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 Cassandra Snyder welcomes you to:
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Success Stories from friends of the Sacred Circle


I thank all of you whom have written to me expressing gratitude for my help with your horse.  And, another thank you, for allowing me to share these notes; notes first intended for my eyes only.  The gift to me was tremendous, and I am touched deeply and overwhelmed with gratitude by your written gestures of thanks. By sharing your letters, cards, and emails, I pray it may allow others insight into your experience with me, and others may see the hidden potential in their own horse, and themselves.  To believe that they too can have a partnership of mutual respect, and a circle of endless loving energy between themselves and their horse, is my dream come true.  To provide a transformation they may not have known to be possible; and to provide inspiration for their dreams to come true as well. 

         ~ Gratefully yours, Cassandra Snyder

 

Dear Cassandra,

This morning I enjoyed a nice, quiet ride on K.C..  To other people, that might not seem like a big deal, but to me, it's close to a miracle! 

After putting up with his obnoxious, defiant, "bully" attitude for 6 years, I now have a calm, compliant horse!  You have managed a total transformation!  Thanks to you, he now moves out of my way on the ground, leads quietly, stands when I mount, and "gives" softly when I ask.  WOW! 

 I am just thrilled to finally have the horse that I've hoped for.  We are on our way, at last, to forming a partnership-becoming a team-and enjoying our excursions together.  I really appreciate that you not only trained my horse, but also that you took the time to train me!  After 20 + years of horse ownership, I have learned so much from you. 

Your teaching style makes it easy for even this "fifty-something" gal to learn new techniques.  The tools you have given me make me feel much more confident in riding. 

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!  K.C. and I are now looking forward to many years of "Happy Trails" together! 

Gratefully yours,  Peg Bormann, Stevensville, MI.  2009


     When I met Cassandra Snyder I was drawn to her instantly, her horse experience fascinated me to no end. 

     My colt that had just turned three was virtually untouchable, spooky and unpredictable.  I had many communications with Cassandra regarding the type of riding I like to do: high mileage with a sit and go attitude.  At the point that we agreed that Cassandra would work with our colt, the plans were that when I brought him home he would come to me, and I would be able to walk, trot, and canter on him.  My thoughts were at least I would be able to sell him and get something more suitable for my riding needs.  Cassandra and I agreed that he might not be my dream horse, but he would be a really nice horse for someone. 

     As I watched the transformation take place: it was truly a miracle!  After three days with Cassandra my colt was being ridden on the trail, over bridges, through water, and was on his way to becoming my sit and go companion for life!! 

 

Photo: Boleros and Cassandra

     She had trained my colt from the inside out, he will look to me for guidance.  I am truly amazed by the way she can read horses and how she has opened my eyes to a whole new way of communicating with my horse.     

 ~  Sarah Nichols,  Cedar Springs, MI.  2008


Dear Cassandra,

This is a picture of me in Colorado on the boss' horse Fancy  (the one no one could ride but me :-)

 I wouldn't have been able to ride her without the knowledge you taught me!  Thanks to your amazing teaching ability, and knowledge you've given me, I was a star rider and the "boss' pet!!"     ha ha!   :-)   

Your the best!

Amy Pratt, Wrangler

Sombrero Ranch, Colorado,

Summer 2009

Colorado, USA


 

When I met Cassandra, I didn't feel like my new horse Dee, a 10 year old Morgan mare, had too many problems. She loaded into the trailer and had very good ground manners. I came to Cassandra to get more out of my horse competition wise. 

The first time I brought Dee to Cassandra, she had had me write down all the things I wanted my horse to do, and facts about her. We agreed that my goals would be eventual in reach. Cassandra said I noticed many important and subtle signs.  Things on my list could mean that my horse was in pain. Things like flinching and fidgeting when being saddled, her refusing to be ridden bareback, and her jumping and spooking, and being very touchy when I first mounted her. 

Cassandra did a complete evaluation of Dee, looking for any physical and mental limitations. She concluded that Dee had severe damage to her back muscles. The tissue was even permanently scarred with white hair from years of ill-fitting tack and poor riding from before I bought her. Cassandra said she could help Dee's back heal and recommended therapy for Dee.

It was around February when this happened, so we (my mother and I) thought that if we gave Dee the rest of the winter off, her back issues would heal themselves. When spring came around, I realized that Dee's back issues hadn't healed themselves. She would often buck, or take wrong leads, but everyone thought she was being bad. The final straw came when I was at a local show, and Dee bucked me off twice. My mother {and all the other adults} insisted that Dee was just misbehaving.  No offense to them but I knew something was wrong.

