Student of the Horse: A Foundation Course to Natural Horsemanship

As a trainer for 20+ years, Betsy Moles Fajen has tamed and trained over 20 mustangs from yearlings to adults with many competing in the 120 day “Mustang Makeover.” Her natural horsemanship is at the ‘heart’ of her winning formula. Training the horse to first trust humans, then to think their way through problems instead of panicking through situations, Betsy is able to build their confidence and understanding in and outside of the arena. She achieves this through stepping into the mind of the horse and developing a relationship working with the nature of the horse. In this course, one will learn the knowledge and skills to do the same. Whether you’re just starting your horsemanship journey or want to build upon your existing foundation, this is the course for you. Participants will learn how to read their horse, the psychology of how horses think, how to gain the horse’s respect through ground control, improve their confidence, and much more. The course includes lectures and hands-on workshops. All sessions are performed live in person @ Wild at Heart Ranch in Canton, Georgia as well as broadcasted live via Zoom. Lectures and workshops are interactive with hands-on engagement from the instructor. The following is included:

• Lecture: 12+ hours of lectures on a variety of subjects, including but not limited to, the horse/human relationship, how horses learn, how to read your horse, good leadership, horsemanship responsibilities, characteristics of a good horseman, and training strategies for the horse. Participants have option to join in-person or via Zoom. These are recorded in the event participants are not able to join live.
• Workshops: 3 three-hour workshops to apply what you've learned in lectures. Horse is NOT required for workshop #1 unless requested otherwise. Horse required for workshop #2 & #3 (loaner horses are available). All work is done online and not under the saddle. Workshops are not recorded, and participants must join in-person. Make-up sessions are not provided.
• Additional Content: Additional content is shared throughout the course ranging from stories of Betsy’s experiences both successes and failures, recommended books, to training videos on groundwork and horse personality demonstrations.

Course Schedule:

See below image for schedule. The course is spread over 3 months. Lectures are set on Mondays at noon and workshops are held in a single weekend (Saturday/Sunday). Note in Eventbrite, it shows the event starting and ending on March 4th - this is for purposes of the Eventbrite listing only. Refer to detailed schedule for full course dates.

Course Requirements:

Full Participation:

• Access to Facebook.
• Supplies for note taking.
• Computer or other device with camera for Zoom sessions.
• Attendance highly encouraged but not required for lectures.
• Attendance required for workshops.
• A sound horse for the workshop portion (loaner horses are available to lease).
• Your own transportation of your horse to/from the workshop location (unless loaner horse is being utilized).

Online Participation:

• Access to Facebook.
• Supplies for note taking.
• Computer or other device with camera for Zoom sessions.
• Virtual attendance highly encouraged but not required.

Course Pricing:

Note in Eventbrite, the price listed is for the first installment only. See below for full payment information including option to prepay and reduce fees.

Option to Pre-Pay Full Amount for Discounted Rate:

• Pre-pay (prior to registration), send us email to confirm payment ([email protected]), and we will provide the registrant a promo code to bypass payment in Eventbrite. This option provides discounted rate in addition to avoiding Eventbrite fees.
• Venmo (Preferred Method): @Betsy-Moles (last 4 digits of phone number: 4449)
• If need alternative method of payment, please inquire.

Option to Pay in 3 Installments:

• First installment due at time of registration via Eventbrite (includes additional fees).
• Second installment due March 18th via Venmo or other alternative method.
• Third installment due April 1st via Venmo or other alternative method.

Full Participation: Includes access to all three components of the course – lectures, webinars, and workshops.

• $700 if pre-paid in full prior to registration ($50 savings plus no Eventbrite fees).
• $750 if paid via installments ($250 per installment plus Eventbrite fees).
• 1st Installment paid via Eventbrite ($250 plus Eventbrite fees).
• 2nd & 3rd Installments paid via Venmo directly (not in Eventbrite / no fees).
• $600 for participants that are currently volunteering at a non-profit horse rescue or hippotherapy program for an average of 5 hours/week for the last year (must be verified by the rescue) or working with a BLM mustang adopted within this year. Contact us prior to registration if this applies to you.
• An additional $100 if a loaner horse is needed for the workshops (payment can be handled through Eventbrite at time of registration or separately).

Online Participation: Includes access to the lectures and webinars. Workshops excluded.

• $450 if pre-paid in full prior to registration (no Eventbrite fees).
• $450 ($150 per installment plus Eventbrite fees).
• 1st Installment paid via Eventbrite: $150 plus Eventbrite fees.
• 2nd & 3rd Installments paid via Venmo directly (not in Eventbrite / no fees).
• Option to audit Workshop #1 for additional $75 and Workshop #2 & #3 for additional $25 per workshop (payment can be handled through Eventbrite at time of registration or separately).

Refund Policy:

The first installment fee is nonrefundable. Additional course fees are non-refundable or transferable after course begins. Betsy Moles Fajen, and/or Natural Horse Solutions, are not responsible for any additional losses. There is no refund to participants who drop out of the course after start date, skip scheduled sessions, or have scheduling conflicts. We reserve the right to cancel any course due to low participation within one week of the scheduled course. You will be contacted and a full refund will be forwarded to those who have paid. Any other refunds are at the discretion of Betsy Moles Fajen and will be addressed on a case-by-case basis.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Wild at Heart Ranch, 435 Little Road, Canton, United States