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“The gift of the horse lies not in its ability to carry us
with its back. It lies in its ability to carry us with its soul.” - Jo
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Riding a horse is about more than staying in the saddle. It's about developing confidence in yourself and a relationship with your horse. Jo Belasco, a lifelong equestrienne, offers her clients more than just the technical skills necessary to ride effectively. She offers an encouraging environment that allows for the development of a confident, happy horse and rider. Jo believes that at its core, riding should be fun, and she carries that belief over into the training of her clients and their horses.
Meet Jo:
Jo offers a one-of-a-kind dressage training program based on her wide-ranging horse experience. She began riding as a child, trail riding in upstate New York and becoming active in 4-H, in both horse shows and horse bowl. She began riding dressage in high school, but had to take a break from horses while attending college (BA, Psychology) and law school in Boston, MA. She returned to her love of dressage by training with advanced-level event rider Adrienne Iorio for several years in Massachusetts.
Jo left her career as an attorney and began to explore the horse-human relationship when she joined the staff of the nonprofit organization Tapestry Institute. Her work has included researching the impact trail riding has on group meeting process, gentling wild Mustangs, creating and managing the Mustang Freedom Project, conducting extensive literature research on the horse-human relationship, and directing the Voice of the Horse Project, which included a large-scale online survey concerning the horse-human relationship and webcast conference (a book is forthcoming concerning this project). She continues to explore this fascinating field for Tapestry as part of her role as Tapestry's president.
Special Focus Areas:
Jo's focus is not on competitive dressage, but rather on the benefits of confidence and relationship that a solid foundation in dressage can offer any rider. While she offers her services to anyone who wishes to embark upon the dressage journey, she specializes in working with the following riders:
-- The heavier rider: "Too many people feel self-conscious about their weight, and they let that keep them from riding. Fear of ridicule can be more powerful than the love of riding. My philopshy is that it's not how heavy the rider is; it's how heavy the riding is."
-- The fearful rider: "It's very frustrating to want to ride desperately, to want to go on a trail ride or canter in a ring or across a pasture, but to have fear hold you back. Riding should be fun, not frightening. At one time or another, we've all been afraid. But it's a fear that you can get over and once you do, you can have the riding experience you're longing for."
-- The back-in-the-saddle rider: “As we get older, we can get more fearful about riding. Building confidence in your riding at any age is possible, no matter how long you've been away from horses.”
-- The beginning rider: “As a beginning rider with your first horse, there is so much to learn. Sometimes it can be intimidating and a little bit frustrating. It doesn't have to be. Learning confidence and basic skills from the very beginning lead to a wonderful relationship with your new horse.”
Availability and Rates:
Jo will travel to your barn or home so that you can deepen the bond with your own personal horse. She is currently living near Rowe, NM, and is willing to travel to the Santa Fe and Las Vegas areas to provide training (pricing includes mileage). Special arrangements (additional mileage fees may apply) may be made for Taos and Albuquerque clients. Jo is also available to give talks to groups concerning her work on the horse-human relationship.
Prepay for a month's worth of lessons and get a 10% discount for that month! Lessons make a great holiday gift!
Individual
lessons (1 rider): $45 an hour
Semi-private lesson (2 riders): $30 an hour
Group lesson (3 or more riders): Contact Jo (see below)
Clinic opportunities: Contact Jo (see below)
Contact Jo:
The best way to reach Jo is by email. You can also reach her at Tapestry Institute by calling 575-421-0054.
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