Alternative Horsemanship™ Private Mentorship
Alternative Horsemanship™ with Samantha Harvey
Alternative Horsemanship™ Private Mentorship

Private Mentorship Overview

The Alternative Horsemanship™ Private Mentorship is a year-long, individualized program for people responsible for horses where understanding, safety, and trust matter.

This mentorship is not a training program, certification, or collection of techniques.

It is an opportunity to work closely with me to develop the ability to read horses accurately, recognize mental availability, and learn the skills of how to educate the horse to address fear, resistance, confidence, try, and trust.

After more than 30 years working with horses across cultures and environments—including dangerous horses, wild horses, young horses, and horses with long histories of fear—I’ve found that meaningful change does not come from doing more, but from seeing more clearly.

This mentorship is for those who want to deepen that clarity.

Alternative Horsemanship™ Private Mentorship

What The Mentorship Focuses On

The foundational horse-centric understanding focuses on the internal workings of the horse, not simply masking symptoms, demanding compliance, or managing behavior.

Key areas of focus include:

  • Recognizing current defensive behavior that limit mental availability or reasonable physical response
  • Understanding how human pressure—intentional or unintentional—affects trust and willingness
  • Identifying subtle and early signs of anticipation, concern, defensiveness, and fear
  • Learning the value of timing- when to act, when to pause, and when to apapt your presentation
  • Developing timing, feel, and judgment rather than relying on formulas without acknowledging the horse in real-time
  • Addressing long-term mental, emotional, and physical health to increase the safety for both horse and human

This mentorship supports thinking and discernment, not quick fixes.

Who This Mentorship Is For

  • Horse owners or professionals responsible for difficult, fearful, or dangerous horses
  • Individuals who feel that conventional training methods are incomplete or insufficient
  • Students who want to understand why behavior occurs, not just stop it
  • People willing to slow down, observe carefully, and reflect on their own influence

It is especially valuable for those working remotely, in critical barn/boarding environments, those feeling isolation, or without access to in-person instruction.

The work requires curiosity, and personal growth, and accountability.

How the Mentorship Works

The Private Mentorship is intentionally limited to a small number of students each year to ensure depth and individual attention.

  • Monthly Private Consultations
    (One 60-minute session per month)
  • Monthly Video Review and Feedback
    (One 60-minute session per month)
  • Priority Email Support
  • Optional Small-Group Conversations
  • Personalized Guidance, Not a Curriculum
  • Long-Term Change

Commitment

This is a 12-month mentorship. Meaningful change—both in horses and in human understanding—takes time, consistency, and reflection. The mentorship is structured to support that process without pressure or rush.

Enrollment

Enrollment is limited.Most students enter the mentorship after completing foundational education or a private consultation. Participation is by application or invitation to ensure the mentorship is the right fit for both student and instructor.

A Final Note

This work is a horse-centric learning opportunity. It goes against the value system most traditional "horse training" programs present.

It is about developing the ability to listen—to horses, to self-awareness, intentional communication, experimenting, and creating a safe space for the horse to build his trust and willingness.

For those drawn to this level of understanding, the Private Mentorship offers a rare opportunity for depth, guidance, and long-term growth.

What a Full Year Allows

This structure supports lasting understanding rather than short-term correction.

  • Learning equine behavior and communication
  • Skill development—for both human and horse
  • Replacing defensive behavior with quality communication, creating adaptable horses
  • Specific support through both the horse’s and human’s learning processes
  • Building confidence- and trust-based interactions