The Adgor riding stable developed a special Certificate program based on Natural horsemanship methods, embracing all aspects of education we offer:
- Western riding
- Groundwork
- Subtle control over every zone of the horse
- The knowledge and practical skills of horse care
The program is oriented towards practical horsemanship. A major part of it is oriented towards the understanding of horse psychology and behavior. The skills obtained during the course of the program are not an end in itself. They give the rider the ‘tools’ and knowledge to deal with every kind of horse behavior and challenging natural situations during riding. The education is aimed at the achievement of stability, maneuverability, effortlessness and confidence. The program teaches techniques for working with horses, which can assist in returning the attention, respect, and trust of the horse, if necessary.
Our goal is to provide you with the necessary skills and knowledge applicable in real situations during riding both out in the nature as well as on the arena. The program is structured in a way applicable for both beginners and advanced riders. It contains three separate upgrading courses. Every subsequent course adds a new level of knowledge and skills.
First course:
“Adgor 1” – Fundamental Groundwork and Riding Course
Second course:
“Adgor 2” – Intermediate Groundwork and Riding Course
Third course:
“Adgor 3” – Advanced Groundwork and Riding Course
Those that have successfully completed the course receive a certificate and can continue to the next level or study at other riding schools. Those that have successfully finished all three courses have the opportunity to work as instructors at Adgor riding stable.
How is Adgor’s Practical Horsemanship Certificate program different from all other education possibilities at Adgor?
The program includes everything taught at Adgor. And that is the difference – it is designed to encompass absolutely everything. The education is well-structured, the lessons are held more frequently and the prices are lower. Can the knowledge taught in the Certificate program be obtained without it? Yes, it can. Every single module of the program is part of the knowledge generally taught at Agor.
Can I begin from a higher course level?
Yes, but the candidate would have to pass an exam to test his/her level of skills and knowledge. If there’s any need to master new skills or perfect the ones already obtained, the student can continue his/her education until the necessary level is reached.
For example, if a student wants to take a level and already has enough skills in riding to cover the requirements, but at the same time does not have experience in groundwork, he can do only the groundwork elements of the program in order to catch up with the necessary level requirements. Thus a student can take an exam and receive a certificate without having passed all the modules of the Certificate program. Lessons to catch up on the level of separate skills can be paid separately, without enrolling for the entire program.
Why would I want an Adgor Certificate?
Viara Krushkova:
“The government, for now, does not recognize it, I know that. But in my opinion the real skills and knowledge, guaranteed by the professionalism of the instructors is of more importance. And this is not just a piece of paper – I know that behind those words stand the name and the honor of Adgor. And for me this means the acknowledgement of genuine skills. It is a pleasure to develop my skills in Adgor’s manner and direction. And it is an honor to receive their certificate and be a part of Adgor’s riding school. And regarding the official recognition, well…those that have ears - let them hear, those who have eyes – let them see”
Simeon Goranov:
Horsemanship gives me everything I lack in my daily routine – the relief from having to constantly compete with others and prove myself, the pleasure from the freedom of communication with nature and people, who share my interests. Horsemanship is, perhaps, an expression of everything I did not manage to achieve in life – not because I tried and failed, but because I never dared to try it. In this sense, to me, many people in Adgor are an example of what I know deep down I wanted to be, but had not become. It inspires deep admiration for the simplicity and purity of the choice they’ve made in their lives. I take my hat off to them! This is the philosophical and emotional side of horsemanship in my opinion.
However, this freedom and pleasure have to be earned with hard work and persistence – especially for those like me, not gifted with natural abilities, but thankful for the training which I have so unrelentingly undertook. It is amazing how the training of horsemanship skills can make a person better, helping to overcome the desire of a novice to dominate and control with the power of his muscles, and instead creating a partnership and true harmony with the horse. To seek mistakes and faults in yourself instead of others. But otherwise there is no bigger joy than seeing this beautiful world from the back of a horse and letting the wind whistle in your ears.
