"We can’t say enough great things about Debbie’s horsemanship, care, and knowledge when it comes to horse training. Debbie helped put 30 days on our mustang who was very green over the summer. She took the time to take him back to the basics, educated us on effective horsemanship, and exposed him to many different things he wouldn’t usually see. She was very patient with him and let him learn at his own pace. We are so grateful for the time Debbie put into Casper and have seen such an improvement in his behavior, willingness to work, and confidence on the trail. If you are ever having issues with your horse please have Debbie help!!"
— Kailen and Layton Rodgers, Former Clients
“I would recommend Debbie to anyone needing to start a horse or improve the current training on any horse. She has a wealth of knowledge and experience and a heart of gold.”
— D. Morrow Lewis, Former Client
"Debbie McKinney is a true horsewoman. She has years of experience, combined with working with some of the best horsemen/women in the industry. First and foremost, Debbie is a horse lover. She treats each horse as an individual, getting into their heads to address their specific needs. With Debbie, it’s never “One size fit all”. Her specialty is taking horses that have had some sort of traumatic experience in the past and working with the horse to gain trust and confidence. She then methodically addresses the problem in a way that keeps both herself and the horse safe. Debbie is intuitive in determining if a problem is physical and seeks veterinary help when she feels it’s appropriate. Debbie has turned horses around that others have given up on. Debbie is an excellent colt starter, always with the horse’s best interests at heart. She takes her time and lets the horse tell her when it is ready for the next step. Her youngsters enjoy their training sessions and are never pushed beyond their capabilities. Debbie is also a wonderful teacher, breaking down lessons into easy-to-understand components. She is patient and works with riders to build their skill and confidence. Debbie is particularly gifted at matching the correct horse with rider. Debbie has put together numerous successful partnerships, matching abilities and training to horse and rider. Safety is always Debbie’s focus to create combinations that last a lifetime! I highly recommend Debbie. Her depth of knowledge and understanding of horse biomechanics, psychology, and training make her an excellent choice for someone looking to improve their own skills, or that of their horse."
— Catherine Jennings, Sport Horse Auctions LLC
I’m Penny Gromatzky and own a beautiful KT MT horse name Jet. Jet is a hot horse by nature. Purchased him at 24 months. He’s 13 now. Jet was broke when I bought him, but did not know how to walk and go the different gaits from walking, run walk to canter and a Rack too!
With and only with Debra McKinney’s training for over 7 years. Jet can do it all!! He’s a wonderful partner and frankly we just have a blast!! Debra knows exactly how to coach me and train Jet to get it all wonderful again!! Debra is an excellent trainer and uses her own techniques to let the horse be free and feel secure as horse and rider together do your partnership comes together. With my training with Debra I give her our goal and she stays focused to get us there!!
Very professional and so I totally recommend Debra to have a great result if you are looking for a partnership with your horse!!!!
— Penny Gromatzky, current client
Debbie is an amazing equestrian trainer. Here’s the story of our gelding, Blackjack, and the impact Debbie had on him. Blackjack came to us at a horse auction in January 2023. As happens frequently, he was a bit misrepresented. What seemed like a stable, rock-solid horse turned into a fearful, frightened, and occasionally dangerous horse less than 6 hours after his purchase. He became accustomed to me quickly since I fed him daily. Any other new person he regarded with extreme concern. As months passed, we learned many of his quirks but one item almost became a deal breaker. We couldn’t get to his feet. He came shod. Our first attempt to get farrier work done got his shoes removed from his forequarters but his hind remained untouched - too dangerous. The farrier’s recommendation was to get a vet out to sedate Blackjack before further work. We followed that advice. Vet came, sedated Blackjack, and then re-sedated him. At the end of that session Blackjack had both hind shoes removed but had set the farrier on his backside three times. We spent some time absorbing this. We made a brief attempt at professional help but found among other things Blackjack can suffer from anhidrosis (doesn’t sweat in extreme heat). That terminated his professional help early. It was about this time that we were introduced to Debbie. I saw her as my last attempt to rehabilitate Blackjack. When she showed up we talked about what needed doing. Blackjack needed to get much better with folks handling his fee, he had an odd, stilted gait that needed to be examined, and he needed to get more comfortable with folks in general. Over the next few months, Debbie knocked the list down one at a time. At the end, Blackjack would offer his forequarter feet just by touching his leg. His gait at a lope moved from a very choppy stride to one that was much more relaxed and reaching. Debbie had determined that he had pain issues going on from some previous life event, found treatment and worked him through to a much better state. He also came back somewhat less bothered by new folks - still cautious but not so concerned. Debbie’s patience, kindness and horse sense makes her unusually capable of solving horse problems of significant complexity. You won’t go wrong engaging her with your equestrian challenges!
-David Schaub, current client