Franklin Levinson - Internationally known Horseman & the Creator of the Beyond Natural Horsemanship Program

Franklin Levinson grew up with horses. His father was an avid polo player. At the age of thirteen Franklin was the youngest ‘registered’ polo player in the US. By the time he was 17 he was training polo ponies for hire. His life with horses continued to expand as he began running the equestrian programs at summer camps while in his early twenties.

Franklin not only taught horseback riding to those children, he also developed a passion for teaching ‘horse’ (the language, psychology, needs and nature of horses). Franklin discovered early on that knowledge about horses would enhance the experience that all his students had with their horses. He had discovered that there was so much more to the horse than the human riding it. This went for adult horse owners as well because the focus for them seemed to always be on riding horses and not the horse itself. Being a competent rider does not mean being an experienced horse person. Franklin began teaching about the nature of ‘trust’ as it relates to horses very early in his professional training/teaching career. The humans and the horses he encountered seemed to benefit greatly from his gentle and knowledgeable approach to teaching horsemanship.

At 30 years of age Franklin moved to the island of Maui, Hawaii and built his own small horse ranch. He began Adventures on Horseback, which was a daylong outing on horseback into Maui’s tropical rain forests with swimming in waterfalls. As a group leader, Franklin’s intention was always to inspire and uplift, as well as educate those who journeyed with him. During the 25 years AOH operated Franklin further honed his skills as an exceptionally gifted trainer, group leader, teacher and horseman. In the early 90’s Franklin created the Maui Horse Whisperer Experience to teach the language and psychology of horses to interested parties whether they were horse enthusiasts or not. This seminar was one of the first Equine Facilitated Learning programs available in this country. He teaches the skills to be successful with horses as life enriching qualities that will enhance the lives of all involved (including the horses).

In 2002 he was invited to a Colorado ranch to teach his gentle horsemanship methods and train horses. Colorado has been his home base ever since. The first year he was there he began the Aspen Horse Whisperer Experience. Similar to his Maui EFL program, it utilizes Equine Facilitated Learning to help and improve the lives of adults and children. He also regularly provides therapeutic equine facilitated programs for disadvantaged and learning disabled children. The last six years, through invitations to Canada, Greece and Ireland, England, Australia and New Zealand he has begun to travel internationally to teach his gentle, highly effective horse training techniques of ‘Training Thru Trust’ and demonstrate Equine Facilitated Learning. Franklin’s intention to inspire and uplift everyone he encounters and to enrich the lives of all horses and humans he interacts with continues as his daily mission. Franklin’s philosophies, essays and commentaries on high-level, gentle and effective horsemanship have been featured nationally and internationally in numerous publications, television programs (Discovery Channel, ESPN, Public Television, American Adventurer and more) and various other  media outlets.

Some of what sets Franklin apart from other trainers is that, first and foremost, Franklin’s goal and agenda with any horse is the development of ‘trust.’ No relationship can develop and flourish without mutual trust and respect at its very core. Franklin teaches the skills, attitudes and paradigms essential to developing this sort of successful relationship with horses, and between humans as well.  He recently created ‘Beyond Natural Horsemanship: Successful Training through Compassion, Wisdom, Trust and Skill.’ This program was designed to take interested people deeper and further into the world of the horse than the ‘natural horsemanship’ bandwagon and craze currently does.

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