Angelica is the founder of the online Reward Based Riding School, a passionate teacher, and a lifelong student of the horse. She brings a wealth of experience from the classical dressage world is a Certified Riding Instructor. She has created a logical reward based riding system to work from the get go up to high level movements.

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Angelica is a member of the Knighthood of Academic Art of Riding and has been teaching dressage since 2010 and the last decade reward based dressage.

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Her passion is guiding riders and their horses toward higher balance, connection, and collection with forward-thinking methods and genuine care for both horse and rider. She's currently lives in the north of Sweden with her horses.​
For teaching, membership and courses, have a look at:

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https://www.rewardbasedridingschool.com/

Mary Hunter earned an undergraduate degree in biology from the University of Chicago and a master’s degree in behavior analysis from the University of North Texas. Mary’s business, Behavior Explorer, offers educational courses and programs for individuals interested in the science of behavior. In addition, she teaches as an adjunct instructor in the behavior analysis department at the University of North Texas. In 2019, Mary and Dr. Jesús Rosales-Ruiz published their first book, PORTL: The Portable Operant Research and Teaching Lab.

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Mary’s research interests include studying the process of shaping and finding better ways to teach people to train animals. Her master’s thesis, which examined the effects of a single reinforcer during shaping, was published in 2019 in the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior. She is a full member of the Association for Behavior Analysis International and has presented her research at the organization’s annual convention.

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Website: https://behaviorexplorer.com/ and https://stalecheerios.com/

Amanda Jay is the Director of Via Nova Training, and creator of Priority to Positive®. She is on a mission to transform the traditional sport horse world by helping riders and trainers understand how to use the mindset, tools and skills of Positive Reinforcement.

 

Over a lifetime of learning as an amateur equestrian, Amanda began to look for what makes training work. During this quest for knowledge, she has studied with some well-known behaviorists inside and outside the horse world. While teaching and observing equestrians as they learn how to use Positive Reinforcement with horses, she saw some common challenges which led her to develop the Five Core Principles of Priority to Positive. Via Nova is focused on developing professional trainers, coaches and riders who can apply Positive Reinforcement across a broad spectrum of the equestrian world.

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Amanda Jay will be presenting together with Gilly Slayter.

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https://vianovatraining.com/

Shawna Karrasch pioneered positive reinforcement in the horse world after adapting behavioral techniques from her early career training marine mammals at Sea World. Most famously, she helped Olympic show jumper Beezie Madden train Judgment to overcome a fear of water and win the $1,000,000 CN International at Spruce Meadows. This was just one of her many successes working with high-level competitors over the years. Jessie Hillegas spent over two decades in the traditional hunter and jumper industry breeding champion Warmbloods and starting hundreds of young horses for upper-level careers before transitioning full time to positive reinforcement. Her partnership with Shawna began when the two joined forces to rehabilitate a traumatized homebred filly that other methods could not help.

 

Together, they form a unique partnership that bridges upper-level performance with science-based behavior modification. By combining Shawna's foundational expertise in positive reinforcement with Jessie's background in traditional training, they bring something distinct to the horse world. Through nationwide clinics, educational programs, and a dedicated online membership, they give horse owners, competitors, and professionals practical, real-world tools to solve complex behavioral challenges, refine performance, and create genuine partnerships built on trust.

 

At the core of their work is a commitment to integrity for both horses and humans. They prioritize the horse's mental/physical well-being above all else, training without force, fear, or aversive tools They honor each horse's individual voice, health, and species-specific needs. They also foster a supportive and transparent equine community where owners and trainers can feel safe to learn and grow. 

Jana began working with positive reinforcement ten years ago because of her dog, who had developed learned helplessness from previous owners. She subsequently started applying these principles to horses as well—specifically when restarting a mare that had a bad initial experience with being backed from (her time with previous) owners.

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Jana owns a Shagya Arabian mare trained primarily through positive reinforcement and competing at the 'S' level in endurance (80 km). She is also raising her young horses—A two year old mare and a filly born this year—using positive reinforcement methods.

