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About Us

About Chris Ruthven

Whether you are looking for a solid foundation for your young horse,  reining training for your hot prospect, or a problem solved with your equine buddy, Chris' quiet expertise and calm techniques assure a positive outcome and a horse that has the confidence to excel at its job.

A native of New Zealand, Chris has been riding and caring for horses since childhood.  A jockey in his teens, Chris spent several years riding steeplechase, show jumping, and drag hunting.  He was on the rodeo circuit for many years, and was the New Zealand Champion Bull Rider in 1988. 

In addition to training horses in his native country, Chris started more than 1,000 thoroughbred racing colts in Japan before coming to the United States in 1998 to work with trainers like Pat Parelli, Lee Smith, Ray Hunt and others. 

Chris works with all breeds and disciplines and specializes in colt starting and foundation repair.  People often come to Chris for help with horses that other top trainers in the industry have deemed untrainable, and has great success in getting to the heart of the problem and returning the horse home happy, confident and willing.

Chris has started colts for such notable trainers as Tim McQuay, Pete Kyle, Robbie Schroeder and Bobby Harrison.  Chris also enjoys competing in working cow horse, reining and combined schooling shows and is an active member of IPHDA, SHOT, NRHA, AQHA, and APHA. 

> Learn more about our Chris's training philosophy here

About Caren Ruthven

Caren Ruthven has had a deep love of horses since she was a little girl, and would ride every summer at a girl's camp in Virginia for 13 years. 

In 1994, Caren moved to the country. In 1996 she realized her true calling of working with and caring for horses after attending the Parelli Natural Horsemanship Savvy Conference.   She most recently has participated in clinics in Classical dressage with noted dressage instructors Eddo Hoekstra, and Karen Rholf. 

Caren's interests have lead her to study a wide variety of riding styles and training methods.  She has studied with Peggy Cummings (Connected Riding), Lee Smith, Ray Hunt, and Pat Parelli, and most recently attended a Dancing With Horses and Choreography clinic taught by The Equus Projects' JoAnna Mendl-Shaw of New York's Julliard School Of Dance.  During the mid-90's, Caren worked at the Pat Parelli International Study Center and is a Level 2 graduate of the Parelli Program and has studied in depth through Level 3 of that same program. 

In addition to being an avid rider, Caren's maternal instincts and love of all animals assures that your horses will receive the most personalized care.  Her passion for learning new ways to care for and communicate with animals has led to her interest in natural horsemanship and alternative medical treatments (see Caren's story, The Gift Horse). 

During the fall of 2004, Caren attended a "Sense Method" clinic with Mary Debono, a Feldenkrais practitioner in California.   Caren is also studying FLOW, a gentle touch therapy for animals and humans developed by Dr. Lance Wright, DC, of Dallas, Texas, which aides in bringing the body to a state of ease.

> Learn about Caren’s experiences with alternative medical treatments for her horse Twilight in “The Gift Horse”