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with A Learning Journey
Remote Coaching Isn't
a Substitute.
It's Where It Begins.
For international students who host a private clinics or travel to work in person with Sam, the relationship often started with a consult, video submission, and highlighting the missing pieces in the human and horse interaction. That starting point is deliberate — not a workaround.
Intro Consult
A conversation to understand where you are, what's happening with your horse, and whether this approach is the right fit.
Video-Based Coaching
Submitting video of your actual work — groundwork, handling, riding — for specific analysis and guidance.
Ongoing Mentorship
Building a longer-term coaching relationship: developing your skills, deepening your understanding of equine communication.
In-Person Clinic
When the time is right — Sam comes to you, or you arrange to work together in person. The groundwork has already been laid.
What Gets Built Before In-Person Work Matters
There's an assumption that in-person learning is the "real" learning and virtual horse coaching is only used when you can't access the real thing. After working remotely with students on six continents since 2014, I have come to believe students often learn crucial foundational theory and concepts better- without their horse in hand.
When a student submits video of their work and we analyze it together — not a highlight reel, but actual daily interactions — something important happens. They begin to see what the horse is communicating in situations they've witnessed a hundred times but never quite read accurately. They start to recognize their own patterns: the timing habit, the tension they carry without realizing it, the expectations that create the conditions for the behavior they're trying to fix.
That kind of honest self-observation is harder to access in a clinic setting, where the environment is charged and the pressure to perform is real. Remote coaching builds it over time, in the real environment where horse and human actually live.
Your Horse in Your Environment
The patterns that need addressing are visible in your everyday — not in an unfamiliar arena with an audience. Video coaching lets us work with what's actually happening.
Learning Without Performance Pressure
When you're not trying to absorb, apply, and demonstrate in front of someone simultaneously, the learning goes deeper. Remote work gives you the time to genuinely process and experiment.
Building the Language First
Understanding Alternative Horsemanship™ takes time and a shift in how you observe both your horse and yourself. Remote coaching builds that foundation before in-person work begins — so when we are together, we're not starting from scratch.
Continuity Between Visits
What happens in the days and weeks after a clinic matters as much as what happens during it. Remote coaching keeps the learning alive and relevant between in-person work, rather than leaving students to navigate alone.
Specific. Individualized. Not Generic Content.
Remote coaching through Alternative Horsemanship™ is not a subscription to watch videos (though the video catalog is a separate resource that many students use alongside coaching). Individual remote coaching is a direct, personalized working relationship.
- Video submission and analysis — you film your work, I analyze what I see in detail
- Phone and video consultations to discuss what's happening and how to address it
- Written guidance specific to your horse's behavior patterns and your current skill level
- H.E.L.P. assessments for specific situations that need rapid analysis
- Long-term mentorship for students committed to sustained development
- Group livestreams and webinars as supplementary learning tools
The format is flexible because situations differ. Some students need intensive support through a specific challenge. Others work with me consistently over months and years as their horses and their skills develop.
"Having tried several trainers, I was on the verge of replacing my gelding. He would become defensive and refuse to go forward, start spinning, backing, or bucking at the lope. Other trainers had tried to 'ride the buck' out of him. This only made him more resentful and insecure. Sam not only had the patience to help me rebuild his confidence but gave me tools to help him as well. Now I have a horse that is learning to trust again and thanks to Sam, when he gets stuck, I can help him through it."
How Remote Students Move Into
In-Person Work
For students who have been working remotely and want to go deeper, in-person work becomes an option when the foundation is genuinely there — not as a reward or milestone, but because that's when it becomes most useful. Both parties understand the language, know the horse's history, and have a realistic picture of what needs attention.
In practical terms, this looks different for different students:
Some students travel to clinics in the US or Europe when Sam's schedule allows. Others arrange for Sam to come to their property — particularly for European students, this is often the more practical option, and it's something that can be discussed as a coaching relationship develops.
The transition from remote to in-person is never a hard sell or a pressure point. It happens when it makes sense for where the student is and what their horse genuinely needs next. Some students remain exclusively remote for years and make profound progress. Others find the combination of both formats to be where they thrive most.
For International and European Students
A significant portion of Sam's current in-person European clinic students began as remote coaching clients. The remote relationship established context, trust, and a shared understanding of the approach before anyone got on a plane or booked a property visit. If you're in Europe and the idea of a private clinic feels distant right now — starting with remote coaching is exactly the right place to begin.
Begin Where You Are
The Intro Consult is a conversation about your situation — your horse, where you are, what you're working toward. From there, we find the coaching format that actually fits.