John Chaney has made working with, riding and studying horses of every breed and discipline a way of life since he received his first pony at age four. His proven technique can produce a horse that is calm, yielding and willing to perform in any discipline to the best of its ability.
In addition to his spiritual practices and beliefs, his life has also been devoted to learning, developing and refining methods of logical and effective horse and human communication.
Chaney’s eclectic approach begins on the ground with an assessment of the horse’s mental and physical state. Then, he begins a process of establishing a thorough relationship based on understanding the horse.

Although there are specific types of stimuli and techniques employed, there is no set formula as each horse responds differently. “I seek harmony and compliance, based on respect, trust and understanding,” he says. John feels that the most favorable results come from presenting things in a simple manner, so that the horse may understand and absorb what is being asked. Honoring each one of them as a unique being, and trying to achieve a complete union of horse and human - with the human as the established leader - is the cornerstone of his philosophy regarding horses.

John’s mainstay is the stock saddle. His style of riding and horsemanship derives from the old world traditions of Spain and Portugal. In turn, the horsemanship of those countries was learned from conquering and occupying Nomadic tribes of the Central Asian Steppe. The Nomads, who traveled into Europe via “The Silk Route”, were known for their excellence in preparing horses for warfare with dressage training. Their day-to-day life was that of grazing and tending livestock. These horsemen were (and still are), the first so-called “Cowboys” (a cowboy being simply a “mounted herdsmen”). They honed their skills by inventing mounted “games”, such as retrieving small objects from the ground while riding at a full gallop – exercises that would make any rodeo “trick rider” envious. These peoples are credited with the development of the stirrup and the lasso – to mention but a few pieces of equipment still in use today.

John offers several services for horse owners: