Horse & People Stories
Robin Andrisen and Chanel
“Katja has been an absolute joy for me to work with. I have worked with horses my entire life - grew up riding on a ranch, went from there to showing and trained my daughter's horses to 11 national championship titles - horses are my passion. Katja has an entirely different approach than any other trainer I have ever worked with. She is willing to put in the hours and the work for the good of the horse. She understands the process and that at times it is a slow one, but to get angry with a horse serves no purpose. I have a rather "hot" Half Arabian/Half Saddlebred. Her mother was a national champion, but due to the way she was trained, her brain could easily check out. I wanted to end up with a wonderful horse that still had a brain - and Katja is helping me to do that. Katja has been consistently working with my baby since she was 17 mo's old and she is now 3 1/2. It has been a very enjoyable process for me and my horse. There is a huge connection between my baby and Katja. Katja is happy to work at the level my baby is at, never expecting her to do more than her brain can handle and yet there is always steady progress. My baby is amazing in the lines, and the progress under saddle is so fun to watch. I look forward to this relationship for many years to come.“
Julie Hermann + Willow
“I am a 52-year old amateur dressage rider who has been riding dressage on and off since the age of 40. I did not ride as a child and had no other significant riding experience. I gave myself riding lessons as a 40th birthday present because it's something I have always wanted to do!
My horse is an 8-year old Percheron/Thoroughbred mare named Willow Bay. I purchased her as a three-year old from a local trainer in Los Olivos CA. It is well known in the horse world that a beginning rider should never buy a young horse but.... I purchased Willow because it was the only way I could afford a ‘quality‘ horse, AND I hoped and assumed the risks would be mitigated as both horse and rider would be in constant and supervised training. Willow Bay's personality is good-natured and willing to work, forgiving of mistakes by the rider, and she is a good school horse. She loves people but is a very ALPHA mare around other equines. She is very sensitive to new stimuli, environments, activity, etc and needs a calm and confident rider to be her partner. When Willow senses fear in her rider, she will "take over the situation" and protect herself as she sees fit.
Willow Bay and I spent the first two years of our "together" lives (Willow was age 3-5) with a local trainer in San Diego, CA. The training and the environment were not conducive to horse or rider and resulted in a spooky horse and a fearful rider. After three serious falls with injuries to the rider, Willow Bay was moved back to the facility from where she was purchased and I subsequently began my and Willow‘s training with Katja Elk there as well. A very long and slow rehabilitation program began.
Two years later, I had rebuilt my confidence and Willow Bay has become a cheerful 8-year old well-schooled horse who steps through her paces with a willing attitude and without spooks.
After our rocky start together, it was an uphill battle for me to believe that I could ride and that Willow was a good partner for me. Katja Elk's love of horses and her deep understanding of them opened the door for me to see Willow in a different light and, once understanding her better, I've become a better owner, rider, and caregiver. Katja treats each horse and owner like they are her only clients, giving them her undivided attention, and works with each horse in a very personal way, teaching or rehabilitating as needed. Katja is an unending font of information about horses, riding, training, care, and rehabilitation; and she can articulate these concepts to her students and her equines in training.“
Rhodie Johnson + Briare
“Katja is warm, gracious, generous and focused. She KNOWS what she is seeing and what the horse is feeling. It is a special treat to have her gentle and accurate instructions so I can really learn how easy it can be.“
Giulia Zanone Orth
"I was a student of Katja Elk‘s in 2005. Katja has a positive, radiant energy that is contagious to humans and horses alike. I watched her working day after day as she built the horses' trust through fun, noncoercive learning experiences."
