Training

At Blossom Creek Farm maintaining each horses individual health and fitness is very important to us.  We are pleased to have Matt Brown as our head trainer.  Matt draws on a vast knowledge of horses to taylor fit each horses training and fitness program to their needs.  He is at BCF three days a week to teach lessons and perform training rides.  Each horse is required to participate 3 days a week.    Horses have been the driving force in Matt Brown's life for over twenty years. He began riding at the age of six under the tutelage of BHS Instructor Andrea Pfeiffer of Chocolate Horse Farm in Petaluma, CA. As a young rider he competed at numerous one star competitions and Intermediate level horse trails, culminating in his selection as a member of the Area VI team at the North American Young Riders Championships two star competition in 1993 where the team took the bronze medal. Matt went on to compete through the advanced level with his young rider mount Maximum Speed. Thanks to Andrea Matt found Max, a six-year- old appaloosa/tb cross. Though Max lacked the refinement and sophistication of fancier mounts, he more than made up for it with his unflappable character and his endless supply of heart. He earned a place with Matt for life. In 1996, Matt traveled east to Vermont where he trained with and assisted Denny Emerson at Tamarack Hill Farm. Denny, an Olympic event rider and renowned horseman, helped refine Matt's eventing skills. Upon his return from Vermont, Matt began working with many young and troubled horses, as he had for Andrea and Denny as a working student. He also continued to develop his riding and training skills under the expert coaching of clinicians Pierre Cousyn, Steffen Peters, Christine Traurig, Beth Ball, Beth Clarke, Axel Steiner, and Sue Blinks. The next major influence on Matt's equine development came at the Montana ranch of noted natural horsemanship trainer George Kharl. There, Matt learned a new approach to horses where patience and communication became the foundation of his relationship with each horse he handled. In the Spring of 2004 Matt moved to Primo Cavallo Farms (formerly Liberty Valley Equestrian Center) and started East West Training Stables with Cecily Clark. It was the next year that Matt was lucky enough to form a partnership with Jasmine, a Canadian Warmblood owned by Cecily Clark and Jodie Potts. After a successful career in show jumping and equitation with Jodie, Matt discovered Jazz's insatiable appetite for galloping across the country. After a win in their first training level event in 2005, they proved their prowess and quickly moved up to Intermediate in 2006. Their career highlights include; 1st – Ram Tap Spring Horse Trials – OI 1st – Woodside Horse Trials – OI 1st – The Event at Rebecca Farms – CIC** (including being elected by the ground jury as the recipient of the Phyliss Freeman Greene good hands and seat award) 2nd – Twin Rivers Fall International Horse Trials – CIC** Reserve Champion – USEA/Adaquan Gold Cup Series – Intermediate Jazz also earned a place in the top ten mares in eventing for 2006. Jasmine is now retired and a mother to Leo, East West's first homebred horse. Hopefully she will pass on her immense heart and bottomless talent to her offspring. Feeling blessed for having had the chance to know such courageous and giving horses, Matt is thankful for each day spent with Jazz and Max. Matt is currently working with a few promising young horses who he hopes will be ready to event at the upper levels soon. Matt has also competed many horses to success in the dressage arena. Some highlights include: Many high point and show Championships at Training, First, and Second levels with Deb Lowis-Geiger and Marilyn Coffin's Maserati; Numerous championships and high point awards at Training, First, Second, and Third levels on Sara Schachter's Fausto, including the CDS Year End Reserve Championship at the Training level in 2007, and the USDF Year-end Reserve Champions at Second level in 2009.Knowing how important continued education is, Matt jumps at every opportunity to learn from other knowledgeable and successful professionals, and clinics regularly with Volker Brommann and as often as possible with Leslie Law. Matt has also studied extensively in the self defense art of Kenpo Karate for fourteen years. He achieved the rank of Shodan (black belt) in 2000. Matt incorporates the philosophies, body awareness, and balancing techniques he has learned in the  martial arts to enrich his training with horses.