joost lammers
For The Heart Of The Horse Ranch, Santa Fe NM
I wish to be a Centaur; Horse & Human connected as one.
I have been drawn horses all my life, and started riding at age six. I grew up in The Netherlands, where riding mostly consists of dressage. NL currently produces the highest-ranked riders, trainers and horses. As a boy, I dreamt of owning my own horse, which I did not manifest until I was in my late 40s.
When I saw the movie The Horse Whisperer(1998), I was deeply touched by the theme of the mutual healing powers of horses and humans. I prayed that in my next life I would be a horse whisperer. But I did not have to wait that long! In 2003, I shelved my management career in performing-arts and non-profit organizations in The Netherlands to pursue a career working with horses. I seek to share my experience with horses in these key fields:
Horsemanship
In 2004 I moved to the USA. I quickly found a connection with Dave Claus, a horseman in Sonoma County, California, who uses horsemanship to start colts and turn around horses with people problems. Besides working with Dave full-time for several years and absorbing everything he taught me, I had the opportunity to study with fine horsemen in the Tom Dorrance lineage, including Ray Hunt, Buck Brannaman, Harry Whitney, Rick Quinn and John Saint Ryan. I read all of Mark Rashid’s books and was strongly drawn to work with him, which has become a yearly tradition.
Dressage
While working with Dave, I also rekindled my childhood passion for dressage. I had the opportunity to work with some of the finest instructors in the world, including Andreas Hausberger and Herwig Radnetter form the Spanish Riding School in Vienna; Christine Traurig, US Olympian in Sydney 2000; Carolien Reverdink, national contender from The Netherlands; as well as Nuno Oliviera’s classical dressage students Mark Russell & Dominique Barbier.
In both disciplines I look for a true connection with the horse, searching for suppleness, rhythm, and presence in both human and horse.
In my training & instruction I focus on conveying these elements to horse & rider.