Testimonials

I first met Kelsey through her work at Volunteer Equine Advocates equine rescue. Although she was already an experienced positive reinforcement dog trainer, Kelsey was still fairly new to horse training at the time. The rescue had gotten in a group of feral horses and progress so far had been minimal with traditional training methods – but Kelsey knew there were other training styles out there…

I thank my lucky stars every day that in her search we found each other!

Since that day I’ve watched Kelsey grow and blossom into the incredible horse trainer she is today. She took a feral horse who was completely terrified of humans and remained untouchable for close to two years with traditional training methods and completely turned her life around with positive reinforcement. Not only can they now catch her – but over the next 2 years she trained her to do everything from loading willingly in the trailer to standing at liberty for hoof care, and has even started her under saddle training.

Kelsey has poured her heart and soul into the many horses at the rescue – helping some very challenging horses to overcome behavioral challenges, fear, and anxiety so that they can receive necessary medical care and safely be adopted out to loving families.

Not only does she have great training skills, she is patient, gentle and kind – always putting the horse’s needs first. She is honest, accountable, and constantly striving to learn and grow. I strongly believe this is a key to her success with even the most difficult cases.

Since I’ve known Kelsey, she has taken courses and shadowed with equine professionals to learn more about equine anatomy and biomechanics, bodywork, barefoot hoofcare, nutrition, dentistry, first aid, saddle fit, and more. This contributes to her well-rounded perspective and allows her to take a holistic approach to horse training and welfare.

There are not many people out there that I trust with my own horses – but Kelsey is one of them. Anyone would be lucky to have her on their horse’s team.

Kelsey has been my biggest supporter and teacher during my journey into horsemanship. I met Kelsey the second day of training at Volunteer Equine Advocates, and I immediately felt comfortable with her and knew I had found my place. Several months later, when I told her I wanted to adopt a little grey mare named Luna, she offered to come in an hour early each day I volunteered to introduce me to R+ training. She also started working with Luna as often as she could on her own time. She has always been encouraging and quick to answer all my questions.

As the trainer at VEA, Kelsey has transformed abused, neglected, broken horses into halter-friendly, trailer-friendly, and even ridable horses. I honestly wouldn’t believe it if i didn’t see it with my own eyes. Kelsey puts her heart and soul into every horse and every student/trainee.

…And Kelsey doesn’t stop there, she has taught me so much about horses and caring for horses. From first aid to equine behavior to choosing the proper gear, she is an encyclopedia of knowledge. Best of all, she makes learning fun.

R+ training has been crucial in helping me to strengthen my bond with my horse. “Training” is a game in Luna’s eyes, and she proudly shows off her smarts and is almost always wanting to “play”.

I feel so fortunate to have come across Kelsey and R+ training. I’d recommend her to anyone wanting to train their horse and connect with them on a deeper level.

Kelsey is a wealth of knowledge and experience with positive reinforcement training. Several of the horses she has worked with at the rescue have been able to overcome pasted abuse and trauma to the point of becoming cooperative in their healthcare. From horses that could not be touched much less haltered, to horses standing at liberty for eye ulcer medication and hoof trims. Not only is she magical with the horses but a very good human teacher as well! She has helped coach me with my cues and timing, and I have been able to take that home to improve my work with my horses. If she’s ever unavailable, you can probably find her attending continued education classes for positive reinforcement training and horse health care. I’m so thankful to have her as a mentor in my R+ journey! 

I have had the privilege of watching Kelsey Rast dedicate herself wholeheartedly to the world of equine care and positive reinforcement training, particularly with the rescue horses at VEA. Her patience, perseverance, and genuine passion for helping these animals are truly inspiring.

Kelsey took it upon herself to seek out and learn positive reinforcement techniques from a variety of experienced horse professionals, demonstrating her commitment to growth and her craft. I’ve watched her meticulously study, apply, and refine these methods, always with the horse’s well-being at the forefront of her mind.

Kelsey’s  work with one of our most traumatized mares “Kopper”was extraordinary, guiding the horse to rebuild trust and confidence, she has continued to do this with multiple rescued equine. Kelsey’s dedication and skill have been invaluable to the rescue and as well as her passion for teaching others R+  and clicker training. 

I simply love working beside Kelsey and learning different ways we can help improve the equine world with R+ and clicker training.

Kelsey has taught me so much in the past year, from bandaging wounds on horses to training horses using positive reinforcement. I met Kelsey in April last year and immediately grew a liking to her. When I first heard of positive reinforcement training, I was skeptical but also wanted to learn more about it. I started by just observing Kelsey train horses and then a couple of weeks went by she began to let me be more hands-on. Even when I would mess up my timing or my feeding position she would be very patient with me and corrected me. 

She is so patient with the horses and gives them time to figure out what they need to do and when they need a break, she gives them a break. What I find amazing is that the horse always wants to reengage after a break. She never forces a horse to do anything they aren’t comfortable with. Instead, she’ll take steps with them to make it a positive thing so that they will be comfortable with it. And by doing this the horse begins to trust more, once they realize that not everything is bad. She has such a great connection with so many horses because she is so in tune with the horses that she’s working with.

Kelsey has helped me train my sweet 25-year-old mare named Brazil. Before Kelsey started helping me, Brazil had such bad manners on a lead. She wouldn’t stop on command and basically go wherever she pleased. But now she walks great with me and is very gentle when I lead her. When Kelsey told me about liberty leading I immediately tried it and she did so well. She would walk right beside me and would stop and walk when I would do so. She has helped me teach Brazil how to target things and how to flex. 

Kelsey has let me do so much with her horse Kopper and with a lot of horses. With Kelsey, I have done everything from halter training to trailer training and so much more. I would recommend her to anyone who wants to use positive reinforcement instead of standard training on their horses. I’m so happy that I have the opportunity to know and learn from her.