Horse: If you have access to a horse/horses (recommended but not required), we recommend that you work with just one horse at a time.

The horse you are working with needs to be comfortable with haltering & touch. While the curriculum will be incredibly beneficial in understanding how to work with a feral/un-gentled horse, the step-by-step training exercises are intended for horses that you can halter and touch.

Once you have graduated HCA, you can utilize the concepts you learned and create a gentling training plan of your own. For even more support, you may also join the Pathway Laboratory, where Maddy will be sharing her Gentling Pathway as she creates it.

Technology: A smartphone is okay, but we highly recommend a computer/laptop. You will also want a strong wifi connection for best results. Average/poor connection is functional but not ideal and will add to load time.

Time: Plan to dedicate 3-6 hours per week for coursework & horse training time if you are aiming to stick to the timeline! However, after your investment you have lifetime access to the course, so you may choose to go at your own pace.

We believe everyone should be able to access education regardless of access to financial resources. Currently, we have the following options available to make this course more accessible:

1. Payment Plan – We offer a four-month payment plan option if you’re unable to pay the full enrollment fee up front!
2. Scholarship – We have a limited number of full scholarships available to those in need of financial aid, or people in the BIPOC community (black, indigenous & people of color). Please keep an eye out for an email with scholarship application forms!

Yes! While HCA will absolutely improve your training in your riding sessions, you will not need to ride to train the foundational behaviors you’ll be guided through in this program.

HCA opens for enrollment a maximum of just two times per year. If not now, then when? It’s never too soon to transform your horsemanship journey <3 Even if the timing isn’t perfect for you… You’ll have lifetime access to the HCA curriculum..

Plus, here’s a helpful mindset tip I learned from a mentor myself, which is—You’ll never feel ready if you listen to your fear-based mind. Ever since then, I’ve personally employed the “start before you’re ready strategy” and it’s transformed the entire course of my life <3

The problem is that most people are addicted to putting things off and saying things like maybe next time, or next month or next year — to the VERY things that matter most — their biggest dreams!

I invite you to challenge that “I’m not ready yet” strategy. Because a year from now, you’ll either still be treading water… Or you’ll be on higher ground, living the connection of your dreams and inspiring others to change the way they look at horsemanship as well—spreading compassionate methods of training horses just by doing this work yourself.

Remember this: you’ll never feel ready to make the impact you were put on this earth to make. The real secret to living up to your highest potential is to always start before you’re ready. And horses everywhere can’t wait for you to get started!

It’s time to say “YES!” to fully using your gift of sensitivity and empathy…and reaching the goals you’ve been dreaming about for so many years with your horse.

I’ve been where you are. From my heart, I cannot wait to show you what’s waiting for you on the other side <3

You do not have to own a horse to join HCA! The first portion of the curriculum is building your understanding of core training principles and developing your observational skills and trainer’s eye. The second portion of the curriculum is where students will work with a horse hands-on. You may find a horse to work with for this portion of the course such as a horse at a rescue, a friend’s horse, or leased horse. You can also revisit that portion of the course when you do have a horse to work with, since you have lifetime access to the Connection Course material!

No, not at this time. The foundation behaviors taught in HCA are designed for horses that accept a halter and human touch. The goal is to get you fully accustomed to the concepts within HCA with a gentled horse, and then you can utilize the skills you’ve learned on a wild horse. Plus, when you complete the Connection Course within HCA, you can join the HCA Laboratory membership, where Maddy guides you through her gentling protocol, step by step.

Yes! Since HCA is all online, you can join from anywhere in the world. All you need is a credit card to make your payments.

No worries! You’ll get lifetime access to the HCA curriculum. Even if you can’t work on the material as soon as it drops, you can always dive in at a later date <3

If you plan to work through the live program in real time, we recommend between 4-6 hours per week (3 if you’re reallllly speedy), to watch the video lessons, complete your homework assignments and —if you’d like— engage with our community. Many students will likely move through the program as best they can; pause and return to it as their schedule allows.

So, if you’re not able to carve out that much time at first, don’t worry! You get lifetime access to the training and can easily work at your own pace, on your own schedule. This experience is designed to stretch you, but it can also be customized to your life.

The more focus and dedication you put into HCA, the more you’ll get out of it. To be clear, there are no fast or guaranteed results. Building a connection with your horse is not a 120 day, linear event. This program mirrors the reality of horsemanship— it’s intense, time consuming, demanding and something you’ll work on for the rest of your life!

