April Hart– Equine Program Director
April’s relationship with horses began at the age of 5 years when her father, a veterinarian, arrived home one day with a pony he’d accepted in payment for veterinary work from a struggling dairy farmer. This was the beginning of a lifelong dedication to Equine partnership. Now after 25 years in the profession, training, teaching and showing, she looks forward to joining the staff and students at Greenbrier.
Her journey into the art of horsemanship began after spending her youth jumping with the hunters. When her horse was no longer sound enough to jump, she turned to dressage. While attending the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where she received a degree in Social Advocacy with a minor in Psychology, she was fortunate enough to begin her long association with Dr. H.L.M. Van Schaik, an Olympic medalist. His teachings instilled in her a love of classical dressage and an understanding of the importance of a methodical and conscientious development of the horse. The time she spent with him as a working student made her realize that it is possible to combine the highest level of competitive success while remaining in touch with and continuing to honor the amazing kindness of the horse. The strong commitment to communication and trust in her training method offers her students an opportunity to develop serious equestrian skills based on knowledge and compassion. Her mission statement reads: Ride for the beauty of movement, the challenge of unity, the love of a horse.
As a young trainer, she often had to work with untrained, difficult, even abused animals. Seeking to develop her skills, she began to train with Joe Delano, a nationally ranked trainer of reining horses, who helped her to discover work in the round pen, and the amazing art of communication through body language. Inspired by the depth of physical unity possible in the practice of dressage and the emotional unity made possible by work from the ground and the round pen, her professional ‘trade mark’ became the synthesis of these methods to benefit her horses and her students with solid foundations whatever their sport of choice, and whatever horses they are riding, from Mustangs to Warm bloods.
In keeping with these two major influences, April has continued her study of classical dressage and horsemanship by working with other professionals committed to these standards of excellence and kindness. Her mentors and teachers have included both nationally and internationally recognized equestrians. Seeking out trainers familiar with the Lippizann she closed her own school for a time, to take a position assisting William Warren and his partner Bill McMullen at Warren/McMullen Enterprises and traveled to Europe to visit the Spanish riding school in Austria, ride with Ernst Bachinger and at Lipiza. Her interest in furthering her knowledge has taken her to many workshops and clinics such as, the National Judging convention where she met Cindy Sydnor with whom she clinics, to the USDF Instructor/trainer seminars to auditing clinics with Conrad Schumacher and Claus Balkenhol as they coach some of the top riders of the eastern United States. She regards continuing education as essential to good horsemanship, and has developed a variety of workshops for her clients, including a college-accredited instructors licensing program.
