Who We Are
We are a small town couple that have a dream to ease the communication between
horse and rider. Hi! My name is Alisa and Cody is my husband. We were both
raised in Phillipsburg, Kansas, and now have three children of our own. Cody and I
collectively have almost 18 years of experience training horses, and we continue to
be avid students of the horse and the natural philosophy of developing horses into
willing partners.
I was introduced to horses by a friend at the age of 8. My family bought our first
horse, a paint gelding, when I was 9, and that was it for me! My horses have been
one of the centerpieces of my life since then. I started out just riding for fun, then
joined the local 4-H club, where I participated every year until I was 17. By middle
school, I started participating in the local KWHA shows (which have gymkhana like
events), Tugs-n-Traces driving shows, and helped to train our own horses at the
farm. At 12, I started working for a local stable mucking out stalls and watering
horses, and moved up to helping train the colts by the time I was 13. I really
enjoyed spending time with the horses, and often stayed at the stable until 9 or
10:00 during the summer! During high school, I started my own business buying
unbroke ponies, training them, and then reselling them. I also started to branch out
into training horses for other people and buying young colts to start and sell. My
practical knowledge grew as I joined the Hippology/Horse Quiz Bowl contests
through 4-H, where we placed at the state and national levels. In FFA, I enjoyed
horse and livestock judging as well as taking as many agriculture classes as my
schedule would allow. I tried out for the Prairie Dusters Drill Team and am honored
to have ridden with them for 6 years.
Cody has owned and ridden horses since he was 11 years old. He participated
in 4-H from then until he was 17. From the beginning, he always loved to trail ride
on his horses, often taking off from the family farm and spending hours out on the
trail, or just spending time with his first horse, a breeding stock paint mare named
Thunder. As he got older, and finally got his drivers' license, he began hauling his
horses into town to ride with his friends. He lived so far out, a lot of times this was
the only way he could ride with anyone. They enjoyed riding around the city park, up
and down alleyways and side streets, and their horses got really good around
noise and traffic! He bought his first mare to train at 16, Bar Dove In Flight, who is a
valued member of our family as the trusted mount for our kids.
As we have learned on our journey with the horses, there is never an end to the
learning. We have studied varied techniques and philosophies, including such
legends as Tom Dorrance, Ray Hunt, Buck Brannaman, and Pat Parelli, and have
grown immensely as horsemen (and women) from all of them. I also had a
chance to apprentice with a local horse trainer, Gary Kirchhoff, who was able to help
me advance my skills very rapidly by being a priceless mentor and teacher. As time
goes by, we hope to continue to develop our skills to higher and higher levels,
always seeking to preserve the dignity, sensitivity, and confidence of our horses.
Our goals and ideals
horse and rider. Hi! My name is Alisa and Cody is my husband. We were both
raised in Phillipsburg, Kansas, and now have three children of our own. Cody and I
collectively have almost 18 years of experience training horses, and we continue to
be avid students of the horse and the natural philosophy of developing horses into
willing partners.
I was introduced to horses by a friend at the age of 8. My family bought our first
horse, a paint gelding, when I was 9, and that was it for me! My horses have been
one of the centerpieces of my life since then. I started out just riding for fun, then
joined the local 4-H club, where I participated every year until I was 17. By middle
school, I started participating in the local KWHA shows (which have gymkhana like
events), Tugs-n-Traces driving shows, and helped to train our own horses at the
farm. At 12, I started working for a local stable mucking out stalls and watering
horses, and moved up to helping train the colts by the time I was 13. I really
enjoyed spending time with the horses, and often stayed at the stable until 9 or
10:00 during the summer! During high school, I started my own business buying
unbroke ponies, training them, and then reselling them. I also started to branch out
into training horses for other people and buying young colts to start and sell. My
practical knowledge grew as I joined the Hippology/Horse Quiz Bowl contests
through 4-H, where we placed at the state and national levels. In FFA, I enjoyed
horse and livestock judging as well as taking as many agriculture classes as my
schedule would allow. I tried out for the Prairie Dusters Drill Team and am honored
to have ridden with them for 6 years.
Cody has owned and ridden horses since he was 11 years old. He participated
in 4-H from then until he was 17. From the beginning, he always loved to trail ride
on his horses, often taking off from the family farm and spending hours out on the
trail, or just spending time with his first horse, a breeding stock paint mare named
Thunder. As he got older, and finally got his drivers' license, he began hauling his
horses into town to ride with his friends. He lived so far out, a lot of times this was
the only way he could ride with anyone. They enjoyed riding around the city park, up
and down alleyways and side streets, and their horses got really good around
noise and traffic! He bought his first mare to train at 16, Bar Dove In Flight, who is a
valued member of our family as the trusted mount for our kids.
As we have learned on our journey with the horses, there is never an end to the
learning. We have studied varied techniques and philosophies, including such
legends as Tom Dorrance, Ray Hunt, Buck Brannaman, and Pat Parelli, and have
grown immensely as horsemen (and women) from all of them. I also had a
chance to apprentice with a local horse trainer, Gary Kirchhoff, who was able to help
me advance my skills very rapidly by being a priceless mentor and teacher. As time
goes by, we hope to continue to develop our skills to higher and higher levels,
always seeking to preserve the dignity, sensitivity, and confidence of our horses.
Our goals and ideals
About Us
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Swift Creek Ranch
