Clients & Their Horses
Clients & Their Horses
Welcome Revolution-JC "Louie" to the family! " I absolutely LOVE this guy and I am so looking forward to many years of riding with Jo and my new partner! Thank you JO for everything you do for me and all of us. You are an incredible person and such a talented rider. Louie has only been here a month now and has already come a long way. So much fun and so much to look forward too! I cannot thank you enough" ~ Anna-Marie & Louie
"Get ready Joanna, because here we go again!!! My new addition to the family...Doma Estella! I am so excited for the amazing potential this talented baby girl has. We have a long road ahead of us and I am looking forward to every minute of it!!! I cannot believe how much time has gone by, as I have now been riding with Joanna for approximately ten years. Not only is Jo an amazing instructor but she truly is one of my dearest friends. Jo is completely in tune with each rider and their horse. Our lessons are fun, challenging, inspirational, educational and most of all addicting! I look forward to each and every lesson. I could never of done any of this without Jo" ~ Anna-Marie & Estella
"It was the luckiest day I ever had when I fell off my horse! I had moved from Virginia to Phoenix and had not found a trainer that could replace the one I left. Looking up from the ground, I saw Jo asking if I was OK. No, not really, I need help! And thus started my journey of learning, development and most of all friendship. Jo has far exceeded all expectations I have had of a trainer. She teaches with joy, compassion and a unique style that matching each of her students mode of learning. She trains her horses with the same individual attention. She has taught me skills to deal with my hot horse while keeping both horse and rider safe. And I have seen her get great results from horses that don't have a great work ethic, they now go forward and enjoy the work. Her positive attitude spills over to horse and rider along with her generosity! I owe Jo more than I can express and am forever in her debt. Our friendship is one that I hold closest to my heart. I hope you don't have to fall off a horse to meet her!" ~ Pam Bennington
I started riding later in life when I was 30, and for the past 20 years have been hooked on dressage. A year ago I found Jo and my riding life has been positively changed forever! Jo's approach to training is correct, classical and always with the horses well being in mind. She is a gifted instructor who clearly and patiently communicates concepts often with the creative use of imagery. I credit her with filling in all the holes in my training and knowledge over the last 20 years. Quite honestly I wish I had met her a lot sooner!
What I appreciate the most and what sets Jo apart from other trainers is she first takes the time to address rider biomechanics and position to help her students become more balanced and effective riders. It has literally been one of the most challenging yet very rewarding aspects of her program. It is hard work undoing bad habits but the response in my horse when I am correct in my position is magic!
As an owner of an Arabian I also appreciate that Jo willingly works with all breeds. Her approach is very individualized and she has so many exercises in her tool box to help bring out the best in any horse. She has an in depth understanding of correct equine biomechanics and the goal is always to help the horse use their bodies correctly. She can immediately see when my horse isn't working over his topline and has a solution ready. My horse and I are showing second level and are both learning to school third level movements. Having never ridden some of the advanced lateral movements Jo rewards every "try" and effort and looks for incremental progress rather than perfection. Being able to teach a rider unfamiliar with lateral work to a horse unfamiliar with lateral work is truly a gift! Making all the hard work fun, well that's just icing on the cake!! I look forward to every lesson because I always learn something new and more importantly feel encouraged and inspired. It has taken me 20 years to find you Jo, but I saved the best trainer for last! ~ Jodi & Tango
"My experience with Jo has been amazing. My mom and I have had our Thoroughbred Arabian mix for close to 15 years. We started him as a trail horse and have been on and off trying to do dressage. Dressage never clicked for him, he never seemed to enjoy it or get the hang of it. We had been to several trainers and no success with any. This year we left him in training with Jo and the results are AMAZING!!!!! I was so surprised at how easy and enjoyable dressage has become. Our horse now loves to work. Our whole relationship has changed. The bond that has developed thanks to Jo’s training is unbelievable. We did not know how easy and enjoyable we could have had it this entire time. Thank you so much Jo!!!!!!" ~ Birgit and Rita
