TRAINING APPROACH
At Cellar Door Farm we seek to build mutual trust and improve the overall connection between horse and rider. Owner/trainer Kelly Jennings believes horses are usually willing to do what is asked of them if it’s made clear what is wanted and it is possible for them to do so. In her lessons and schooling rides, Kelly observes the horse and rider’s subtle cues and communications and works to translate both sides to help each better understand the other. Cultivating this common language in the saddle helps to create a symbiotic, respectful relationship leading to a true team effort in which both sides feel seen, heard, and inspired to give their best.
In both riding and teaching, Kelly pays keen attention to the biomechanic correctness of the horse - how their bodies are placed, and how their energy is used in order to maximize athletic potential and minimize musculoskeletal strain, in effect riding for soundness as well as performance. Teaching riders to seek this correctness gives them a more sophisticated and sensitive feel, and makes for healthier, sounder, more willing horses.
BARN CULTURE
Cellar Door Farm is a place where first and foremost, we love horses. We enjoy spending time with like-minded riders in a supportive, team-oriented environment, and understand that true success in the show ring is the result of a successful program at home - where working to become the best riders we can be, and providing ethical training, optimal nutrition, and attention to soundness for our horses are our top priorities.
While our horses are our athletic partners, we recognize that they are above all horses and seek to give them a life with their biology and psychology in mind - longer turnouts for socializing, slow feeding haynets that extend time spent digesting food to optimize gut health and motility, and targeted, customized nutrition based on rounding out what hay provides and what the demands of their athletic lifestyle depletes. These are just a few of the ways we go above and beyond for the animals in our care and training- so they can go above and beyond for us in the show ring.