THE STORY OF FOOTNOTE
By Harriet Goodrich

I want the world of horse trainers and riders to know how highly effective Lynn Brown is as a trainer.  Here is the story of Footnote, a little thoroughbred filly who was off to an unpromising start in life.

Footnote was bred to race and sent off to a race horse school at the usual age of about 2½.  Footnote decided she had no interest in racing and let it be known by lying down on the training track and refusing to cooperate.  She was then brought home and sent to a very excellent and caring professional to start a life as a well-behaved show hunter – or at least a well-behaved horse who could be pointed toward an appropriate job description: however, Footnote wasn’t on board with this plan either and lay down in the ring during schooling activities and also wrung her tail in anguish and aggravation when asked to cooperate.

I took on Footnote as a 4 year old filly whose life experiences she interpreted as bad.  She was completely unmannerly and pretty incontrollable. The first time I saw her I started to put her in cross-ties (young race horses have surely been cross-tied…) but she was entirely too wild-eyed and inattentive to anything, even to do that. I backed off and took her out to graze. You can’t go wrong with that.

Realizing that Footnote needed an entire restructuring of the thinking processes, I called Lynn Brown whom I had observed at a clinic.  I had been impressed with her techniques and amazed at her results so I figured she was Footnote’s only hope for a future.

Footnote and I have worked with Lynn for about 3 months.  Not only has Lynn taught Footnote, she has also taught me the techniques that work so well.  Footnote is now standing quietly ground-tied, leading in a mannerly and respectful fashion, being attentive to me at all times, standing quietly for being saddles and working quietly in the round pen.  She is a much happier horse and is really “getting it” with regard to being mannerly and obedient.

I have just started working her under saddle. She has stood immobile at the mounting block and let me get on without any fuss.  She walks quietly and, because of the invaluable groundwork laid by Lynn, she will progress quickly with her under-saddle work.

It is no exaggeration to say that Lynn has given Footnote a hope for a good future.  Horses must be safe and well-mannered or life will not be good to them. A flighty thoroughbred filly is the antithesis of safe and well-mannered but, thanks entirely to Lynn, her professionalism, sense of humor and amazing insight into horse psychology and body language, now the flighty thoroughbred filly is becoming a safe, mannerly, pleasant mare that will become a useful member of equine society and will find an appropriate job description.  Her options are much broader now since she’s learned proper equine etiquette under Lynn. It will be exciting to watch her progress.

Harriet Goodrich - 9/16/09

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What our clients say about coming to TRANSITIONS:

"I'm thrilled with Footnote's progress. You're working a miracle with her!" - Hatsie, another satisfied client