| Hi, I’m Carol McKibben, a long-time student of Pam Wangenheim of Majestic Equestrians. ME is a full-service dressage training business but what makes it stand out in my mind is Pam’s “total care program.” Pam is the first trainer that I’ve been with who offers this service at an “all-inclusive” price. Previously, I could get grooming, tackups, turnouts, lunging and the like if I was willing to pay an additional fee each time one of those was done. Pam has a different approach. The horses are lunged before every lesson to not only warm them up but help them relax and stretch out their backs and necks, allowing for a less tense and more successful lesson. When I arrive for my lesson, my horse has been groomed, tacked up and lunged. Talk about valet service! Pam provides free massages when the horses need them. She recommends and watches everything they put into their systems. Her goal is to prevent problems before they develop. At Majestic Equestrians every horse is different and has a customized program to fit his or her needs. So, let me tell you about my mare Fergy. When I brought her to Pam, she was 3-legged lame. Three vets told me to put her down and that she was done. Pam looked at me and said, “no way.” So, Fergy went from being a crippled, finished horse to doing 4th Level this year under Pam’s watchful eyes. Whether she needed stall rest and hand walking, lunging or light work, she slowly was built back to her former self. After a thorough analysis, she was put on Uckele, a nutritional custom-blend to provide her unbalanced system with the proper supplements to help aid in her healing. Slowly but surely she was monitored, massaged, trained and nurtured back to a solid, beautifully-moving mare. My horse received therapy without me paying an extra dime for it. I’ve seen Pam and her team do this with many horses over the course of the 8 years I’ve been with her. She’s noted for being a dressage specialist, but she’s also well-known for working with what are considered “difficult breeds” like Friesians. She trains and she or her students show about seven Friesians currently, and I’ve been one of her Friesian people as well – winning 3rd place at regional championships a few years ago. And several Friesians that she’s shown have won horse of the year. Pam understands the Friesian conformation and brain. She uses their intelligence, talents and willingness to please to her training advantage rather than dismissing them as dressage horses. And she’s just as talented at working with big gorgeous warmbloods like my mare as she is with thoroughbreds, quarter horses, and other breeds. Learning to ride when she was 3, Pam has trained and competed in just about every discipline from Western to jumping in addition to dressage. Her 30+ years of experience have made her an outstanding trainer. The majority of her students have been with her for a long time. I know she looks like she’s only 12, but some of us have been with her more than 17 years. So she’s doing a lot right. If I had to outline her strongest skills, I’d say that she sees health or training issues developing before they become a problem and prevents them. She’s one of the best natural healers I’ve ever seen. She can break down rider problems into smaller pieces to improve the whole. She usually takes no less than 9 horse-rider combinations to championships each year. She determines her students’ goals with their horses and then helps them achieve those goals. And she adjusts her teaching style to the needs of each rider-horse combination. As long as Pam is a trainer, I will be her student. Come and visit Pam for yourself and discover what I’ve enjoyed all these years. . |
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