Boryana Raikova:
Horses have their own unique way of communicating entirely through body language. The Adgor Certificate Program training revealed to me new horizons, teaching me to use and understand their instincts, behavior, and language. The result was the development of a relationship with the animals, based on mutual trust. The feeling of “merging” with the horse, when the two of you are comfortable with each other and in harmony, confident that you can pass a given difficulty together, is enormously satisfying. The systematic work with the horses during the program helped me personally to develop valuable skills and qualities, like not acting according to my feelings, but concentrating on the process instead of the achievement. The investment in the program is worth it, because it definitely establishes a good foundation, and behind the certificate lie real knowledge and skills, acknowledged by and obtained with the help of the exceptional and professional instructors of Adgor.12345
Vesela Doncheva:
I started taking riding lessons in Adgor when I was 43 years old. Until then I had only ridden a donkey. The method of work in the base and the attitude that the instructors showed toward horses and people attracted me more and more every day. The desire to learn how to ride gradually evolved into a desire to learn how to understand and communicate with the horse. That is how I started working on the Certificate Program. The program follows certain steps and every time the student builds on his or her previous knowledge. I like the fact that the daily training comes to an end at a positive note for both horse and human. I am amazed at the love and the good terms on which the instructors work with the horses, as well as the patience and perseverance with which they teach the people. Somehow, before one realizes it, one becomes able to “read” the horse, to understand its current state, and to foresee its next moves. All this helps one cope with different situations, which, at first glance, are not taught on the manege.
Today, I keep working on the Certificate Program, and with every passing week my desire to know how, to understand why, to know when and to be able grows. Most importantly, the attitude and work ethics of Adgor's team are such that they make you yearn to not just pass the test, but to deserve the certificate!
Ivelina Shallieva:
The first time I truly experienced horses, working with them, and communicating with them, was five years ago when I came to Adgor. Everything here was different, and the method – absolutely foreign to me. So I started learning…
The Certificate Program gave me an entirely new concept of the world of horses, and radically changed my view of the proper way to approach them. It helped me build up knowledge and skills to understand the behavior of horses as well as to develop a sense for timely and effective reaction on my part during a training session. It gave me a very stable foundation and an opportunity for further growth in every sense while building on a growing experience with horses. I dare say that here I really learned what it meant to communicate with a horse, to discern their behavior and characters (because each one is unique), and, accordingly, to find an individual approach to each one of them. I learned where, when, and how to be firm in my requirements and how to remain patient no matter how much time a given exercise may take (this is definitely hard). And last but not least, I developed a high standard for safety with horses which is a crucial element in order to keep ourselves and the horses we work with in good health :)
Nadya Reid:
Years ago I climbed on a horse for the first time. That was another world and another time. I was learning English-style riding but for the time I spent on their backs I did not become close with those animals neither was I able to understand them. I thought I knew and could do something. But as time progressed I understood it was not so. I wanted to understand a horse. I wanted to understand how it thought, how it reacted, and why. Why it did what it did the way it did it. Our rides were neither complete, nor did I feel secure on a horse's back. I felt a big lack of knowledge and I suspected that if I wanted our actions to be in harmony, there had to be harmony in our minds.
Following this hunch, I started searching for answers. I heard of the “horse whisperer”, Mr. Buck Brannaman, one of the most famous, longtime horse coaches who followed the natural horsemanship method. Since then a whole new world of possibilities with horses opened to me!
I began studying this method at a ranch is New Zealand, and when I came back I found the only horse base in Bulgaria which teaches professionally the method of “Natural horsemanship” - Adgor.
For me, the Certificate Program of Adgor is a bottomless treasure chest! Through the levels in the program I attained a key for this chest; access to the skills and knowledge I had searched for about the development of a sincere partnership between the horses and me.
With endless thanks to the “Bulgarian Buck Brannaman” Alex Penev and the whole team of Adgor who do much more than just teaching; they pour their whole essence and love into the idea that understanding between man and horse is the only foundation on which a happy future can be established for both – horse and rider.