66/ DECEMBER 2012 THE RIDER Trust Is Just 20 Steps Away


Russ Krachun communi- cates with horses with his discovery of 20 steps in the round pen


Visit Green Valley Farm in Odessa, Ontario on any given day and you will see “magic in the making”. Russ Krachun, owner/oper- ator of “Kozak” horseman- ship club is teaching people to build strong relation- ships with their horses.


Using his very own suc- cessful “20 Steps to the Round Pen” program, Krachun uses the horse’s natural instincts to safely and gently develop confi- dent and balanced horses. Russ Krachun, a native of the Ukraine, and now a proud Canadian citi- zen, comes from a long line of horseman, and even has “Kozak” blood running


through his veins. (The Kozak were a Ukrainian people known for their skill and talent in training and raising horses). Growing up, Russ spent thousands of hours observing horses, riding, reading horse train- ing books from around the globe and learning as much as he could about horse- manship and equine care from his uncles who were


forest rangers and ranch- men. He credits most of his education to the horses themselves. Russ still remembers his first child- hood encounter with a horse, the touch and smell of it. He cherishes his childhood memories of rid- ing through the forests and hills of the Ukraine.


Russ’ philosophy is that equine behaviour is fairly predictable. Horses naturally tend to respond in a consistent way to ensure their own safety and com- fort. Russ utilizes these natural drives to build trust with each horse he trains. He feels that when you are able to understand how a horse perceives what is going on around them, it is much easier to predict how that horse will react. His methods are safe and humane and he trains hors- es through trust and under- standing instead of instill- ing fear into them. It takes heart, determination and dedication to work with and train animals and Russ has an overabundance of all three.


For the last 2 years Russ has been performing clinics at Green Valley Farm and using the princi- ples of his “20 Steps to the Round Pen” program to teach others how to read their horse’s body lan- guage, and teach horses how to give to pressure and respect their handler. Russ also runs a num- ber of other clinics includ- ing; colt starting, and prob- lem solving but the basic principles of building mutual respect are still the same.


Another way Russ shares his methods is through his “Kozak” club. He passes on his knowl- edge of horse care, horse- manship and riding tech- niques through 7 levels of training. Instruction includes everything from barn basics to advanced riding techniques. All the levels are built on safety and trust between horse and rider. He loves work- ing with individuals and their horses and watching their relationships grow. The next edition of


this article series about Russ’ training methods will detail the first few steps of his 20 step program and help you and your horse get started on the right


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training path. Each consec- utive edition we will reveal more steps to assist you in developing a confident and balanced horse.


Russ will be perform- ing demonstrations at the All Equine Show in Lon- don, ON from March 15th- 17th and will be attending the Can Am Equine Show in Orangeville, ON from March 28th-31st.


Want to book a semi- nar, host a clinic, join the “Kozak” club or take les- son’s from Russ? Please contact Darlene Greenaway at Green Valley Farm 613- 386-7176 or greenvalley- farm@hotmail.ca or visit greenvalleyfarm.webs.com for more information.


Photo Credit by Lisa Davi- son www.canterraphotog- raphy.webs.comBy Lind- say Grice.


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