Success Stories

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Crossing water

Owner: Dave Portzline
Horse: Smokey

"I grew up around horses and rode in a lot of local rodeos when I was younger and bounced better. I've seen a lot of different ways to train horses, but the way Dennis does it is pretty amazing.

I've owned my gelding Smokey since he was born. I imprinted with him, tried lots of different training methods, and worked with him for years - but I could never get him to cross water. Even a tiny little mud puddle freaked him out. Dennis showed me how to work with him, using pressure and release and rewards, and in one afternoon, Smokey was crossing water without any problem at all. He even went through this huge mud hole and stood there with all four feet in the water, then walked-on when I asked him to. If Dennis training methods work for Smokey, they'll work for any horse! "

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Taking the Bit

Owner: Annika Smith
Horse: Maggie

"Maggie is the sweetest, quietest horse I've ever been around. I learned to ride on Maggie and ever since I've had her, it was hard to bridle her. She would toss her head and do anything she could to stay away from the bit. I couldn't get her to drop her head or anything. I had her teeth checked, tried different bits, and nothing worked. Then we worked with Dennis and now everything is totally better! He showed me how to reward her when bridling so she would associate it with something enjoyable. Dennis' methods also helped me get her to lower her head so I could bridle her easier. Now, I don't dread bridling her, and it's a lot safer since she's not throwing her head around. Dennis' training methods are awesome!"

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Cinchiness

Owner: Debra Hoyt, Executive Director of Healing Hearts With Horses
Horse: Lilly

"Lilly is a wonderful, gentle horse who is loved by all of the children who ride her at Healing Hearts With Horses. We are a non-profit riding organization who helps children who have been abused or neglected heal by interacting with horses. One of our main concerns is that our horses are safe, and that the kids can groom and saddle them. Lilly had a serious problem with cinchiness and she had even bitten a few people. I had worked on the issue with her for long time, and just wasn't getting any real results. Dennis showed us how to work with her, and to help her think of being cinched as a pleasant experience instead of a negative one. It worked wonders. I am very impressed with Dennis and his methods. His training is simple to use and follow. Best of all, it really works. The kids can now saddle Lilly without problems!"

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No Trust

Owner: Susan Jaenke
Horse: Jake

"When we bought Jake, we thought he was the perfect horse. We all rode him, and he was just so calm and relaxed. When we got him home, he totally changed. It turned out that his previous owners had drugged him! Over the next few weeks, we found out how damaged Jake was. It was heartbreaking. He was totally afraid and mistrustful of people. We couldn't even get a halter on him, or get him out of his stall. We asked Dennis if he was salvageable. Dennis showed us how to work with him and how to start to build his trust. It's going to take time, because Jake was obviously very badly mistreated, but its working. Before we used Dennis' methods, I couldn't even touch him without him freaking out. Now I can halter him, spend time with him, and every day it gets better. Dennis taught us so much, and I'm so grateful."

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Dangerously Aggressive

Owner: Michelle Pettit
Horse: Red

"I had always dreamed of my horse, Red, being a real companion and a great horse to ride. So I took him to a professional trainer. Unfortunately, Red was super aggressive - to the point of being very dangerous - at the trainer's place. The trainer worked with Red for a few days, but could not get him under control. He would charge them and jerk violently on the rope, and showed lots of other nasty behaviors. It got so bad, he actually broke the wrist of the trainer's assistant! That was it for them. They recommended I have Red put down because he was too dangerous, and would end up hurting me. Then I heard about Dennis Brouse, and got in touch with him. He worked for a couple of days with Red, and totally changed him. He actually got Red so quiet, he laid down in the stall and let me pet him. I went from a trainer who said "put the horse down", to a trainer who got the horse to "lie down." Dennis literally saved my horse. What more can I say!"

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Check back often as we will be posting more success stories in the near future.