Just wanted to say thank you for a great clinic last weekend. Since this was my first experience with your program, and my first trip off the farm with my yearling, I really did not know what to expect. I learned so much from not only working with you on my own horse, but also from watching the other participants work with their horses. You are a gifted horse woman and I think your assessment of Reggie was very insightful. I now realize that behavior that I previously ignored or thought was cute, is actually behavior which is unacceptable as he grows and becomes stronger. We have already begun to work with the tools you gave us, and I am learning to set clear boundaries and be more consistent in my expectations. My eyes were opened last weekend thanks to you! I look forward to coming back down to work with you. Your Yearling Head Start Program is extremely well run and is a great opportunity for learning how to make those early years a solid foundation for both horse and rider.
Thank you so much!
Karen Schwartz
2-21-10
“Robin’s clinic was worth every cent; what I learned in one session will last a lifetime. Her abilities were amazing, and her way with horses and humans was very refreshing. It’s very hard to find someone that is as good at communicating with the human component of the team as they are with the horse and make it enjoyable. Knowledge is empowering and builds confidence; Robin provided me knowledge and tools to be able to continue working with my horses at home. In one session she has not only taught me about the philosophy of communication and body language but perhaps even more importantly given me the confidence that I can do this! I encourage everyone to attend Robins clinics.”
Stephen & Stephanie Lubbers
2-20-10 I just wanted to say again how impressed and pleased I am with Declan's progress-and I must admit relieved!! He's such a super stallion prospect but not if I can't comfortably and safely handle him day to day. Now I know I can due to your training. I worked with Emma (my 2 year old filly) today and used some of the techniques you showed us in the clinic and she responded very quickly and did great. She is the exact opposite of Declan-super quick to react to any cue and a little shy/nervous. It felt good to make steady progress working with her today. I really got a lot out of the clinic that I know I can use in ground work with the babies and my older horses. I liked the fact that it didn't matter where your youngster was headed-english or western the same techniques can be used and modified for their personalities to get a well behaved horse. The step by step approach made it clear for me to follow and remember. It was definitely one of the best clinics I've been to. Again I can't tell you how much I appreciate your training and Roger's. I'm definitely looking forward to having y'all work with my other youngsters and getting Declan going under saddle when he's old enough. I can't wait for the next clinic that I can get to!
Jennifer Dunlap, DVM
Sommerville, Tennessee
(ADDED NOTE: Declan is a two year old Irish Draft stud)
I went to a farm to look at a two-year-old
that's out of a world champion producing APHA
stallion and an APHA Superior pleasure mare. A lot
of TLC was needed. I almost passed her up, but
figured I had the time and the resources to
maybe change her life so I brought her home.
Your Get Ready To Ride program has been
tremendously successful with her. I'm doing
things how you showed me, and it's given her
confidence and a great foundation so she feels
safe.
Michelle Steigmeyer
I bought this mare at a sale for $600 as my
trail horse. But,when I got her home, I soon
discovered why she was sold. At the lope, she
changed leads in the back every other step and
threw in some nice bucks in between. I thought
she was a throw away. Which was a shame, because
I love her to death and she is bred very well.
Took her down to Robin Gollehon's clinics.
Rather than seeing her as a throw way because of
the difficulty she presented; Robin saw her as a
puzzle to be solved. First, we made sure no
farrier, chiropractic or vet issue caused her
issues at the lope. Then, Robin gave me a
"training strategy" to employ at home. I had a
hectic summer, so very little riding time. But
in the the dozen or so rides I put on the mare,
I managed to get this result using Robin's
strategy. I am in the pink/red tank top before
attending Robin's clinic, and the green one
after her clinic and a dozen or so rides. I now
have a horse I thoroughly enjoy riding!!!! To
find about Robin's clinics, I urge you to visit
her website. ~ Karen Lobring, Edinburgh,
Indiana
Just wanted to let you know how much coming to
your clinic helped out! We (Josh and I) took
Dirt to his first show last weekend. He was in
the top three all weekend long! He is still
skinnier than I like, and is smaller than the
other yearlings since he is such a late baby, so
the days that he got third it was conformation
that killed him. What we were both pleas ed and
surprised by was how broke he was! He was shown
against horses that have been out all year,
shown as weanlings, etc., and he was by far the
most steady of them all; a true gentleman.... I
was so proud!
Not that you don't know it already, but this is
just further proof that your methods really do
work. Just wanted to thank you for the help,
well and to brag a little!
Hope all is well!
Jennifer Ross
Robin and Roger,
Just want to thank you for a great day on
Saturday. It was truly a pleasure to ride Annie.
I can only hope I will have one like her one
day!
As usual your open friendly way of dealing with
people made me feel comfortable. I learned a lot
and have conveyed my respect and praise for your
training program to many others.
