Richard Shrake’s Principals:

Richard Shrake has developed what he calls Resistance Free® Riding and Resistance Free® Training. His markets his training as suitable to any horse and riding discipline. He breaks down horse training into understandable and manageable steps.

Richard Shrake’s Background:

Shrake grew up on a dairy farm where his father, a former rodeo cowboy, kept and traded horses. This gave Shrake a lot of experience handling different horses.

Through his childhood and high school years, he showed, and eventually he studied with a dressage trainer. Shrake went to college earning a degree in education while earning money training horses. After starting a training facility, he decided to start showing and quickly proved himself in western divisions against some of the best equestrians of the time. In 1979, Shrake earned the coveted “All Around” award at the American Quarter Horse Congress.

Richard Shrake’s Tools:

The Resistance Free® product selection is small and consists mainly of Sharke's books and DVDs. The Resistance Free® Bit collection contains snaffles and curb bits designed to address specific problems. Most of the bits are made of ‘sweet iron with copper’ thought to encourage the horse to salivate for a more responsive mouth. The Resistance Free® Rythym Collector is a device said to help the horse flex and balance properly.

Richard Shrake's Accomplishments:

Shrake has been a show ring judge, has shown in the Quarter Horse Congress and has been training and instructing for over 40 years.

He currently lives in Oregon, USA. With his family he owns A Winning Way, Ltd., that produces his extensive collection of horse training videos. His experience includes English, dressage and western riding styles and he was inducted in the Horse Expo Hall of Fame. He has trained World Champion level riders and horses and initiated and coached the U.S World Cup Team.

Richard Shrake’s Methods:

Richard Sharke’s method of working with horses is to begin by understanding the nature and body language of the horse. Resistance Free® methods teach the rider or trainer to teach and handle the horse so the horse understands what is being asked and does not resist out of fear or frustration. The method is broken down into 5 ‘master keys’ and twelve steps that can be used by beginner or experienced rider alike.

Richard Shrake’s Words of Wisdom:

“Let your idea become the horse’s idea.”

Shrake closes each of his columns with “May you always have a good horse to ride.”

Richard Shrake’s Resources:

Sharke offers a full calendar of clinics across the U.S run personally or by accredited Resistance Free® trainers or instructors. He has three best selling books: Resistance Free® Riding, Resistance Free® Training and Western Horsemanship . His columns ‘Bridle Wise’ and ‘Strides to Success’ appear in over 100 magazines across North America.

Find More Information on Richard Shrake:

You can find Richard Shrake's bio, products, schedule and personal gallery on his website. Many North American horse magazines carry his syndicated column.