"I have known Joanna for many years. I have known her to be a kind & professional trainer for both horse and rider, that's a great combination! Both rider and horse are treated gently, intelligently & professionally in trained lessons." - Amy LaBroad
"We came to Joanna with a horse who had developed some bad habits and was beginning to take advantage of Natasha. We were very excited when Joanna moved to our barn. Natasha immediately asked to train with her, after the first lesson we were convinced we had found the perfect trainer. At the very first lesson Joanna gave Natasha tools to deal with her naughty horse. She has developed a new sense of confidence and is excited about riding again. She counts down the days to her lessons and begs to ride every day to practice. Poor Richard never gets a day off. Joanna's passion for the sport and love and understanding of the horses is evident in her riding and instruction. She is a gifted teacher who explains, demonstrates and reinforces her techniques in a clear and concise manner. Joanna is a beautiful and talented rider who makes every horse she rides look like an Olympic champion. Natasha and Richard both adore Joanna and are very happy to have met her!" ~ Natasha Enegren & Sir Richard the Great
"I met Jo two years ago in April. She and I began training Oso until June when we had the first surgery for bone chips. I got Treasure in October and we began training her as Oso recovered and was coming back to light work. Unfortnately, in February 08 he had a colic surgery and we were off again. This past April 08 I bought Nakai and we started training with Jo. He also went to his first show with me in more than 5 years. Jo showed him First 4 and won his class with a 71.8%." - Marchell Housden
"Joanna Sloan is a caring and knowledgeable teacher. In the past 2+ years she has tailored her approach with myself and my horse, TesseTura, a 20 year old Thoroughbred ,to our abilities and capacities. Tura is a very 'hot' horse with whose experience previous to my ownership was of running at jumps with her head thrown in the air and her back arched. These are skills not necessarily useful in Dressage. Jo has a lot of experience with the 'fixer-upper' horse, as well as Thoroughbreds, and my horse and I have both grown by leaps and bounds under her tutalage. Jo is patient and kind and always positive in our lessons. She has encouraged me and Tura through those despondent times when I didn't really think I could ride at all( we all have those days), and helped me to see myself and my horse in a new perspective. I love her philosophy of riding as an opportunity for personal growth and connection with the horse in a partnership. I would recommend her to anyone who wishes to flourish through their riding in better understanding of the Art of Dressage, while having fun too!" - Wendy Laws
"After years of absence from the horse world, I was very surprised to find that my riding confidence had pretty much gone to zero. Gallavant and I have been working with Jo for about one year now, and have made great progress. Both he and I require the trainer at times to “think outside the box” and Jo has mastered this beautifully. Her patience seems to be endless, and her kind and effective way in working with the horse (and rider) speaks of a true talent." - Petra Fitch
"It is shocking to compare the horse I have today with the one I had a year ago when I started training w/ Jo. Due to her patience and willingness to work w/ a difficult horse, a Thoroughbred with issues is now a fun and talented dressage and trail horse. White knuckle and nerve racking experiences have been replaced with exhilaration and joy. My horse and I are now having the time of our lives." - Andrea Sid
"I started dressage training with Jo about 15 months ago after spending 30 years riding hunters and jumpers. Although my horse comes from a long line of accomplished dressage horses, he was lazy and didn't have a good work ethic. I ended up exhausted after every ride since I was the one doing all the work! Jo asked me if I was willing to start from square one again and re-teach him the basics on FORWARD, FORWARD, FORWARD. I knew it would be work but I remembered my initial reason for changing disciplines in the first place was to have a new "challenge". Although Currency Exchange ("Chumley") doesn't make ANY ride easy, Jo's training has made a huge difference in the way he moves and carries himself. With Jo's patience and easy to understand teaching technique, I'm enjoying my rides and I'm excited to continue learning as much as I can!" - Jodie Briggs