I will be in touch,
Debbie Lubrano
Villa Hills, Kentucky
Good Morning Roger &
Robin,
I just wanted to take the time this morning to
drop you an e-mail and let you know again how
much we appreciated the opportunity to attend
one of your clinics. There was so much
information to absorb that I think all of our
brains were busting on the way home because we
were trying to process it all! The girls
(Morgan and Emma) had a great time. Morgan told
us on the way home that next time there is a
clinic that we can attend - she was definitely
bringing her horse!!
Thanks for the hospitality and the opportunity
to learn from a true professional! You all are
great!!
I will be in touch soon to discuss bringing
Morgan and her horse=2 0up for some one on one!
The Neighbors
Gordy, Robin and Morgan
Robin & Roger,
Hello and good morning from Notre Dame! I want
you both to know how much your clinic this past
weekend meant to me. After a long time of
frustration and all kinds of trainers giving me
their advice, I finally had a real "moment" of
clarity and things clicked in the saddle under
your wonderful and kind guidance.
Wow. If you would have told me last week that I
would be loping off my horse AND with no reins
AND closing my eyes, I would have told you that
you were crazy! I still think a lot had to do
with my incredibly kind and tolerant horse, but
I know now that I have the skills to move
forward. I am going to go through that exact
routine every time I ride now and I am confident
that it will give me the same results!! Can't
wait to try again, but I will let Sani rest
today because we did not pull in the drive to
the barn until 1:30 am. So, it was a long day,
but I smiled the entire way home just thinking
of what I accomplished and of the new things
that I learned.
Also, thanks for not making me feel like the
"novice" that I am. One of the reasons this was
hard for me was because I have always been
successful at most anything I have tried,
especially anything that required athletic
ability (even the belly dancing! :) ) and
when20this did not come as easily, I was very
frustrated. Hm...amazing what a great trainer
can do in 20 minutes....
You two are to be commended for your natural,
gentle and humane way of training these
beautiful animals. I loved what I saw you doing
and will be singing your praises to everyone I
know. As you could probably tell, I have a hard
time with the way that some people interact or I
should say DON'T interact with horses and all
animals...by you giving them choices, it shows
the respect that you have for them. VERY
admirable.
Anyway, thanks again for your gracious
hospitality...you have a fantastic facility and
I can see why you love it and have been so
successful. I am wishing you continued success
and much happiness at Gollehon Show Horses.
Peace,
Sharon Zens
Thank
you for the longe line program. It has worked
on two different horses, with two different
handlers. The program is really effective when
both the horse and the handlers are on the same
page. We were first and second this year in the
non-pro divisions at the 2008 Just For
Pleasure.
Thanks for everything,
Mike and Marilu Alexander
We appreciate you
including "us 'in your plans. I will
spread the word on the FREE Clinics. You guys
do such a nice job. Getting the horses broke and
confident in themselves while maintaining
elegance. This talent is a "gift". Sharing this
with other horseman is awesome. Thank
you!!
You guys take extra
great care of your horses and are constantly
putting your minds to use in the "Big picture".
I appreciate your wisdom and positive
attitudes.
My best ~Gordon
Downey
The Equine Chronicle
Truly
Priceless
Sire: Only Blue Sky
Dam: Slew of Grace
Bred/Owned by Stephanie Moore Shown by Nancy Sue
Ryan 2007 Southern Belle HUS LL Reserve Champion
(tie)
Robin,
I wanted to say thank you for the
really good advice you gave me during our
lessons. My yearling went to his very first
horse show and was just so good, he listened to
his cues and settled in extremely well and acted
like he had been to shows all his life.. Your
advice on whoaing, and space really helped.
Stephanie,
Sure A Winner Farm
Robin and Roger,
I am writing to once again thank you for the
wonderful longe line clinics that you put on in
the spring of 2006. I attended 3 of the 4
clinics and I learned a lot. I spoke with you at
one of the clinics about retraining my 2 year
old and your advice was to not retrain him but
incorporate things I had learned into his
training. That was excellent advice.
I took my 2 year old dun gelding to the KY IBHA
show this past weekend and I was very pleased
with his behavior. He had not been off the farm
since last June and he is a pretty high energy
horse so I was not sure what to expect. Your
approach to longe line about being calm and
keeping your horse calm works well with him and
even though we did not win I was thrilled with
how he behaved. I also was calmer while showing
which is a big improvement for me as I get very
nervous before and while showing. I even had a
couple people comment on how calm and in control
I looked in the show arena! I also showed Sparky
in the halter classes to practice standing and
patience and he did well with that also.
I am hoping to show my buckskin yearling gelding
at the September shows. I have not spent the
amount of time with him that I would have liked
to but I am hoping to remedy that. He has a good
start but we have a ways to go. I did take him
to the show just to get him out and he had a few
rough moments but we got through it.
I hope all is well with both of you and once
again a sincere thanks,
Debbie Lubrano
Mike
Alexander received a longe line for
attending all the clinics in our winter
series. The results of his first show are
in...Congratulations to Mike on winning 1st
out of 16 his first time out!
