I have been riding with Stephanie now for about 2.5 years. In that time I have learned so much about riding, horse care, horse nutrition, and myself. My horse has thrived under her care and training. He has gone from a horse that had serious issues with anxiety and even aggression at times, to a horse that is becoming an awesome jumper and cross country horse.Stephanie has introduced me and helped me learn a gentler, kinder way of riding and interacting with horses that I have not gotten in 30 years of riding experience. I came from a background in the AQHA/ApHC all around horse show scene where there was a lot of focus on getting the job done and MAKING the horse do it. We never stopped to question why the horse might not be riding or showing to its full potential, we just made them do it. Stephanie has shown me the why. Has helped me understand that the horse always tells you exactly what you need to know to help them in that moment and to be able to continue to help them with every ride or ground work session.Stephanie teaches in a way that is very positive and constructive. She helps to gently guide you into whatever you are learning. She has given my horse and me so much confidence in the saddle and on the ground. I honestly cannot say enough great things about her as a trainer, a horse woman, and a person. If you are looking for a horse trainer in the Bay Area, even if you dont do hunter jumper, you would be hard pressed to find someone kinder and more compassionate with horses than Stephanie.

Stephanie Walker at Free Heart Stables is a true horseman. She understands the equine holistically and teaches her clients from where the horse is at physically and mentally, and always for the good of the horse.My daughter entered into the horse world via typical horseback lesson experience. She received excellent instruction in rider form at a top riding school but she became bored with just jumping on a horse for the purpose of getting through the transitions and jumps while looking good. She craved a deeper bond with her equine partners. So, being a brand new horse person myself, and only to support my daughter from afar, I found Stephanie in a Google search. I figured some horseback lessons that simulated actual horse ownership would cure the bug. I also decided that since this experience would be more than just tacking up the horse and riding, I decided to take lessons too so I could supervise my daughter from the ground. When my daughter first started riding, I wouldn’t even pet the horses, and I was the least likely candidate to be a horse owner, that’s how resistant I was to this whole horse fever she caught. I thought for sure these true “horsemanship” lessons would end this nonsense. Well, Stephanie didn’t cure the horse bug. She made it worse, it was contagious, and I caught it. She stirred a new passion in my daughter and I that opened up a whole new world where horses are now more than a hobby, we have a new lifestyle.Fast forward to today, we are the humble owners of a beautiful, dramatic, and sensitive thoroughbred gelding and Stephanie is our trainer. Forget thinking that this is your typical trainer situation where the expert does the hard work of training your horse and you come out only to ride and experience the fruit of that labor. Stephanie is teaching US how to train our horse. Her lessons involve us in every part of the equine from the how the horse thinks to how the horse moves - on good days and bad days. Some of our best lessons, even when we first started, have been in (and continue to be in) imperfect conditions where we were making mistakes and Stephanie patiently taught us what was going on with the horse mentally, how we created the situation, and how to correct it. She will not do it for you, and she will make you take it slow to do things right. You can do things fast, or you can do them right. Thankfully, she has the patience and calm demeanor of a saint with kids and nervous, newbie, somewhat resistant, older adults.Stephanie just has something special to offer people that is vitally lacking in our fast paced, over tech’d, and over-achieving culture. The character qualities that are being instilled in my daughter (and myself) through this journey is not something the fanciest training barn or most expensive private school could ever teach. It is hard work that teaches you how to slow down, be present, and be teachable. Though the word has lost its meaning, Stephanie is a true natural horseman and she will teach you how to understand and communicate with the horse from the moment you make contact. If you want a truly fulfilling equine partnership that is unlike anything offered at training and lesson barns, contact Stephanie. Your horse will thank you.