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Jana conducts public seminars on positive reinforcement for horses and authored the book *Koně za odměnu* ("Horses as Rewards"), which outlines the fundamental principles of the method.

Her passion lies in training young horses, teaching them that the world is a safe place, that humans are friends, and that collaborating with people is a pleasant experience.

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https://www.konezaodmenu.cz

Adele Shaw is an internationally recognized certified equine behavior consultant and horsemanship mentor, focused on creating a positive relationship between horse and human through science-based training and care practices. As a teacher, Adele is supportive and understanding of both horse and human, and tailors her lessons to provide the most personalized, accessible, and ethically minded coaching possible. Her approach goes beyond method: by offering flexible training and care systems, the horse's well-being and the student's empowerment always remain the primary goals.

 

In addition to her hands-on work with specialized rehabilitation cases at her ranch in Texas, Adele maintains an active role in the equestrian community through her clinics, online programs, courses, blog, podcast, and social media outreach. Connecting with students across the globe through The Willing Equine.

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https://www.thewillingequine.com/

Nina Steigerwald is an equine physiotherapist and is dedicated to fostering a harmonious relationship between humans and animals. She has trained under renowned trainers such as Viviane Theby, Bob Bailey and Ken Ramirez, and is the author of books and instructional films on clicker training. In 2022, she moved to the south of France with her husband and six horses. There, they all live together with a small herd of cattle on a natural estate covering over 50 hectares. In the beautiful natural environment, she runs training camps where she teaches people how to interact with horses through positive reinforcement.

She is a pioneer in the field of horse-agility and is particularly well known for developing horse seesaws. Originally a therapist for humans, she sought alternatives for horses. Her approach to training using positive reinforcement is suitable for all horses – whether old, young, ridden or unridden – and opens up new possibilities for interaction. She passes on this knowledge with enthusiasm and professional expertise in various online training courses, such as the ‘Training Specialist for Horses’, ‘Steigerwald.T Medical Trainer’ and the ‘Horse Seesaw Trainer’.

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​https://steigerwald-t.de/
https://www.instagram.com/nina.steigerwald.t/
https://www.facebook.com/nina.steigerwald.96

Gilly Slayter is lead trainer at Via Nova Training. She brings her wealth of equestrian skills, education, and competition experience along with her passion and energy to the Via Nova Training program. She’s witnessed the power of using Positive Reinforcement to bring outstanding improvement for both horses and riders, and looks for the most effective ways to transform traditional training techniques for dressage, jumping and eventing with R+ solutions.

 

In addition to her position as Head Trainer, she manages the 30 stall
barn at Via Nova’s home base, Terra Nova Equestrian Training Center in Santa Fe, NM. Combining a business degree with a deep understanding of the nature of horses, lifelong competition experience including NA Young Rider Championships, her USDF Silver Medal and FEI-level Eventing, Gilly represents the Positive Reinforcement future in horse sport training and instruction.

Gilly Slayter will be presenting together with Amanda Jay

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https://vianovatraining.com/

Melanie S. Watson — Science‑Led, Welfare‑Driven Equine Behaviour
Consultant and Trainer. ABTC ATI. NAC ETI.

Melanie is the founder of Instinctive Horse Training, a welfare‑centred
practice dedicated to helping horses and owners build understanding
through evidence‑based, ethical behaviour work. With a background in equine behavioural science and a passion for empowering owners, Melanie specialises in translating complex behavioural principles into clear, compassionate guidance that supports positive change. Her work champions kindness, curiosity, and the belief that every horse deserves to be heard and understood.

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https://www.instinctivehorsetraining.co.uk/

Hannah has been teaching reward-based horse training for nearly 20 years, helping horses and their humans build trust-based relationships through positive reinforcement. She has worked with a wide range of equines - including wild, rescued, aggressive, shut-down, and highly sensitive horses - using science-backed methods to create calm, co-operative partnerships.

 

Hannah specialises in gentle, consent-based training that brings clarity, confidence and joy to everyday handling, groundwork, and riding. She’s co-author of the bestselling book, Connection Training, and runs the CT Club, an online platform for learning her training methods.

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Website: https://connectiontraining.com/