Hi Robin
I was able to attend one of your LL clinics in
February and I thought I'd comment on how useful
some of the advice was that you gave has been.
Our mare had a nice colt this May and one thing
I have been very adamant about is not standing
to close to him to let him chew on me. I stand
back by his hip and rub his back, and I really
am not having too much trouble with the chewing
thing. It did seem like simple common sense
advice, but I probably wouldn't have thought of
it had I not went to the clinic. I always think
of how you said why stand there and tempt them,
and that makes a lot of sense. Wish I could have
made it down for more of your clinics, but other
commitments and family came up. But anyway, just
wanted to comment on how useful that advice has
been, along with the rest of what you covered.
Wish you much luck with your show season-
Mandy Gerdeman
Aloha, 2006 APHA Gelding owned by
Michelle Steigmeyer of Fort Wayne, Indiana
Shown by Mike Carlson of Monticello,
Indiana
Indiana Paint Horse Association Futurity
Champion - Three firsts and one second out
of 9
Indiana Paint Horse Association SSA
Unanimous Futurity Champion - 4 firsts out
of 14
Illinois Paint Horse Association
Breeder's Futurity Reserve Champion out of
21
'At the clinic you told me he needed to
be acclimated so I spent all summer taking
him to shows. By the time my trainer got
him he acted like a seasoned veteran show
horse. I practiced your technique to
get him to jog right next to me all summer!
By the time the futurities rolled around he
was a pro. A couple clucks and he'd pitter
patter right next to me. I looked straight
ahead and walked slowly and he'd be
jogging beside me. I'm so proud of him! I
can't believe I have a horse like this in my
pasture!
I know I'll be coming to
more of your clinics. It's so great to meet
other forum members and to watch other
horses.'
One
of our 2005 Longe Line stars who completed
our "Yearling
Head Start Get Ready To Ride" program
making the transition to working under
saddle a breeze. Started by Cole Baker of
Ocala, Florida he said, "The very first time
I rode him he went off just like he did on
the longe line. He already knew how to move
like a show horse... I just had to teach him
the buttons. He was aimed at the Reichert
Slot class but got too big so we switched
him to English."
2006 NSBA World Champion BCF
Silver 2 Year Old Hunter Under Saddle
BCF Gold 2 Year Old Hunter
Under Saddle-3rd
Reichert Celebration 2 Year Old
Hunter Under Saddle-4th
“Just got
back and it was well worth the money. No I take that
back…it paid for itself in the first ten minutes!
Everything after that was bonus. Every farm, barn,
riding instructor, 4-H leader, trainer and horse lover
should have a video of instruction from the Gollehons
and their Building Block System. Robin and Roger did a
fantastic job of explaining and taking time to make
their program clear and able to be applied to any level
of horseman. From the basics of common sense to more
advanced techniques of performance enhancement, this was
a great clinic for anyone that attended. Thank you to
Robin and Roger for taking the time to share your
experience and expertise.”
~Michelle Steigmeyer Fort Wayne, Indiana.
“We talked all the way home about the seminar and have
both practiced diligently since. I can’t wait to do the
practice session each day and it’s so fun to see the
difference in the yearlings from session to session. And
it’s so easy! Robin and Roger have a great building
block program and we’ll be using it’s pieces for years
to come.”
~Wayne & Khris Fields
“Thanks for putting on such a nice clinic! I got so much
out of it. My yearlings are already better. It will be
so relieving to be able to wear clean white shirts at a
horse show and not have my yearling all over me!”
~Erin Thacker, Martinsville, Indiana
“Thanks so much for putting on this clinic! It was truly
a great experience and I can’t wait to start working
with Parker and my other yearlings. I wouldn’t hesitate
to take another trip down. Thanks again.”
~Jamie Van Linn, Neenah, Wisconsin
“My yearling is a changed horse in just two weeks! I
keep pinching myself! Thanks again…participating in your
clinic was the best Mother’s Day gift that my husband
Pat and the kids could have given me!”
~Marion Welsh, West Point, Indiana
“Thank you so much for the fantastic job you did
yesterday. We feel like we know where to go with our
yearling now and we’re certainly happy about being able
to work with these young horses without hurting them.
You have a great operation founded on strong principles.
We’ll keep you up to date on Bella’s progress. We’ll be
taking cues from her but hope she continues to progress
as quickly as she did yesterday.”
~Jim and Jennifer Dettmer, Huntington, Indiana
www.dettmersrisingsun.com
“Aside from the whole show ring aspect, it gave me some
new ideas on how to make the transition to starting a
horse under saddle easier and ways to teach them about
self-carriage…something I hadn’t been able to figure out
when dealing with a horse on the line. Instead I had
always viewed that as a sign that I just needed to start
riding to develop that aspect.
~Shannon
Mini clinics in
May 2006. Robin is demonstrating with One Hot
Superstar,
a 2005 Black AQHA Gelding by
One Hot Invitation
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