Jodie Whish-Wilson

Like most young girls, I was a horse fanatic for as long as I can remember. I was fortunate to receive my first horse when I was eight years old. Midnite was my "man from snowy river horse" and I pretty much did everything that I was told not to (mounted from the off-side, rode without a bridle, etc.). Midnite taught me so much at such an early age and we really were inseparable.  Midnite used to meet me at the gate after school (1km from home)...sidle up to it so I could climb on and I would ride him home (I was a complete passenger).  Looking back it was almost surreal.

As a young teenager, I begun work for a Coach & Trail Riding company where I drove teams of 2 or 4 Clydesdales in the Cobb&Co. I led trail rides, started horses under saddle and 'test rode' any newies.

Once I reached adolescence, I was convinced by 'experts' that I needed to become more 'polished'. I began the path of competition, everything from Eventing, to Cutting, to Endurance. I started to copy the 'experts' and use force and unnecessary equipment to MAKE horses 'behave'. After two years of weekly dressage lessons, I entered a Combined Training competition with my 'dressage' horse as well as my retired cutting horse. My retired cutting horse won the dressage jackpot...and my 'dressage' mare was eliminated for dismantling the arena!

The search was on to find out why I ended up resorting to mechanical means, and how I could get back to having a relationship like the one I had with Midnite. I began studying different training methods that were on offer, after a trip to Australasian Equitana in 2001 I discovered Parelli Natural Horsemanship...and finally I knew my search was over. Now a lifelong committment of personal study and development have begun. 

I live at Yackandandah, in Victoria, Australia with my beautiful son Nicholas and 3.5 horses. I now appreciate what it takes to 'get back into horses' after motherhood.  After working through the challenges of my son being born three months premature, I am also passionate about equine assisted learning and therapies, in particular assisting special needs kids, as well as working with teens and adults with confidence building.

I love seeing the improvement in my students, I love watching the relationship with their horses grow, and I LOVE to see their smiling faces!