Biography

Like many of you, I spent 6 years of my life begging for a horse.  Many, many hours were spent “riding” a 2x4 nailed between my dad’s shop and the light pole.  I guess Dad got  tired of listening to me converse with my “horse” through the shop wall, and when I was seven, he brought home two Shetland ponies in the back of our pickup.  They came with halters, lead ropes, a brush and metal curry, and attitudes!  My first riding lesson was my dad tying the lead rope to the halter and saying, “You wanted a horse, now you have one.  Get on.” 

Dad may have thought that I would give up on horses, and I probably should have.  Hours were spent chasing my pony around the 20 acre pasture in which she lived, trying to catch her.  Additional time was spent learning to stay on all her bumpy gaits, how to get her to walk through the creek without lying down in the middle, and practicing avoiding low-hanging branches as she loved to brush her bareback rider off whenever possible.  Dad couldn’t possibly have guessed how much stubborn persistence his gift was developing in his daughter!  Along with building character (of sorts :)), my pony taught me balance, problem-solving, mental, physical and emotional toughness, responsibility to another being, and how to love unconditionally. 

I’ve owned and trained many horses of different types and breeds and each horse has taught me something about horses and something about myself.   Through the years I’ve  had great opportunities to participate in a variety of Western and English disciplines and been able to learn from a variety of mentors.  And I’ve had the blessing of developing relationships with wonderful people, like you, who want to learn more about this journey we call horsemanship.  Teaching is a passion for me and whether I’m teaching horse or human (or both) I love listening and learning about each individual. 

Over the past 20+ years I’ve worked as a partner with Marcia Moore and she and I own MM Connections where we offer clinics, instruction, training, and coaching.  We are blessed with a community of horse-lovers, like you, who support, encourage, and connect with one another and their horses to transform relationships.  If you desire to take your connection to another level, we’d love to have you be part of our journey!  Please join us!

Seeking the heart of the horse with you,

Davalee

Davalee is a recognized Cowboy Dressage clinician and judge. She is the recipient of multiple high point awards and was the Overall High Point Champion as well as the High Point Liberty Neck Rope Champion at the 2019 Cowboy Dressage World Finals in Sacramento, CA.