See what other people are saying about Randi and the Horse and Rider Awareness Educational Programs
Randi is totally unique. She has developed a very intuitive approach to riding but one that can also be applied to competitive riding.
See what other people are saying about Randi and the Horse and Rider Awareness Educational Programs
Randi is totally unique. She has developed a very intuitive approach to riding but one that can also be applied to competitive riding.
I started researching individuals who are adding value to the industry and blazing a different path. What immediately appealed to me was that Randi is totally unique. She has developed a very intuitive approach to riding but one that can be applied to competitive riding. Normally, the two are fairly separate.
As a competitive rider myself, I love how she teaches riders to ‘feel’. This is so important. After 40 years, I am still in awe of the relationship I have with my horses and it is very important to me that I train them with their well being paramount. I want to find better ways of performing together and this is the ethos behind Randi’s teaching.
Once I started implementing the training in Randi’s videos, I was completely hooked! My position has improved and all my horses are more in front of my leg. Randi makes the simple basics which can be so hard to achieve, easy. Regardless of age or accomplishments, there is still so much riders can do to learn and improve and Randi’s approach and accessibility makes this possible
When the student is ready, the teacher will appear. Have you ridden for (decades) and wondered when you would at last feel like you knew something? Did that last bit of knowledge always seem to be beyond reach? I rode seriously for decades and knew there must be something missing, but what? In lessons, words like “More leg!” didn’t bring lasting results. Sure, I won lots of ribbons, but something was missing.
Who would have guessed when I somewhat disdainfully took a “free” lesson on “a barrel” that I swallow my pride and ask, “When can we work again?” I discovered from Randi Thompson things that instructors had “hinted” of. (“There is a lot more to using your legs than just squeezing, “but in lessons we seemed never to get to that…), and opened new doors leading to more sensitive balance and communication, barriers I never realized existed. And the proof of the pudding? Months afterwards I am still making discoveries, because I am at last able to understand my horse’s feedback.
When I rode with Col. Waldemar Seunig years ago he said that all you need to ride is “Geduld and und Passion,” You also need Randi Thompson, her unique ability not to teach you but to open the doors so you can teach yourself
I have been teaching for over 20 years and was losing interest in what I was doing. A friend of mine strongly recommended that I check out Randi’s Horse and Rider Awareness instructor programs. She had attended a program and found that it re-engerized her and helped her to re-focus on her goals and dreams. At first I was not sure, but after watching my friend transform and then seeing first hand the changes in her students and horses, I knew I needed to do this myself. It was a life changing experience for me! I have now attended two instructor programs with Randi and have found that my life, and my work with my riders and horses has taken on a new meaning for me. I am so inspired and now have the tools that give me the foundation that I needed.
I’ve been enjoying your Horse and Rider Awareness videos on Youtube. Really lovely lessons — I will most definitely be back for more! Love the clarity of what you’re seeing and how you’re helping both the horse and rider feel what you’re looking for. I am using these videos for new ideas for my students and training horses. Thanks so much.
I’ve been teaching for years, and have been very successful in the show rings. I’ve been watching your videos for a month or so now and want to say how much they have made a difference for me and my students. Thank you for showing us the real progress that they are going through. This is so refreshing to see the realness of what can and does happen.
You should know i used to pay almost 40$ a month on another website to get riding information. I got a lot of helpful tips but it was lacking something….Then I watched your videos! I found them more helpful! The thing is that hers only applies to a few riders yours I just stretch the way your rider shows and I feel IMMEDIATE awwwww so that’s how I am supposed to feel!
I am so thankful to have found you on Youtube. I was looking for a trainer online that could help me think through various dressage movements as I ride . You are the only one I found who is thorough in videos from a riders standpoint and more of a daily approach . You also are accessible and approachable on a daily basis to answer questions . Through your website you are accessible as well and helped me become extremely aware of of my riding errors through your video feedback package . Not only that but you are affordable and super duper nice with a lovely voice! You remind me of Mary Poppins ! You are awesome!
I have found that with riding and training that there are methods that work for beginners and those that work with intermediate or advanced riders but very rarely with all three, until now. What fascinates me the most about Horse and Rider Awareness® training is how well it works on riders, and horses, of all levels. Having a process helps and understanding how to work through the issues that come up make such a big difference in training of the horse and rider. Now I have a more effective way to teach both my hunter and dressage students and take them to the next level.
