Teaching the love of horses is life's journey

In the arena or on the ranch, Mitzi Summers is a "horse whisperer" with a sense of purpose.

With a long list of certifications and accomplishments to her name, Summers is a clinician, instructor and trainer who is very much in demand for her riding experience and reputation in teaching people how to train their horses. She has traveled internationally to work with horse owners and their horses, and is a nationally known judge. Her resume includes riding with the Royal Lipizzan Stallions Show, writing columns for national horse magazines and working with Chuck Grant, a former Army Cavalry officer and the father of American dressage.

But, more than anything else, Summers is known as an advocate for the horse.

As a young girl hopelessly in love with horses, Summers knew she wanted to someday make the lives of horses better. As an adult, she has trained with the best to develop her own philosophy that comes strikingly close to the main theme of the popular 1995 bestselling book and 1998 movie "The Horse Whisperer."

"By definition, you could call me a horse whisperer," she said. "But, you also have to let the horse whisper back. I listen to the horse."

In the tale of the Horse Whisperer * which, generally, promotes caring and concern for the horse, and the development of a horse/rider relationship * there is one scene that represents to Summers what angers her the most about the way people treat horses. It is a scene where the Horse Whisperer throws the horse to the ground and forces it to stay there, slowly and patiently wearing the horse down and breaking its spirit.

"He took a shortcut by using brutality. You can train a horse to do anything after something like that," she said.

Summers doesn't believe in wearing a horse down. Rather, she strongly advocates working with a horse, learning a horse's personality and developing a partnership with the horse based on mutual trust and respect.

"In showing and training, there can be a lot of abuse done to the horse," Summers said. "So, my big goal is to help people find ways to train their horses and show their horses and be with the horses in a kind, humane way. In training and showing, there should be a partnership where everybody is happy, even the horse."

Summers, who has long been based out of her ranch in New York, has moved South in recent years. She first came to Alabama to teach certified riding classes at the Pine Hill Equestrian Center in Somerville. In 2000, she became the center's director, and gave private lessons. Later, she met her husband, Glen Adams, who works for "PS Magazine" at Logistics Support Activity. They were married last November.

Summers now works out of Little Creek Ranch in Lacey's Spring. She still has students in New York, but eventually she will be headquartered in Alabama. Her travel schedule continues to be busy, with plans for her to teach at clinics and workshops this summer in Oregon and Montana as well as in Holland, Switzerland and Germany. She is now making plans for a general horse clinic that will be held at Little Creek Ranch in Lacey's Spring on Feb. 24 and 25.

Summers is only one of about 20 top Centered Riding instructors in the world. She is master instructor, examiner and clinician with the Certified Horseman's Association, a member of the British Horse Society and a licensed judge in English jumping, western and racking with the American Judging Association.

"I have enjoyed judging because it allows me to give positive critiques to the rider," she said.

Making a difference in the lives of horses and their riders is the goal for Summers, whether teaching or judging. Summers strongly believes riders never have to be cruel or abusive to their horse.

"Each horse is an individual," she said. "There is a reason for everything they do, and the bad things they do are 100 percent caused by people. My specialty is teaching people to train their horses, and teaching them about the beauty of horses because we all got into horses for one reason ¯ we love them."

Summers emphasizes two aspects of horse training philosophy through her instruction and judging * dressage and centered riding. Dressage (a French term meaning "training") develops a horse's natural athletic ability and willingness to perform through standardized progressive training methods that teach the horse to respond to a skilled rider's minimal aids in relaxed and graceful movements. Centered riding teaches a rider to discover their inner balance, serenity and control, and to use communication to become one with their horse in English and western riding disciplines.

Both dressage and centered riding take into consideration the physical and mental properties of the horse. But, dressage is focused on the horse's performance while centered riding is focused on the rider's performance.

"When you understand centered riding, you can look at a person riding and see things in their body * tightness or being unbalanced * that's preventing the horse from doing what they want the horse to do," Summers said.

"The rider wants to ride in line with their horse. When the horse and the rider are trained properly, the horse will be able to do what the rider wants with freedom and willingly. The horse will be able to do just about anything under the weight of the rider that it can do when it's riderless in a field."

Summers teaches clinics and lessons in all aspects of horsemanship * training the young horse, getting ready for a show, western, trail rides, jumping and others. But, she enjoys her dressage clinics the most.

"Dressage is really thinking about the horse all the time. It's an art and a science," she said.

Summers is also well known for retraining "difficult" horses, an area where her natural understanding of horses is an advantage.

"You have to be able to think like a horse, you have to get in their head," she said. "To figure out the best way to help a horse or a rider might take a lot of different approaches. Horses are very kind, placid, spiritual creatures with a tremendous memory that's better than an elephant's. So, training is easy if you do the correct things."

Summers encourages riders to do a lot of ground work with their horse. She works with them to understand and communicate with their horse.

"A lot of my teaching is putting people in the horse's perspective," she said. "I want them to be empathetic with their horse. I think there is too much emphasis on winning blue ribbons. Instead, the emphasis should be on training with kindness and developing trust."