client success stories
“Kendra is an experienced, insightful and talented trainer for both horse and rider.
"In addition to her obvious equestrian and people skills, I appreciate the time she puts into her continued learning and the guest lecturers, clinics and other programs she makes available to her clients.
Recently, my 20 year-old OTTB was injured and, sadly, had to be retired. Kendra was with me every step of the way during his rehab, compassionately answering my question and coordinating veterinary care. In addition to Kendra, our barn owner and manager, Bree McKenna, and her staff (Echo Creek Farm and Stable), provided invaluable care and support for my horse and me. They all continue to take good care of us.”
- caroline
“This weekend I had multiple lessons with Kendra on the simulator Blue and it is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made."
"Game changer! Life changing! Kendra’s client centered approach started where I was and through exploration, feedback and guidance Kendra was with me every step of the way as we worked together to find small adjustments that had huge impacts in my riding both physically and mentally.
She is what I’ve been looking for in an instructor for a long time. Her extensive knowledge of horse and rider biomechanics is amazing both on and off horse! She gave me at home exercises tailored for what I need.
What I learned this weekend has been far more valuable to me than any other lessons I’ve ever had. I could feel her passion for this work in every lesson. I’m am just so grateful to have had this experience and will be looking forward to many more! Lots of stories shared and great laughs had as well which made it even better!!”
- Allyson Plaster
This weekend, I had the amazing opportunity to work with Kendra and have a lesson on her Equine Simulator “Blue”.
Words cannot express the gratitude and respect I have for Kendra. Her amazing attention to detail for both rider and horse biomechanics, and her personal attention that she gives to each rider throughout their sessions. I have learned so much about myself as a rider, and learning what my body needs both physically and mentally to make myself a better rider for myself and my horse.
Highly recommended for anyone who is looking to improve and learn about the benefits of biomechanics. Thank you again so much Kendra for everything. It was a life-changing experience and I can’t wait to continue working with you in the future.
- Leslie Sayres
"My husband was a 50 year old new rider and her instruction nurtured a love of horses into him."
"My husband and I trained with Kendra for a year. Her teaching style is phenomenal. She uses such great verbiage to illicit mental images and activate muscles which leads to long term muscle memory. I highly recommend her!!"
-Alyssa Johnson
"I am an older adult beginning rider. When I started this amazing journey in July 2022, I knew I would be facing a lot of challenges."
I also knew that I was going to need some specialized instruction. My unique challenge — I have a spatial learning deficit. For example, dancing is something I really struggle with. I have to practice, practice, practice to master even simple steps. On the plus side, once I learn, I remember forever. My dilemma — the kind of practice I need to improve my riding skills simply cannot be done on horseback.
My first riding instructor was a talented high school student. She told me about Kendra Clarke’s biomechanics expertise. Although I did not immediately seek her out, I kept an eye Kendra’s web page and the clinics she was offering.
We first met at a Centered Riding clinic that she hosted in November 2023. I had the opportunity to ride Reggie, her talented lesson master. Although she was not teaching, Kendra’s energy permeated the event. I knew that our paths would definitely cross again.
In the meantime, my riding experiences were progressing from simple to more complex. I was starting to run up against my cognitive challenges. As an educator, I knew how to observe and analyze my own learning process and I did some research. It seemed to me that an equine simulator would be a good option for all the practice I needed. I found a few instructional programs in the region, but I was not eligible for any of them.
- Linda Feeney
I checked Kendra’s web page again. Miracle of miracles, she was offering a clinic in April 2024 using an equine simulator. I could not sign up fast enough. Our first project was to address my forward tilt. My brain was completely convinced that I was vertical. My brain was wrong. After the clinic, I started private sessions.
In June 2024, my horseback riding instructor pronounced that I was ready to learn to canter — words that were both welcome and dreaded. We proceeded slowly. Not every lesson was a cantering lesson. In the meantime, I was also learning how to canter on Blue, the equine simulator. Kendra, Blue, and I worked together breaking the process into small pieces and applying Kendra’s biomechanics skills to my unique learning style.
And then it happened… In March 2025, I had a fall. I realized that my horse’s saddle was shifting as we were trotting. I moved him to the center of the ring and we stopped. As I shifted my weight, trying to re-balance, the saddle slipped completely and I was dumped on the ground. There were some physical injuries but no broken bones. Unfortunately, the trauma of the event resulted in a cognitive injury — everything that I had learned about cantering was just gone.
We are in the process of re-building that cantering knowledge on Blue. I cannot speak highly enough of Kendra’s patience and creativity. My canter still needs a lot of work but my progress is steady. In addition to canter practice, we also review my horseback riding lessons from the previous week. Kendra comes up with all kinds of creative methods for addressing the weekly challenges that I throw at her.
In conclusion, in case you can’t already tell, I am a satisfied client and I am happy to recommend Kendra Clarke to others who want to do a deep dive on improving their riding.
"I’m an experienced amateur rider, and I bought a 6 year old off-the-track thoroughbred."
"He is appropriately named Pep Talking and I purchased him with the intention of developing him as a trail mount. When I began working with Kendra Clarke, Pep’s instinct was to solve any problem (difficulty making a turn, indecision, etc.) by using his strength and speed. We patiently worked with him over the course of 2 years to develop better balance through dressage training, and he now has confidence in his own ability, in his rider, and he collects himself and moves as we ask him to, both in the arena and in the field.
At my request, Kendra allowed me to be the primary rider during retraining, which has served both Pep and myself well. Pep has grown into a confident and smart trail horse who can safely and thoughtfully handle unfamiliar terrain and a wide variety of challenging situations. It is hard to over emphasize just how happy I am with what we have accomplished under Kendra’s guidance!"
- Al Gillen
"I had the pleasure of working with Kendra for the last 2 days..."
"... and was very impressed by how quickly she was able to diagnose the issues within my riding, and then find specific exercises to retrain my body to react correctly, in the saddle. Looking forward to the next session!"
- Amy Scarlatella
"I have a horse who forces us to think outside the box, and Kendra had done that and more!"
"In a year with her she has taken our partnership to a new level and helped me bring Goose from an easygoing but often hard-headed and ring sour horse to an animal who is light, responsive, and nicer than I could have imagined. I highly recommend Kendra for any training needs!"
