CAROLINE VOLANDT-BESTE
Caroline Beste - Equine Specialist and Instructor
Internationally recognized equine behavior and relationship specialist Caroline Volandt-Beste is best known for her intuitive approach to training horses and teaching people. Caroline’s approach merges the Art of Horsemanship and Classical Dressage principles with a Taoist way of Being and interacting. Her work focuses on developing, aligning, and synchronizing the horse and rider’s power of intention and Chakra energies—creating a state of “oneness” when working.
Joining mindset and a holistic way of working is how Caroline achieves true unity and consensual partnership between both horse and human. The creation of this pathway develops a deep and trusting relationship between horse and human and shows you how to integrate this relationship into the work, making the “work” purposeful, practical and meaningful.
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From her passionate presentations on horse-human relationships, to her inspiring liberty and freestyle demonstrations with her horses, Caroline Volandt-Beste is becoming one of the equine industry’s most popular clinicians and performers.
Caroline has spent her entire life around horses, beginning with her first lesson at the age of four. As a young girl she showed and worked locally for a riding instructor while taking care of her beloved backyard equine, Brandy. It was during this time that her view of being and working with horses began to shift, motivating her to seek a more harmonious way in which to be with them and communicate her requests when training and working.
As an early teen, Caroline spent much of her time observing horses and sketching them in her journals. She attributes her passion for drawing and painting to being inspired by nature, especially the horse in all its magnificence.
Her desire to learn prompted her to question the purpose of all things and their interrelatedness to one another. Caroline’s craving for more knowledge led her to seek out many different philosophies on horsemanship, levels of consciousness, and spirituality. Two of the most influential readings for her were the Black Stallion Series and books she found at the library on Taoism: an Eastern Philosophy that teaches the many depths of spiritual authenticity through living in the present and with consciousness. Between reading, sketching, observing horses at the local barn, and spending all day with her own horse in the summer months, Caroline was soon on her way to discovering what she knows and teaches today – trust and acceptance are the keys to acquiring true partnership and leadership with our horses.
Caroline continued taking lessons from varied hunter/jumper and equestrian instructors until she went to college. In her late twenties, she directed much of her creativity and ambition towards her own graphic design business. She enjoyed building the business through strong community ties and relationships and, within the first two years, she was able to hire her first employee. Her love for learning and sharing her knowledge with others led her to speaking engagements and lectures throughout the D.C. Metropolitan Area on topics ranging from “Starting Your Own Business – Taking that Leap of Faith,” to “How to Authentically Live in the Marketplace.” With all her purpose, Caroline still felt a void and one that left her dreaming about her days with her late horse, Brandy.
It wasn’t until her mid-thirties that Caroline was able to support her enthusiasm for horses and re-enter the equine industry, specifically the very well-publicized world of Natural Horsemanship. She felt a kinship to the teachings of many of the well-known and leading clinicians and spent much of her time absorbed in their practices while cultivating her own style and approach. Today, what separates Caroline from most natural horsemanship clinicians is her Tao of Horsemanship™ approach to teaching horses and humans. This approach combines classical dressage and intuitive horsemanship practices and techniques with a Taoist way of living and interacting.
Caroline’s versatile equestrian background includes the following disciplines: hunter/jumper, reining, team penning, classical dressage, working equitation and liberty. She has studied with some of our leading clinicians, trainers and instructors, including but not limited to: Jack Brainard, Advanced Horsemanship, Master of Flying Lead Changes; Joao Lynce, Classical Dressage and Working Equitation and Bruno Gonzalez, Baroque Equestrian Horsemanship.Caroline is also a certified Working Equitation Instructor. Her vast experience in most disciplines allows her to reach all equine schools of thought. Because of her experience Caroline can offer her student's, and horses, a plethora of knowledge, skill sets and positive results.