PS – There will be some scheduling tips inside HCA that may offer some creative solutions around carving out more time for things that are important to you. These may be helpful for you depending on your situation.

We understand this fear completely. It’s scary to jump into something new, feeling unsure if the product will deliver, or that you’ll be able to implement it!

The curriculum you will learn inside HCA is proven by Maddy’s success, the success of her students, and scientific studies and research in learning theory and Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA).

Plus, the program was designed to guide you to a transformation with support and accountability, so we know you’ll be able to implement what you learn. This is how HCA supports hundreds of students succeeding inside the program every day, and how we know it will work for you.

However, we do back HCA with a 100% satisfaction guarantee. If you’re unhappy with your results after you have graduated from HCA (by completing every module & submitting each homework assignment), simply email us within 1 year of your enrollment date and we will issue a full refund.

We ask for completed coursework before issuing refunds because we want to ensure that we only work with students who are committed to their own transformation in their horsemanship journey <3

When you attend a clinic or workshop, you have to “drink in” everything you learn in just a few hours or days, then take it home and hope you remember all of it. When you go through HCA online, you have the opportunity to revisit any lesson when issues arise. Plus, you have LIFETIME access to our student forums, where you can ask your questions about the curriculum any time. At live events, your support ends when the event ends. But here at HCA, you’ll get ongoing support any time you need it.

Yes! There is a special portion in HCA dedicated to guiding you through hands-on training with your horse. Additionally, you’ll get opportunities to practice & test your knowledge, understanding and skills inside the HCA curriculum. You won’t be sitting back, passively consuming information. HCA is designed to be a course you’ll actively participate in, ultimately guiding you to the transformation you’re dreaming of.

If you’ve tried positive reinforcement or other compassionate training methods and didn’t find success… Don’t worry. HCA is built on science, proven to create results. If you’ve tried something like this before and didn’t enjoy the results, you likely did not have the proper guidance to get you where you wish to go. HCA teaches exactly what you need to create a true connection with your horse.

HCA is designed to work for every horse; it gives you many ways to creatively tailor your training to your specific horse, based on a handful of proven, fundamental principles. HCA has guided hundreds of unique students & horses to a connected relationship, so we know it will work if compassionate horsemanship aligns with you.

Mindset tip: We have recognized a pattern in those asking this question. We say this with love: affirming that your situation is too unique to find answers may be a limiting belief preventing you from leveling up and taking action. Do you believe you are worthy of the connection you desire? If you’re looking for all the reasons why HCA won’t work for you… It won’t work. And nothing else will, either. There’s a mindset block holding you back from achieving your dreams. We reprogram your mindset in this course, so if you’re ready to abandon all excuses and finally create the relationship you long for with your horse… Enroll in HCA.

Yes! HCA teaches the principles of ALL compassionate horse training, improving every aspect of your horsemanship. The hands-on portion of our curriculum is focused on foundational positive reinforcement behaviors, which you can train outside of your normal riding routine (careful, you’ll probably get addicted to positive reinforcement once you try it!). Then, in the last module, we will cover how you can integrate positive reinforcement into your previous training using 3 tracks, unique to your horse and individual goals.

Nope 🙂 Your horse is ALWAYS learning. Every interaction you have with her is training her in some way. If you want a true connection with your horse, understanding the fundamentals of how your horse operates is absolutely necessary. Learning how to train your horse effectively and with compassion will be the cornerstone of all your interactions with her if you’re longing for a connected relationship. This is exactly what we offer in HCA!

By labeling our horses as abused, a rescue horse, bratty, naughty, reactive, stubborn, etc… We can begin to avoid taking responsibility for our horse’s (learned) behaviors, ultimately blocking out any change that can be made.

The good news is: Your horse is never “too far gone” and it’s never too late to begin shifting things. Relationships are marked by ruptures & repairs. Rupture is inevitable; Thankfully, repair is a conscious choice we can make.

There is always an opportunity to create the connection of your dreams, and change your horse’s life for the better by taking up responsibility to help her. This is why we created HCA! We give you all the tools that you need to train and connect with your horse, and begin the process of repair.

Maddy designed the curriculum for the course in 2020 and recorded the educational videos inside HCA as well as downloadable guides and training plans. She will be present live this round, offering encouragement and coaching you through select pressure & release behaviors (R-), a new addition this round. Cassie, our in-house coach, will continue to provide student feedback throughout the course & with the 10 Foundation Behaviors (R+) specifically.