Biographies : Meet Rebekka Rhodes

HISTORY
There has never been a time when she didn’t love horses! When she was nine years old, Rebekka went to summer camp for one week and took a horsemanship class. She went back to the same class the following year and helped to teach it! That event probably foretold more of her future than anyone would realize.

She got her first pony during that time. A beautiful Welsh pinto mare named Princess. They were inseparable. The pony followed her around like a dog, most of the time, and became what was referred to as a "one-person pony" – no one else could ride her (she made sure of that!). But Rebekka could do virtually anything with her, from driving her pulling a cart full of kids, to packing five people on her back at a time, crawling between her legs and under her belly, even sleeping with her overnight in the backyard around a small fire pit. They would take off together before dawn, and no one would see them again until nearly dark. Princess was the kind of pony most kids dream about. It was not unusual for Rebekka to lie down under her thick mane during a rain shower while Princess carried her safely home.
Other ponies were added to the herd, then the first horse came along. A yearling black Appaloosa colt named Gemini V was added to the mix when Rebekka was about 12. She trained him with only books as a guide. She rode Gemini to a local horse trainer’s facility when she was almost 14, and asked for a job. She told him she’d trained the colt herself, and wanted to work for him. The trainer told her to go and catch 5 different horses and groom them, then he’d make up his mind.

That was how Rebekka came to work for one of California’s leading reined cow horse trainers. He couldn’t believe that she could catch all of the horses he’s requested, because no one else could catch one particular gray mare. For two years Rebekka mucked 14 stalls a day, prepared and coddled the trainer’s finest stallions, and assisted in all the training aspects of the barn. Saddling and checking up youngsters in their stalls, then tending to them after their training rides were over.
This was where Rebekka learned what not to do – bloody horse after bloody horse. From spur rakes to cinch galls and bleeding lips from harsh hands on the reins, she vowed that would not be her approach to training.
No formal training was ever received until later on in her adult life when she decided to see what she didn’t know.
The first trainer she rode under told her in the very first lesson that he couldn’t see that he could teach her anything else, so she asked him what else he offered. That led to jumping lessons, and learning form over fences. The lessons were short-lived.

A myriad of other training and teaching opportunities arose for Rebekka over the years, including training pony-ride ponies, horses for friends, farrier school, and so forth. Life continued, and held many challenges for her, but horses remained an unending passion and life pursuit.
Finally in 1992, after so many years of successful but dictatorial horse handling, knowing there had to be other options, Rebekka discovered Pat Parelli in a clinic. That was the beginning of what there is today. A life-long quest for continuously expanding knowledge on horses, and developing what she and her husband Mark now call "CentaurGenics™ " – Horse-Human-Harmony in action.

COMPETITION
Rebekka has shown very successfully on local circuits. She has chosen to remain in local circles to avoid extensive travel requirements. Her successes encompass several of her own horses, as well as clients’ horses, over a period of many years. Currently she does not compete her own horses, as she has chosen other areas of focus. Her winnings include:
High Point Overall Western competitor, multiple years
High Point Overall English competitor, multiple years
Horse of the Year Award
High Dollar winner, multiple years
Experience and wins in the following classes:
English Pleasure, English Equitation, English Riding Pattern, Hunter Hack
Halter, Showmanship, Bareback Equitation, Dressage
Western Pleasure, Western Equitation; Western Riding; Reining; Trail

OTHER EXPERIENCE
Aside from the show arena, Rebekka has experience in cattle work, team penning, gymkhana games, driving, endurance, flag and drill teams, parades, recreational riding, hunting (big game hunting) and field trials (hunting dogs).

MEMBERSHIPS
Rebekka is currently a member of AQHA and AQHA’s Professional Horsemen’s Association, ApHC, and ARIA (American Riding Instructors’ Association), and is certified through ARICP (American Riding Instructors’ Certification Program). She also maintains memberships in local show and horsemanship clubs.