Luckily for me, Cassandra came to the show just in time. When she came to look at Dee, she immediately took her saddle off, and showed us how badly Dee’s back was damaged.  Dee’s reflexes did not even work, they were backwards. Dee’s back would hollow down when the reflex was supposed to cause it to arch up.  Her muscles didn’t work correctly, Dee couldn’t canter and that is why she bucked, Cassandra told us. 

My Mom agreed to have Dee go into recovery at Cassandra's facility. (Keep in mind that if Cassandra hadn't been there, my mom would have sold Dee on the spot because she didn’t want me to have a bad horse that bucked.) After two weeks of therapy and chiropractic, Dee came around. But it wasn't the end of her recovery. Now that Dee's back muscles had been healed, she now had to learn to not be afraid of the saddle, and to use her back muscles in a correct way.  She needed to learn how to carry me instead of hollowing and dropping her back down, like she was used to doing.  

She wasn't the only one learning. I now had to learn to ride correctly (I'm still learning) and to not be afraid of cantering. (Being bucked off repeatedly, and nearly having my horse taken away wasn't the best experience.) Cassandra helped us through the whole thing. Dee and I learned The Sacred Language together, and learned to ride confidently, and enjoyably. Now, I have a horse who truly loves me, is safe, strong, and beautiful.

Without Cassandra, I would have been forced to sell my best friend, and I would have never met such a wonderful, caring, and helpful person.

Thank you so much Cassandra, you truly changed my life!

~Emily Fountain and Dee. Big Rapids, MI 2011

 

 


 My passion for horses is the ultimate driving force in my life.  Ever since I met Cassandra she has illuminated the very essence of this passion, allowing my knowedge and respect for horses to flourish.  From the beginning of my riding career I have struggled to find trainers who truly understood the language of these magnificant animals, nor could they effectively convey concepts to me regarding riding and communication with the horse.  I was a gifted rider from birth but it wasn't until I met Cassandra that I actually began learning how to build a partnership with my horse.  I have known Cassandra for six years and her ability to not only understand the horse, but also effectively communicate her wisdom to people has never ceased to amaze me.

In reality I was overly confident that my way of riding was ideal.  Cassandra showed me, by examining pictures of myself riding,  instances where my methods seemed effective only until I reached a certain level of difficulty in my discipline. For example when jumping a higher fence height my leg would slide too far back, and my equitation would falter, and she showed me how I was impeding my horses.  It was frustrating to not be able to train consistantly under Cassandra, but we lived hundreds of miles apart.

This was so very frustrating for me because when I would come to ride with Cassandra {during summer visits} after a dozen years of taking lessons from various trainers, she would recognize things that were incorrect with regards to proper communicative aids while riding including the seat, hands, and legs – the foundation of proper equitation!  All other trainers molded my riding techniques to fit their idealness which ultimately wasn’t effective in the long run. The confusion with someone telling you how to "do it this way” and someone else telling you “no that’s wrong do it this way” tore me to pieces and made me feel like I had to start all over again. Other trainers said I needed to fix something and they told me to fix it in a way that really didn’t explain how to, or why I am fixing "it", whatever “it” may have been!

I was so frustrated this winter that I finally decided to put my pride aside and forfeit all I had "learned" in all my years of riding, and  I asked Cassandra to rebuild my foundation from my heel up. In one private 2 hour lesson Cassandra established the proper seat, weight, leg and hand positions to effectively communicate with a horse. When her Thoroughbred  schoolmaster, named Enchantment, went from grinding its teeth in agitation over my "chair seat" riding position, to then lifting his back up and performing a passage! when I had mastered the correct seat and aids, it re-instilled my faith in my riding and I felt wonderful; like I was working with the horse not against it!

As parting advice, Cassandra convinced me to trust my instincts when communicating with a horse and to reason if and why certain aids will result in certain actions or movements. She stated, if it doesn’t make sense to the horse, why ask it in that way? As for the position of my legs, riding improperly for so long will take some time to counteract; however {she told me} my leg will stay where it’s supposed to if my spine and seat are correct; and if I perfect each gait and each fence height before moving on to more difficult tasks.

Riders are so eager to progress, I am an obvious example, but if there is one major thing I learned from Cassandra it is that you can’t cheat in horseback riding. You can’t skip steps like building a proper foundation, or building a partnership with your horse, or establishing trust in a horse you are riding.

