Kay Schwink
“I’m an adult rider with more than fifty years with horses. I haven’t done everything one can try with a horse, but I have done many things, from speed events, western competition, fox hunting, showing over fences and a little dressage, to driving both carriage and draft. I’ve been self-taught, I’ve been coached by some very accomplished trainers and teachers, and I’ve been in quite a few clinics with well-known trainers. I’ve audited many more and I have tried to learn and use this knowledge for the good of my horses and myself. I try to be open-minded, but also skeptical, because there’s a lot of “snake oil” and magic out there, often packaged with a gimmicky training device and a box of videos. The first time I went someplace where Robbie Potter was teaching, I didn’t sign up. I was there to vacation with my horse and I wasn’t looking for a guru or another horse whisperer I’d never heard of. The things I heard from people who did sign up after the first day of a two-day RPH Clinic made me snatch up the opportunity to buy another student’s second day when she had to go home early. Asking a professor if you can join class halfway through the semester is a big favor, but Robbie gave me a chance, with the understanding he might excuse me if my presence (or that of my horse, which happened to be a relatively young and not-well-travelled breeding stallion) created any kind of problem to the other horses and riders. That day was perhaps the best money I ever spent on half a clinic! I have, since then, been fortunate to see Robbie work in a colt- starting competition and to ride in another (all the days this time) clinic. Robbie Potter is an amazing human being, with an empathy and connection not only to horses, but to their human partners as well. I’m not easy to teach, and my pony is stubborn too, and my experience was nothing short of magical. This man is a gifted teacher who meets each pupil where they are, and helps them find the way to the next level. I cannot recommend one of his clinics highly enough.”