Copyright 2008 Ribbon Dream Stables
I, Rahael Maxwell, am the trainer and riding instructor here at Ribbon Dream Stables. I have been training horses and giving riding lessons as a way of life for about 15 years. I took lessons myself as a child for many years. My main focus while taking lessons was Dressage and Hunter Jumper. When I bought my first horse, a 3yr old Arabian gelding, I intended to use him for dressage and over fences but my focus changed many times through my teen years. I now use that horse as my main lesson horse. His favorite thing is Western Pleasure but he is an amazing equitation horse and a very nice Dressage horse as well. He is an excellent teacher for beginner to advanced riders. He has done just about everything you can imagine through his years. He currently teaches alot of kids how to run barrels too.
I personally believe that my begining with Dressage as my main focus was probably the best thing that could have happened. It gave me a very solid foundation of proper communication between rider and horse. My Dressage experience established excellent principles in riding and training that I have carried with me forever. This foundation works well and transfers to all riding types because I believe clear communication is the number one most important factor when it comes to training and riding.
I have shown in and trained for many disciplines with the majority of my experience/focus being in English Pleasure, Western Pleasure and In Hand/Halter. I have also shown in barrels and other western games as well as Hunter pleasure. Although I trained for jumping for many years I never did show over fences. Even though it was what I had aspired to do for so long, now I prefer the pleasure divisions. Maybe in the future when life slows down a little I may add jumping back into our program if there is a demand for it.
I raise Morgan Horses for show, trail and family. I mainly focus on breeding for a top national quality show horse that has a good mind, excellent conformation, beautiful Morgan looks and can be anyones BEST friend. A large number of the horses we produce would be great Jr. Exhibitor prospects. I have been focused on Morgans since 1999. I show alot in the Morgan breed circuit but also take the children to local open breed shows for the fun and the experience.
My training style comes from all my years of collecting knowledge and experience. I have worked with 10 different professional trainers who specialized in Dressage, Over Fences, English Pleasure/Park, Western Pleasure, Hunter Pleasure and Pleasure Driving. I have mostly worked with Arabians, Saddlebreds and Morgans but that doesnt mean I cant train or show a different breed.
My standard approach is with patience and understanding without sacrificing saftey. There is a time and a place for discipline and reward. Horses are just like children (that could easily kill you on accident, or if they wanted to) so I take my training approach with that concept in mind. As a trainer and a rider we need to find that fine line between too much and not enough. This is the key to CLEAR communication. When we are communicating clearly to our horses we see better results faster and the horse is alot happier too!
I personally believe that my begining with Dressage as my main focus was probably the best thing that could have happened. It gave me a very solid foundation of proper communication between rider and horse. My Dressage experience established excellent principles in riding and training that I have carried with me forever. This foundation works well and transfers to all riding types because I believe clear communication is the number one most important factor when it comes to training and riding.
I have shown in and trained for many disciplines with the majority of my experience/focus being in English Pleasure, Western Pleasure and In Hand/Halter. I have also shown in barrels and other western games as well as Hunter pleasure. Although I trained for jumping for many years I never did show over fences. Even though it was what I had aspired to do for so long, now I prefer the pleasure divisions. Maybe in the future when life slows down a little I may add jumping back into our program if there is a demand for it.
I raise Morgan Horses for show, trail and family. I mainly focus on breeding for a top national quality show horse that has a good mind, excellent conformation, beautiful Morgan looks and can be anyones BEST friend. A large number of the horses we produce would be great Jr. Exhibitor prospects. I have been focused on Morgans since 1999. I show alot in the Morgan breed circuit but also take the children to local open breed shows for the fun and the experience.
My training style comes from all my years of collecting knowledge and experience. I have worked with 10 different professional trainers who specialized in Dressage, Over Fences, English Pleasure/Park, Western Pleasure, Hunter Pleasure and Pleasure Driving. I have mostly worked with Arabians, Saddlebreds and Morgans but that doesnt mean I cant train or show a different breed.
My standard approach is with patience and understanding without sacrificing saftey. There is a time and a place for discipline and reward. Horses are just like children (that could easily kill you on accident, or if they wanted to) so I take my training approach with that concept in mind. As a trainer and a rider we need to find that fine line between too much and not enough. This is the key to CLEAR communication. When we are communicating clearly to our horses we see better results faster and the horse is alot happier too!