CERTIFICATION
In May 1997, Rebekka passed the ARICP (American Riding Instructors’ Certification Program) testing at an advanced level. Her current certifications are in Stock Seat and Recreational Riding. She recertified in September 2003 and qualified at advanced levels in both diciplines.
Passing this grueling series requires submission of video taped lessons in each discipline desired at the level desired, as well as approximately 8 hours of testing and an oral interview. The tests included: Philosophy, General Instructor, Intermediate and Advanced "The Horse" tests covering health, maintenance and well-being of horses; Intermediate and Advanced General Horsemanship tests, covering all aspects of horsemanship; Intermediate and Advanced tests for each specialty sought.
"Advanced certification proves that the instructor: is a very good communicator; has thorough knowledge of the specialty, as well as horses and their care; rides at an advanced level and has knowledge of training horses; knows and understands elements of styles of riding other than their specialty; understands the psychology of the horse; has competed; knows not only how horse and rider interact, but the whys behind it."
American Riding Instructors’ Association

OTHER ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Rebekka discovered Parelli Natural Horse-Man-Ship in 1992, and immediately incorporated the methods and philosophies into her daily work with horses. Since then, she decided to participate in the levels program. She passed Level 1 and Level 2 back to back, within the same year, in just a few months’ time. Currently she is a Level 3 student. Lameness in her levels horse as well as severely limited time due to her teaching, training and clinic schedule have prevented her from actively pursuing further levels testing.

INSTRUCTION
Rebekka began her instruction of others in 1990. She worked for many years with 4-H groups, as well as various other students. Her students have been very successful in the show arena, winning multiple year-end high point awards, state and local 4–H championships. Currently she teaches a wide variety of students ranging in age from four to 64. Most of her students have their own horses. This is preferred in the development of a horse-human relationship. She teaches beginners through advanced riders. (See also Certification.)

JUDGING
Rebekka has been requested to judge various shows and events over the years, including open shows, trail classes, 4-H, and FFA events.

CLINICS
Rebekka has been providing quality clinics in Washoe County for many years. These include Equitation, Ring Etiquette, Horsemanship and Showmanship for 4-H, and public clinics that include: Judging Showmanship; colts and young horses; round penning; saddle fitting, bits and bitting; conformation; shoeing evaluation and physical condition of horses; riding from beginning to advanced; recreational riding; relationship training; safety; extensive trail and trail obstacle training; trailering; hobbling and ponying. More recently she has begun to provide equestrian exercise programs as well as personal fitness, weight loss and healthy lifestyle programs.

TRAINING
Over the course of her many years’ of experience, Rebekka has worked with numerous breeds and types of horses, from ponies to wild mustangs, draft breeds to gaited breeds, stock horses to warmbloods. She prefers to work with the horse and the owner together, and currently is very selective about horses she takes into training at their facility. Her priority is developing harmony with the horse. It is imperative to the horse’s well-being and maintenance that the owner or future handler becomes completely familiar with everything the horse has learned while in training so that it may be maintained intact. The goal is always to develop trust and communication as a vehicle to education.

PUBLICATIONS
Rebekka loves to write about her passion – horses! Her work has been published in "The Trail Less Traveled" magazine. She was a winner in the 1996 Professional’s Choice "Leg Up" Contest because of her story and photo (published in 7 national equine publications). She has written locally on occasion for HorseTales. Her work is regularly published in PetFolio Magazine. Those articles are also available on the CentaurGenics™ web site.

MENTORS
Rebekka credits her current success to folks such as Mark Rashid, Pat Parelli, Linda Tellington-Jones, Tina Hutton, Lynn Salvatori Palm, Kyra Kirklund and John Lyons, to name a few. Books from folks like Sally Swift’s "Centered Riding" and "Problem Solving" by Marty Martin have influenced her teachings. Currently her most profound influence has been found in Mark Rashid, author of "A Good Horse Is Never A Bad Color", "Considering The Horse" and "Horses Never Lie: The Art of Passive Leadership". In him and his teachings, she has found even more meaningful and clearer ways to communicate with horses on ever-higher levels. Mark Rashid clinics are brought to Reno and sponsored by CentaurGenics®.

©2006 by CentaurGenics®. All rights reserved.