I’m not sure if Maddie was born with horses in her blood or if she has fallen in love with them because she has heard all of my horse stories from camp. Whatever the reason is I think the horse bug has bit her and I’m not sure it can be cured!
I was blessed with seven years of riding everyday. Through the southwest mountains of colorado I rode all around the San Juan mountains. On mules, ponies, draft horses, and mustangs. Those adventures are the ones I’m going to chuckle at when I’m 80 years old and sitting in my rocking chair on my porch. With this in mind, I want to help Maddie develop her skill as a horse rider and trainer. She is amazingly gentle with animals and I have seen them respond to her gentleness. I have seen her develop confidence, leadership, and joy in her eyes through horses.
The day I learned Jodi Distad lived in our area was a joyful day. As a rider and trainer I know everyone handles their horses differently. I don’t always agree with how people handle their horses and I have to admit I was leery the first time I took Maddie to a riding lesson at Broadway Farm. I knew within seconds we had nothing to worry about. The love, care, and attention Jodi gives to every animal on her property was evident right away! Her ponies are well loved and well taken care of!
Jodi is not only a rider herself but is also a trainer. She has been known to go to horse shows in Texas and Oklahoma. She truly loves what she does. Jodi’s passion for horses overflows into her relationship with her clients. I have learned from the past that if someone is patient with their horses, chances are they will be patient with their riding students. This is definitely true with Jodi.
As soon as Maddie met Chip her eyes sparkled and her smile went from cheek to cheek! Jodi showed her how to carefully lead Chip into the indoor arena. Showed her the mounting block and helped Maddie mount up.
Maddie was soon kissing, clucking, and using the reigns to stir her trusty steering. He was the perfect lesson horse for her. Patient, but made her work at the same time. Her lesson was a whole hour long and I’m pretty sure she would have been happy to keep going all day long.
Jodi teaches western and english riding, boards horses in her barns, and as I mentioned before trains her horses as well as helps others train their horses. If you have a horse lover in your life, Jodi Distad is the go-to gal! She knows what she’s doing, loves what she’s doing, and it shows!
You can contact Jodi through Facebook and you can read a bit more about her here and here.