Instructor and Assistant Trainer
Meet JoAnna Samek of Harmony Horsemanship, located at J-6 Equestrian center!
JoAnna has been riding for over 19 years, and she has been dedicating the past two years to instructing riders while advancing her training and massage therapy skills through intense internships. She has been working in the assistant trainer capacity under the tutelage of Samantha Jepson, the head Trainer at J6 since starting to work at the barn. Assisting in the daily training of over a hundred horses and mules, with many wonderful experiences!
As an Instructor, JoAnna’s main priority is to improve both the horse and rider, with emphasis placed on safety and the responsibility of the rider to facilitate that improvement through a balanced and independent seat, with solid ability to use the aids to clearly communicate with their horse. She primarily works with youth and beginner to intermediate adult riders, whether that is to prepare for showing on their own horse, or for general riding knowledge. JoAnna strongly believes that the two keys to better performance is improved communication and understanding between partners, as well as an emphasis on rider understanding and implementation of body control. With her practical, down to earth teaching, she is excellent at adapting her teaching skill and style to better assist the student in understanding concepts.
As a trainer, JoAnna’s focus is to move at the horse’s pace to help them understand what is being asked in a fair and consistent manner that also takes into consideration body pains, limitations and fitness concerns.
JoAnna is also a national board certified equine massage therapist, cold laser therapy and craniosacral therapy with hundreds of hours of field experience with maintenance as well as rehabilitation work. She is continuing her education in this field as well, both through continuing education courses and apprenticeships. JoAnna’s dedication to the journey of becoming a true horseman shines in her constantly applied learning, and she takes great joy in sharing her knowledge with others.
