Building Unions Between
Horse and Rider
Cecily Perkins Horse Trianer Portrait
Cecily Perkins is driven by a passion for helping students succeed. Her passion is based on a love affair with horses, which came to fruition in a local barn close to home - her only support being permission to follow her dream. She walked the short distance to the barn when not able to get a ride, worked odd jobs to pay for lessons, and rode any horse made available to her. Cecily started teaching and training while she was still in high school, often staying at the barn well into the night and most weekends.
Growing up in Southern California Cecily was influenced by, and had the opportunity to learn from some of the pioneers of her sport, including George Morris, Bruce Davidson, and Franz Rochowansky, chief rider of the Spanish Riding School. Through her work with Rochowansky Cecily was introduced to the art of dressage and quickly learned how essential it is to the devlopment of an effective union between horse and rider.
Throughout her 30+ years as a trainer, Cecily has continued to be the diligent student. She combines modern technology with well-established training techniques to help students achieve their goals while developing superior horsemanship skills. Cecily has a mixture of talents rarely seen in an instructor. She can quickly identify a problem a horse and rider are experiencing, and more imortantly, she can explain it while providing a solution that is achievable. The ensuing sense of accomplishment for both horse and rider results in a better ride at home and improved performance at shows. Witnessing the developing union of horse and rider is the true reward for Cecily.
Cecily Perkins Horse Trainer riding Rikata
Cecily Perkins Horse Trainer with Apple Annie
One of Cecily's proudest accomplishments has been the ability to pass on her expertise to her younger sister Jenni. Together they achieved monumental goals, not only developing Jenni’s riding skills, but bringing along horses that many wouldn't have even considered worth the time. One of those is the famous Apple Annie, who was blind in one eye and was purchased for the purpose of being a brood mare. As the talent that drew Cecily to the young filly became more apparent, Cecily became determined that this horse could be something special. After many long hours helping Apple develop trust and confidence she put Jenni on her and a long, successful partnership was started. With Jenni in the saddle and Cecily on the ground the pair achieved wins at the highest levels of Junior Jumper competition, including clenching a win for the AHSA Zone Ten region team at the North American Continental Young Riders competition, pulling out the Silver Medal for the USA by jumping the only double-clean rounds of the day. Cecily's keen eye for talent, along with the patience to develop that talent, proved to be a winning combination for the would-be brood mare and the little sister.
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