If you want to improve your success and image as a trainer or instructor, this program is for you. It gives you what you need to help you live your dreams, realistically, and make your dreams possible in the horse industry.
Do yourself a favor…if you want to improve your teaching and training abilities, increase your business and confidence and have more fun in your work—then you should absolutely attend this program.
Hi Randi, i thank you for that,Wish we had instructors like yourself in the Uk. Learnt so much more from your videos in the last 6 months than I have in the past 2 years. A BIG THANK YOU to Trudy & Susan for sharing lessons with us. Xxxx.
I also learned not to take each step in the training of a horse for granted. All horses did not have a perfect start in their training, and I can help them fill in those missing gaps in their education. I will never again take for granted that a horse knows better, or should know this or that.
I am rolling this empty barrel across the indoor arena thinking what is this for? Than we were informed that they are to be our pretend horse. What could this barrel that is lying on its side teach anyone? I keep forgetting that not everyone has grown up around a horse. The barrel will not be moving around when I am explaining something to a student, I do not have to worry about my feet, or their getting stepped on, a barrel will not spook, and it’s closer to the ground if a student doesn’t have good balance. Yes, it does make sense. Than I was put on the barrel, and learned things about my riding position and its balance that no one has ever shown me before. What a revelation! For the first time in 35 years I have learned how to keep my feet under my riding position! I also learned how to connect my reins through my elbows, than into my seat bones, and down into my feet! My riding will never be the same. I am sure my horses and students will be thankful. And I thank the barrel and Horse and Rider Awareness® for that.
I have been watching your videos for almost a year now and they have been a godsend; they have taught me and my 8 year old thoroughbred Achilles how to be more connected, balanced, supple and responsive. Contrary to people thinking I have learnt what I have with an instructor here in Australia, I can say that I have learnt from Randi Thompson all the way from America. When I tell them this they are very intrigued and we often sit around the stable and find a video focusing on separate issues we have with each of our horses and we can always find one, or two…or three! We love it. We love that your videos are quite unedited and aren’t shortened, so we can see the many ways that horses may react to something, and how you, Susan or Trudy rectify it. Thank you for doing such an inspirational act for the horse community. I, as well as many others here in Australia appreciate the videos you post so regularly. We also thank you for imparting your profound knowledge about horses. We also thank Susan, Beau, Darrien, Parker, Trudy, Ani and all others that also have contributed so much of our learning.
I especially appreciate the Horse and Rider Awareness videos. I like how they typically focus on single element, instead of trying to correct or improve several things at once. My middle-aged brain and body appreciates the deliberate approach, although I think too often, even when we’re younger, our trainers rush things and fail to ask us to develop sound fundamentals. The way you interact with your students is wonderful to hear as well. You really celebrate the smallest success, and your feedback is positive and empathic. It’s like you haven’t forgotten what it’s like to be a beginner (or a “returner”), you remember what it FEELS like, and that kind of sensitivity is — unfortunately — not too common in the horse world. But it goes a long way toward increasing your student’s motivation to succeed!
I liked the Horse and Rider Awareness® techniques because they make the objective easier to understand and teach. The techniques break down training into small steps, beginning with establishing a foundation and asking questions to make sure the student understands. Most instructors tell students to sit on their seat, or put their heel down, but never teach them how to feel it or know when the position is correct. After doing the Rider Awareness exercises, there is no question in my mind where my seat bones are supposed to be, and how to step back into my heel. I can also teach it to my students better now. I cannot wait until I get back home to teach my clients these techniques.
Love your videos of real riders with horses that have issues to be solved.
For more information about Randi Thompson’s Consulting or Expert Witness services contact at: or leave a message at 828-697-4274
Randi Thompson, a pillar in the horse community, offers a multitude of services to fit your individual needs. Take advantage of her experience and expertise to be more successful in your career, develop a stronger relationship with your horse, or to simply gain more knowledge for your what ever you are doing in the horse world.
2015 International Equestrian Trailblazer
This honor is for those in the equestrian world who have contributed greatly and make an impact in the horse industry all over the world. Watch Randi’s interview HERE.