“Horsemanship is the ability to help horses exist in a human world without losing their spirit or dignity.”
— Marty Gardner
Meet Marty & Yvonne Gardner
Flattop Horsemanship has always been about more than horses.
It's about helping people better understand their horses, become more confident in their own abilities, and develop the knowledge and skills that allow both horse and human to succeed together.
For more than two decades, Marty and Yvonne Gardner have built Flattop Horsemanship around that belief.
Meet Marty
Horseman. Teacher. Problem Solver.
I've spent more than 30 years studying horses and horsemanship and more than 20 years helping horse owners with everything from basic communication and confidence to advanced horsemanship.
My background includes working as a cowboy, starting colts, ranch roping, cattle handling, Vaquero horsemanship, Classical Dressage, Working Equitation and many years simply trying to become a better horseman myself.
But experience alone isn't what I believe makes someone a good teacher.
My job isn't to show you what I can do with a horse. My job is to help you discover what you can do with yours.
That's why I start by listening.
I want to understand you, your horse, what you're experiencing, what you're trying to accomplish and what you've already tried.
Sometimes someone comes to me because they're struggling with a specific problem.
Other times, nothing is particularly wrong—they simply want to learn more, develop their skills and become a better horseman or horsewoman.
Both are equally important.
My goal is to help you understand not only what to do, but why you're doing it.
Because when you understand the why, you become less dependent on someone continually telling you what to do and more capable of finding the right answer for yourself and your horse.
“You don't say just go and do this, you explain why.”
— Willow & Kasper
Meet Yvonne
If you've contacted Flattop Horsemanship, there's a very good chance you've already met Yvonne.
Yvonne looks after much of what happens behind the scenes at Flattop Horsemanship, including scheduling, client communication and helping make sure people feel welcome and know what to expect before they arrive.
But her role goes well beyond administration.
Yvonne has been beside Marty throughout much of the Flattop Horsemanship journey and is an important part of creating the relaxed, personal experience people have when they come here.
From answering your first email to helping organize a retreat or simply making sure everything runs smoothly on the day of your lesson, Yvonne is a big part of Flattop Horsemanship.
What We Believe
We believe good horsemanship should help horses exist successfully in a human world without losing their spirit or dignity.
We believe in doing things with our horses rather than to them.
We believe pressure can motivate, but release educates.
We believe in using as little pressure as possible and as much as necessary.
And perhaps most importantly, we believe that when something isn't working, the answer isn't necessarily to try harder.
Sometimes we simply need to understand things differently.
“It became so clear what I was missing when asking my horse to work with me.”
— Kim & Lincoln
You're Welcome Here
You don't need to ride a certain discipline.
You don't need a certain kind of horse.
And you certainly don't need to already have everything figured out.
Whether you're trying to overcome a challenge, build your confidence, understand your horse better, or simply continue developing your horsemanship, we'd be happy to help.
“Marty doesn't just teach good horsemanship, he lives it.”
— Jason & Romeo