Joni Fitts School of Horsemanship

July 8, 2009

After spending 29 years building her career in Scottsdale, Joni Fitts has moved closer to home, housing her school near Cave Creek with a rich variety of programs to offer area residents. Joni’s motto, “Teaching is our business,” perfectly describes the caliber of her program.

Her staff is Nationally Certified, and her school is Nationally Accredited. With her wide variety of lesson horse breeds and training levels, she instructs all levels of riders at all ages, specializing in rusty or timid individuals while successfully challenging advanced students. The school offers classes in both English and Western riding and uses a variety of horses offering riders exposure to many different equine breeds for a well rounded horsemanship education.

Beyond the regular lesson schedule, the school also offers Birthday Parties, Fun Camps, Adult Stable Management Classes, and Certificate Programs for all students.

Over the last 3 decades, Joni has enriched the riding community both state-wide and nationally. She consistently offers programs for Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts to earn horsemanship badges. For more information about camps, programs and classes call 480-232-9654 or visit www.jfsh.com.

Joni is affiliated with and dedicated to the American Riding Instructor Association (ARIA). She is certified as a test center administrator and brought national testing centers to Arizona. With her contributions, Arizona now boasts 26 Nationally Certified ARIA Instructors, nine of whom have worked or currently work for Joni’s school. Joni’s ARIA involvement also led to her role as a National ARIA Representative.

Joni is certified as a site inspector for the Certified Horsemanship Association (CHA) which enables her to visit and inspect facilities with the purpose of judging whether they meet the criteria for the Program, Management and facility to become CHA Accredited. In 2004 Joni became the first Nationally Accredited horsemanship program in Arizona.

Pinnacle West Equestrian Center, home of Joni Fitts School of Horsemanship, is located at 3701 E. Pinnacle Peak Rd., Phoenix.

National High School Finals

Courtesy Photo: Georgia Dietz is pictured here astride her AQHA gelding Osage Antiquity on whom she will be competing at the National High School Finals in Farmington, Georgia. At the Arizona High School Rodeo state finals in Payson held June 10 - 13, Dietz finished second in the average in both goat tying and barrel racing. She was also Reserve All Around Champion Cowgirl for the finals rodeo. Prior to heading to the National Finals in Farmington, Dietz will travel with the Arizona high school rodeo team to Fallon, Nevada, for the Silver State International Rodeo (SSIR), July 5 – 9. Georgia will be competing in barrel racing, pole bending, and team roping at Fallon. Other area competitors on the team heading to Fallon are Zane Hirsch, Michael Vines, Courtney Morris and Kendra Stineman.

 

 

Take this cure for the Summertime Blues

Now that we’re into triple digits, it’s tempting to say to your horse: “I’ll see you in September,” and then head for the air conditioning or the pool.

But now that it’s 110°, you can finally address those slightly bothersome, but never really monumental, challenges.

What do I mean exactly? I bet if I asked you to complete this statement: “My horse would be perfect if only he or she would …” I would hear things like: “… let me clip his ears.” “… stand quietly for the farrier.” “… let me wash his face.” “… not spook at plastic bags.” And on and on.

Here’s your plan for the summer: Choose one or two behaviors you would like to change in your horse. Set aside 15 minutes in the evening or early morning, three times a week. Create a program with bit-sized pieces and do nothing but work this program. By Labor Day, your horse will have earned a master’s degree in these behaviors.

Have fun with this, experiment, be creative. Keep a journal on it or document your progress with a video camera. Invite a friend to do the same thing with their horse and compare notes, better yet, enlist the help of a friend in your program.

And me? I am teaching two of my horses tricks, two are learning to drive a carriage, and one is learning to longe at liberty. I am also experimenting with new training philosophy I am calling “Modeling.” The idea is very simple: encourage totally green horses to observe me working with an advanced horse. This fall, I will teach the same lessons to the green horses in the hopes they have picked it up through osmosis. Nutty? Not if you consider that this is how most behaviors are learned in the herd.

“Summertime and the livin’ is easy.” And now … productive!

Leslie Nichols is a progressive horsemanship professional and innovator of the Leslie Nichols Relaxation Program for horses and their owners, and The Fusion Method for Starting Horses. Contact her at [email protected]