 

Photo of Amy Pratt and Cisco (owned by Derek Peterson),

Low Jumper Circuit Champions, H.I.T.S. Ocala, 2011  

 Thanks to Cassandra, she has worked miracles with my confidence and with my riding. She is a remarkable person in whom I believe can transform any rider because she has mastered the language of the horse, and how the horse reacts to any rider.

  ~ Amy Pratt,  Gainseville, FL.  2011

 


Dear Cassandra,  

What phenomenal lessons! Just fixing that one piece opened up more doors and I got better responses and results.  Thank you so much for fitting me in here and there.  It was so wonderful. I also want to thank you for allowing me to audit some of your riding...I love that am getting softer and that I will have a soft mount to ride. 

I am hoping that with the continued practice/work that the quietness will carry over to my everyday life dealings.  I always feel so peaceful for a few days after being around you and your farm.  The aura and energy is so nice.  Thank you for everything you have helped me with.  I so love what is changing and blossoming. 

~ Becky Goetll  2009,  Big Rapids, MI


Thank you Cassanda for the time and energy you put into the Clinic and the learning was huge!  We were all comfortable, and the chain saw lesson for the Arab was more fun that seeing you ride Boon with a trash bag in your hand!  The progress was obvious to us all and the horses were better for it! 

I will hope anyone with a horse would take the effort to come to you and become better horse owners. 

~ JoAnn Quinn, August 2009, Big Rapids, MI


Dear Cassandra,

Your training has helped both of us tremendously!  I have been able to increase Cricket's distance from other horses 10 fold, thanks to your work with him, and with me.  He walked along relaxed and happy; he no longer "prances," and gets excited when the others canter ahead.  His tendency to lunge into a canter, and then "crow hop" when the other horses went ahead is now gone, thanks to you. 

Thank you for helping me understand where his behaviors were coming from {finding security in the other horses} and for teaching him and I how to change them. He was fantastic-an absolute joy to be with and ride. 

Thank you so much! 

~ Char Hartley, Sparta, MI 2009


Dear Cassandra,

"I want to thank you for the most inspiring horse clinic I have ever attended.

You have an amazing gift and I am so excited that you are here in Big Rapids where I can enjoy learning from you….

Thank you again Cassandra. I just can’t believe how much joy you brought me today.”

Robin Dilg, Big Rapids, MI  August 2009


Cassandra has helped to heal my fear of horses after a horse-related injury.  And, she paired me with the perfect horse at the same time! 

I worked with Tess in order to learn The Sacred Language, and ended up bringing her home!  Because of The Sacred Language, Tess does as I ask with just a slight movement from me, and is the most relaxed horse I have ever been around.  When my 5 year old son is in the pen, she does not move a muscle (except to blow in his hair which he loves).  It is the most amazing thing. 

Cassandra taught me to read horses' moods and how to act accordingly.  I grew up with horses but still had so much to learn.  Cassandra is a patient and encouraging teacher and knows so much about horses I sometimes think they talk to her. Maybe that sounds too weird, it is how I feel though. 

~ Jilliane Walsh, Big Rapids, MI.  2011


This spring I noticed that my daughters quarter horse, Our Blue Heaven, aka Seven, was stiffer than normal. Although already on a joint supplement, his stiffness seemed to continue, and at the Fair he was "off". I called Cassandra and asked that she come and evaluate him to see if she could help him, or at least offer some idea as to his current problem. Now his un-soundness is a long story. He has not been a super sound horse since we bought him 18 months ago. However, he has the most loving, fun personality and he was the quiet calm boy that Michayla, my daughter, needed. When Cassandra came to evaluate him, it was the "big show day". Michayla explained to Cassandra that Seven was not taking the lead to the right and to us it seemed he was stiff and unbalanced - he just wasn't traveling right. 

Cassandra adjusted his neck, hips, shoulders and showed Michayla how to express his reflexes, which thankfully were intact.

Some of this was done between her western classes. Now if you are thinking well maybe they should have stopped showing, yes we certainly were entertaining the idea of ending the day, however, Cassandra worked on him a bit and said she’d go over him again after the class, so into the class they went.

Amazing! To see him take the right lead and to see the instant decrease in his stiffness! Michayla was also able to keep him on the rail!

Cassandra continued working on him after the class and he was then to rest in his stall overnight. She recommended he be trotted gently for the next day’s show, which was the speed day. Now this was not a huge deal since I thought she would say rest all day; however, since he was stalled at fair, Cassandra thought it would be good to exercise
him and get him out of the stall. Now we must confess Seven really is no speed demon on any level but he loves the fun of it. Michayla got him out in the morning, tacked him up and headed for the practice arena. They walked around a bit and she asked him to trot...

