Qualifications

Frank Caruso

Frank has been around horses since he was an infant when his mother pushed him in his stroller to the boarding stable where she and his father kept their two horses. Frank's mother and father met at this boarding stable. She would make a "kissing sound" when he rode by, causing his horse to rear up. She did it because she thought it was funny to see both horse's and rider's reaction. Having his own sense of humor, he was attracted to her, so they dated, then married, and had three children, the oldest being Frank. So he has a very early history with horses.

Frank specializes in Reining and Working Cow Horse lessons and is very skilled at working with children of all ages. His experience as a coach in Pop-Warner Football taught him how to teach by thinking outside the box.  He has non-pro show experience, participating in NRHA events as well as ApHA Reining Horse and Working Cow Horse shows, among which includes the National Appaloosa show held in Oklahoma City, OK each year. When he is not training horses in the arena and giving individual riding lessons, he enjoys trail riding. Rides participated in include both personal one-day trips as well as weekend camping and include rides for benefit organizations such as BETH (Bonita Equestrian Therapy for the Handicap). Rides vary in terrain, including mountains, desert, woods, and even the beach / ocean (in San Diego, CA), and last in duration from a couple of hours to as long as 8 hours.

Danelle DeWitt

 Danelle DeWitt has been around horses since she was old enough to talk her father into stopping at pastures to coax the horses over to the fence line for some petting. It seems she caught the "horse bug" at birth and it has been with her ever since. She got her first equine friend, named Blackie, at the age of seven. Blackie was a Shetland pony stallion. She rode him in the woods, down logging trails, and through neighbors' pastures until she was eleven and could almost walk along with him while on his back. At that time, Blackie became a retiree at a friend's farm and she got her first full-sized horse, Sham. Sham was her constant companion throughout high school, going on day rides lasting up to 6 hours when time permitted. Sham was left at her parent's while she attended collage. Once she graduated from college and landwd her first professional job, she moved him to a boarding stable near her. He was with her until a tragic riding accident  took his life. Danelle spent some time physically recovering and spent even more time (a few years) grieving. Eventually, as with all who really have the "horse bug", she recovered and purchased another horse, Bucky. Bucky has been with her since, traveling with her from New York to New Jersey to California and finally to Tennessee. Along the way, more horses have been added as family members, whose total is now six full-sized horses and two minis.

Danelle has worked with, ridden, and enjoyed horses for the majority of her life. She is skilled at creating excellent ground and riding manners in all the horses she trains. "A well mannered horse, creates a happy owner and rider". Her passion is imprinting foals and working with them until about 2 years of age, providing them with a good solid foundation, so when the professional trainer begins training, it is an enjoyable and easy experience. She takes imprint training one step further when training horses for riding in parades and for trail riding under many different circumstances and terrains. She also enjoys working with troubled horses who have issues that need to be fixed so they can become a wonderful companion to their next owner and rider. With Frank's help they have achieved a 100% success rate with rehabilitating the many horses they have taken on as "clients". These horses have been re-homed to very happy owners who love their now reliable equine companions.

Danelle's riding experience includes trail riding, riding in parades, and entry-level English and Western equitation. Most of her equitation training has been real-life experiences which provides her with a very solid understanding of horse and rider interaction, as well as fast response time to all equine scenarios. With her knowledge of proper equitation and her experienced trail riding and parade riding she has a lesson program that allows the student to become proficient at riding under non-controlled circumstances such as trail and parade. She also participated with Frank in both personal one-day trail rides as well as weekend camping, including rides for benefit organizations such as BETH (Bonita Equestrian Therapy for the Handicap). Terrain includes mountains, desert, woods, paved roads with traffic used to ride to the local 7-Eleven (in Southern San Diego, CA), and even the beach / ocean (in San Diego, CA). Ride duration spans an hour or two to as long as 8 hours.