Maddison was raised in northern California, where she grew up loving horses. While she didn’t have a horse of her own, she rode her imaginary horse everywhere, carried a horse encyclopedia around with her that she could recite inside and out, and loved the movie, Spirit.

She got to ride a horse for the first time when she was in elementary school and her grandmother sent her to horse camp. Maddison was paired up with Belle and was smitten with the docile mare.

When she turned 18, she began working at a veterinarian clinic and started her career path as a large animal ICU technician. While working at the clinic, Maddison was gifted an 18-year-old mare. “She hated everything and was so sour. I didn’t know how to address any of her issues, but I was just happy to have a horse and did my best to not get hurt,” Maddison says.

A couple of years later, she purchased Butters, a palomino filly. “I got her when she was 10 months old and when it came time to start her under saddle, I had no idea how to do that,” Maddison says. “A customer shared Downunder Horsemanship with me, and after watching the philosophy video, I was hooked. My frustration transformed into patience as I learned and applied the Method. It was magical to me. I could effectively communicate with my horses while staying safe.”

Maddison immersed herself in the Method, studying every training video she could find and attended clinics. She and Butters went on to compete in mounted shooting and cow horse events.

Soon, Maddison became a go-to source of knowledge for her friends and acquaintances who were struggling with their horses. While she had never considered a career as a horse trainer before, when she was presented with the opportunity to enroll in the Academy, it changed her life.

“Helping people and their animals has always been my passion. I remember how empowering it felt learning the Method. When I started sharing it with other people, I saw the same reaction in them – going from confused and frustrated to having clarity and being confident,” Maddison says. “I love helping people better their horsemanship and learn to have fun and try new things.”