 

he took off cantering, tail up in the air, stretching out like a thoroughbred would in a race. I was floored! Never have we seen him stretch out like that! It was amazing, and it was easy to see he felt better! He even did an extended trot, which he's never done! In that one chiropractic session, Cassandra made him feel so much better and we are so grateful to her for that.

Cassandra has always been kind and generous with her knowledge; she genuinely cares for the horse and its well being. She is rare among horse people as her methods are gentle, kind and always loving towards the well being of the horse and owner (although owners surely must be harder to work with).. lol.

We appreciate all that she has done for Seven and continues to do.

 ~  Dana Wright, Big Rapids, MI. 2011

 


Dearest Cassandra,

Thank you so much for all that you have done for Lisa. Mona Lisa is better for it. Lisa and I have been having a great adventure. 

 

"Having so much fun!" 

 Tigger and Cassandra; Lisa and Terese

You have taught me a lot about why it is so important to take good care of Lisa, as well as how.  There is no way that Lisa and I would be having all this fun without this good care. 

God Bless You,

~ Terese Krohl, Big Rapids, MI 2013


Thank you Cassandra for all your help this summer.  My mare has had bucking and attitude issues for years.  Since working with you she is no longer bucking, and her attitude is great! She is quiet in and out of the arena and really seems to enjoy running barrels again.  Look forward to working with you again. 

~ Heather Oda, Temple Georgia  2013


The Sacred Language is so much more than a language to communicate with horses  It's a language to communicate with everyone.  As I began learning the concepts I remember I just kept thinking, "That applies to everything in life.." "that applies to people too!" "I could use that with my son!" 

I knew there was a better way, a non-violent way, to be a great partner with my horse, I just didn't realize that once I found it, it was going to change my life, and make me a better person all around!  Thank you Cassandra! 

 ~ Amanda Langell, Evart, MI 2013


I came to Cassandra when my gelding, Riley, was having stiffness/lameness issues.  After finally getting my dreamhorse, this was heartbreaking.  Before the first adjustment I was nervous.  When I previously had Riley adjusted (by a different chiropractor) it had not been a good experience.  Riley had to be practically held down to be worked on; it was painful for him!  

Cassandra was the complete opposite.  She was calm and gentle, and so was my horse. She did not force anything and let Riley move around as he needed.  Afterwards, I could instantly see a difference in my horse! She continues to work with Riley and I can see improvement every time. 

Her ability to look at the big picture, and not just treat one symptom, sets her apart from others.  Her gift with horses, coupled with her exentesive knowledge is truly priceless.  Thank you, Cassandra for all you've done and continue to do for me and Riley! 

 ~ Sarah Kuz, Reed City, MI 2014


Thank you, Cassandra, for finding and relieving my Paddinton's pain so that he could be a calm, willing, happy horse, and for teaching me to influence his movement with my body.  Riding him is now an amazing experience!  I hope you come back to Washington state soon-I still have a lot to learn!

~ Sarah Light, Mt Vernon, WA 2014


I wanted to give you an update on the horses you worked on {farrier changes and spinal adjustments}: I can touch Tari's girth area all over and NO reaction from her!  And {after suffering for 1 and 1/2 years with chronic diarrhea} her diarrhea is GONE:)  Both Tari and Bolt are feeling so much better!!!! Acting like kids again.  Flame is also doing much better.  He's been so lovely!!!  I tell you, the first 4 days of adjusting to the changes you made, they were all crabby. Now HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY!!!! 

~ Diane Ainsworth, Mt Vernon, WA 2014


 

Prior to taking The Sacred Language course given by Cassandra, I would have to chase my OTTB, Con, for a minimum of 45 minutes to wear him down enough so that I could halter him.  Working with Cassandra has transformed our relationship; we are partners now.  Con is a willing participant.  Now I stand at the gate of his pasture and he comes to me quickly and puts his head in his halter!

I will never forget the moment we bonded, it still brings a flood of emotion to me.  I am so thankful for the help Cassandra has given the two of us, and to have this once rowdy, defensive racehorse desire to spend time with me.  Using The Sacred Language under saddle, has enabled Con and I to now enjoy peaceful trail rides.  We have crossed bridges, encountered dogs and loud vehicles, gone trail-blazing...  If you want a true lifetime bond as a riding partner with your four legged friend, Cassandra Snyder is the person to call.  

~ Nick Swader

Mt. Vernon, WA 2016