Horses come to trust those that are compassionate guardians/leaders."
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A number of years ago, the horses in my life were challenging me and I had suddenly lost my confidence riding my 9 year-old thoroughbred and even leading my 1 1/2 year-old filly became frightening.
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At some point, I thought maybe my horses were trying to tell me something. So I began looking for answers....which led me on the best journey of my life.
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The realization came to me that there was much more to be learned about horses and THEIR nature. My horses thankfully guided me to a better way; even now, I listen and learn from them everyday.
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I came to learn that horses come to trust those that are compassionate guardians/leaders; those that address the horse's needs and concerns. I believe that every successful partnership begins with trust and communication both on-the-ground and in-the-saddle.
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I try to incorporate many ideas and concepts drawing from what I believe to be the best sources in order to best connect humans with their horses. I am always striving to grow my "concept toolbox" in order to best meet the needs of horses and/or humans given their situations at that moment in time.
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It’s interesting to see how, through increased experience with horses and humans … one’s thinking about better horsemanship changes over the years. I’m currently finding myself driven to focus more and more on a mindset or philosophy that goes beyond mechanical methods, cues, and skills … to place a priority on energy, imagery, and body language; this to better complement horses’ nature.
-My horse training and teaching now is placing a greater emphasis on beliefs and theories from world renowned horsemen/women such as Dr. Susan Fay (author: Sacred Spaces) with whom I've had numerous in-person lessons as well as a few virtual sessions, Warwick Schiller, Mark Rashid, Mustang Maddy, Carolyn Resnick (Waterhole Rituals), Leslie Desmond (apprentice to Bill Dorrance and co-author of his book), Karen Rohlf (Dressage Naturally).....learning via one-on-one lessons, clinics, books, phone consults, blogs, videos, podcasts, etc. I also continue to seek out materials where I can gain further insight and knowledge into the horse’s neurological system and their general nature overall. I consider myself a life-long learner when it comes to horses and the people who love them.
-I have also had direct learning (lessons) with Dr. Susan Fay; Karen Rohlf of Dressage Naturally; as well as with two of Karen's certified coaches, Shawna Lewis and Shelby Hume. In 2017-2020, I took regular liberty lessons with Sylvia Zerbini at her farm in Florida. Additionally, a number of years ago, I gained knowledge and insight from Kelly Sigler (previously a 3* Parelli instructor and now an Instructor/Mentor in Linda Parelli’s new program, Happy Horse Happy Life).
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The name, We move as One. was created to reflect the vision of the horse and human partnership. I am so happy that it remains relevant to the vision today.
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I feel that I not only relate to horses, but also understand the human's learning process as well as individual learning styles. This knowledge was attained while attended graduate school in preparation for a former career: teaching college-bound special education high school students. Having also had an extensive advertising career in NYC, I bring professionalism to client relationships.
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I am happy to offer WORLDWIDE assistance to help horses and humans improve their partnerships through the Virtual Online Private Lessons program. And, for IN-PERSON lessons, I teach at clients' farms or boarding facilities to help humans better partner with their horses in Westchester, Putnam, and Dutchess counties, NEW YORK...and Alachua, Levy, Marion, and Gilcrest counties, FLORIDA; as well as Fairfield, Litchfield, and New Haven counties, CONNECTICUT.
