Almost every little girl wants her own pony. in my case, this little girl didn't get her horse until she was in her forties. Raffona was only 4 years old... green horse/green rider. At the time I didn't know what that term meant... I do now.

Fona was boarding at Ashland Hills Stables for a few years before we could find a home with space for her. It was at Ashland Hills that I met Troy for the first time. He knew Fona well. He and his wife, Nancy, had almost bought Fona themselves, but I was lucky enough to buy her first.

I was then fortunate enough to become friends with the Griffiths. Fona and I have worked with Troy for over 6 years and now Fona loves him more than me. Nearly every horse loves him more than anyone else the horse has ever met. Troy has a gift and I have "horse whisperer" envy.

He is also gifted in his approach to the people he trains. After all, isn't the best possible outcome in a horse/owner relationship a partnership? Fona so desperately wants to please and I so want to give her the right directions. Troy has helped me learn how to read Fona's concerns and make my desires clear. I will always be learning how to enhance my partnership with her. I am just grateful that I have Troy for consultation, training, and as a friend.

"Be one with the horse, Luke."

If you are thinking about getting serious about really learning to communicate with your horse and become a better rider, I can strongly recommend Troy, both for his methods and as a teacher.  His patience, with both me and the horses, has been exceptional.  In only a few months, I have surpassed previous training that took well over a year, and become a much better horseman.

Troy's ability to communicate with both humans and horses is great.  His instructions are clear, and his rapport with not only his own horses but with those that he is training shows in their immediate responsiveness.  I have seen him work with all ages of horses, from foals to ones in their 20s, and achieve good and immediate positive responses.  The same praise for his methods applies to riders that I have seen him work with.  For myself, his training and advice have allowed me to perform equestrian activities that have been goals that I have had for decades- literally a dream come true.

I can personally attest to his success.  He will not falsely tell you that you are doing well when you are not.  He can see flaws in training in both horses and riders, break them down, and help you correct them.  You will waste neither time nor effort if work with him, and you and your horse will be better for the experience.

Although I have not been a student of Troy's, I have known both Troy & Nancy for many years. I met Troy when he was starting out in the horse world and have watched him grow as a horseman and his abilities, both with the horses and people.

He has taken his natural talent with horses and continued to increase his knowledge of training and become a very good horseman and teacher, this is mostly because of his ability to listen and learn from his mentors and his desire to always learn more and become better at what he is doing. So now he has been able to create his own methods that work well for him and his students, whether it be horse or person.

I wish him well and know that he will be very successful in this, while helping many horses and people along the way, to achieve their goals.

Carla Johnson : Trainer / Owner - First Class Farms