Daphne Thornton

Daphne began her lifelong love affair with horses at the age of eight. After asking her parents repeatedly for a horse, they finally gave in and bought her one. It was like putting a lighted match to dry tinder.

She grew up helping to breed and raise horses - first Appaloosas, then Quarter Horses - on her parent's Poplar Hill Farm. When she discovered hunt seat riding and jumping in her early teens, she never looked back. In the early 1980's, Thornton began her own lesson and training business, Two Bit Training.

Thornton has trained many USEF (formerly AHSA) champions. Most recently, she produced a Sallie B. Wheeler winner, a "AA" winter circuit champion, a USHJA International Hunter Derby winner, and the USEF 2008 Grand National Regular Working Hunter champion. Her clients horses regularly appear in the top zone and national points lists in the Children's and Junior hunters, as well as the top breed awards.

In addition to national winners, Thornton has participated actively in the local hunter/jumper show scene and has coached many show and circuit champions at the local level.

Thornton trains young horses and handles them on the line, and through her work with South Point Farms she has produced several premium foals and site champions and many USEF Hunter Breeding winners.

"My job is to have my clients appropriately mounted, on well-trained, relaxed and happy horses," Thornton explains. "If I do that, we don't have to worry about the ribbons. The ribbons find us."

Thornton is a member of the Kansas City Professional Horseman's Association and is a multiple past-president. In addition, she has been a member, Board Member, and past-president of the Northeast Kansas Hunter Association and a member of the Missouri Horse Show Association. She is a professional member of the United States Equestrian Federation and the United States Hunter Jumper Association.

Daphne Thornton can be reached at her cell number, 816-507-5928, or you can email her at twobitkc@gmail.com.

 

Shawn Covert

Shawn Covert started riding at the age of five in northern Utah. He grew up with Quarter Horses mainly trail-riding and hunting in the mountains around Cache Valley. At sixteen he met a Cutting horse trainer in Idaho who gave him his first introduction to the idea of becoming a horse trainer.

Shortly after moving to Kansas city at age twenty, Shawn began working at Serendipity Arabians in Bucyrus, Kansas, where he has been honing his skills as a horse trainer for over 13 years. He has studied many principles

Natural Horsemanship has been described in many ways. One is that it is the art of working, training and riding a horse in a manner that deals with the horse's behavior and instincts in a kind and gentle manner.  At Seven Oaks, we do just that.

Vicki Rhaesa

Vicki has been fine-tuning her skills in understanding horses at Seven Oaks for over ten years. She has become one of finest trainers in the area in dealing with horses and owners that need special attention. Those owners, that because of their lack of knowledge, have skipped so many of the things that go toward communicating with horses, and those horses that have suffered from that lack of the communication.

Vicki likes to help horses overcome problems, she feels by helping the horse she helps the rider.  Call Vicki at: 913-485-6914

of training, including Natural Horsemanship, Dressage and Western Pleasure. He incorporates all into his own system for the colt-starting and training of multiple breeds.

Shawn's experience includes:

Colt-Starting:  Uses a blend of Natural Horsemanship methods to prepare the horse for a safe and easy introduction enabling him to become a confident, willing saddle horse.

Western Pleasure:  Multiple Class A Championships and wins in the Arabian horse show circuit.

Horses with People Problems: Breaks down issues to get to the root of the problem. Helps rebuild a happy and safe relationship between horse and rider.

Shawn is accepting horses and giving lessons at Serendipity Arabians in Bucyrus, Kansas, and at Seven Oaks Ranch in Spring Hill, Kansas.

Shawn can be contacted at: 913-375-8610 or covertsh@aol.com