>>> I don't know why but I sometimes make the mistake of renaming Andrew Yost to Alexander Yost. His name is Andrew. Sorry. Here is a link to his website: http://www.svadilfarihorses.com/
I've never met Andrew, but I believe that just a few years ago he had some partnership with Sindri Sigurdson, an Icelandcer "clinician" and former competition rider. (sp?) I don't know if they are still in any sort of partnership. I saw Sindri and a cohort work with a mare at another farm for 45 minutes and at the end of that session, the sweet mare was terrorized. It was one of the most primitive "training" sessions I've ever seen: two buffoons totally ignoring the body language of that poor stressed mare, just pushing her on and on...and apparently clueless what they were doing to her. I have it on video, and a few people on the list have seen it. I still feel for that poor, confused mare. If Andrew trains anything like Sindri, I'd stay as far away from him as I could. Hopefully, Andrew has learned better now. I'd certainly ask LOTS of questions...and I'd NEVER leave a horse for training with someone who has at anytime in the past trained with that lack of sensitivity and brute force - not if I couldn't drop in and check in randomly about every day. That sort of "training" MAY work for SOME particularly easy-going horses, but there are too many rehabs falling out of those kinds of training programs. But for those easy-going horses, I look at it another way - just think what they could achieve with good, gentle, humane training... Sorry to be blunt, but I probably should have named Sindri and Snorri Dal (sp?) as the two clinicians who I saw back in 2003. This isn't second hand. I saw them in person, and actually rode in a "lesson" with them, thankfully not on my own horse. What a joke....and what an eye-opener. Oh, before I went to that "clinic", I heard really good things about those two. Just proved one thing to me - don't believe everything you hear. Even the roughest trainers/riders apparently can find their groupies, especially when the brutes are cute and know how to flash their dimples at old women. GRRR. I can't believe how naïve some people are. Not directed at you, Denise - as I said I don't know Andrew and maybe he's not like Sindri at all, and maybe they aren't associated now. But, I have to wonder about anyone's judgment that would get into any sort of partnership with a "trainer" like that. Karen Thomas, NC No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.20.5/1279 - Release Date: 2/14/2008 6:35 PM
