Founder, Carolyn Resnick

Co-Founder, and Master Trainer, Nancy Zintsmaster

The Resnick Method of Horsemanship was originally developed by Carolyn Resnick over 40 years ago and is based on her expertise and observation of wild horses. Carolyn immersed herself in studying horse behavior and realized during her years of studying wild horses, that she could communicate with them based on a language that was natural to them, how horses communicate with each other. 

From this communication she created The Waterhole Rituals,  a unique method of training horses at Liberty. In the 1970's Carolyn originated the term "Liberty Training".   Liberty Horse training is communicating with your horse without tack in a free and open environment. The Waterhole Rituals teaches how to lead and how to connect with the nature of the horse to bring out trust, respect, and the wiligness in a horse.  Being able to communicate in this manner brings well-being to your soul, and to the horses soul,  where you will discover your true nature. 

In 2017, The Resnick Method of Horsemanship launched The Resnick Method Liberty Training® Academy. Carolyn Resnick and Nancy Zintsmaster, co-created this academy to empower people who need help in connecting to the very heart of the horse, and to help people understand how to use horses as our guides for self realization; to address the whole being, mind, body, and spirit. It is our mission to help grow the new world consciousness that is now ready to receive this next step in valuing horses as teachers and healers, making the horse a true partner in our journey of self healing, personal growth and transformation.

Carolyn Resnick has dedicated her life to creating educational programs to bring awareness about horses and help people connect to their true self. 

Carolyn Resnick's life with horses began in Indio, California in the 1940s. Riding alone in the desert as a child, she nurtured an intuitive bond with horses. In the beginning of what would become a lifelong passion for developing innovative horse training methods, created from her interactive studies with wild horses, Carolyn spent three summers of her childhood gradually becoming accepted into a community of wild horses, culminating her ability to ride a lead mare bareback and without a bridle, just from the bond that they shared. 

As a young girl her interest in horses led to training and showing in both English and Western divisions. Her desire to create a championship performance from the willing spirit of the horse led her on a unique quest to gain knowledge of natural wild horse behaviour and communication systems.

Carolyn’s formal introduction to the wider equine community began in the early 1970s from her ranch, Stonehenge Arabians/Dances With Horses, a successful training and Arabian breeding center in Sonoma, California in operation for 25 years.

From her studies of wild horses, Carolyn formulated her own system of relating to horses she named The Carolyn Resnick Method/The Waterhole Rituals. She subsequently toured the United States for several years, giving clinics and exhibitions on her method. 

This method of horsemanship consists of seven Waterhole Rituals and they are based on social bonding rituals that are natural to horses, and are a concrete way to practice Liberty Training with your horse!

By learning how these Rituals function in a natural herd, and by practicing this method of horsemanship, students will learn how to communicate horses in a language innate to the horse. This communication encourages horses to see us as their leaders.

This knowledge enhances all interactions between humans and horses; feeding, leading, grooming, riding, training and show!

Carolyn has an online school teaching her programs, as well Dances with Horses Training Center in Escondido, California. Carolyn teaches her Method in partnership with Nancy Zintsmaster who owns and operates The Resnick Method, Dances With Horses training center in Arenal, Costa Rica.

Carolyn also serves on the advisory board of Return To Freedom American Wild Horse Sanctuary, in Lompoc, California, as an expert in wild horse behavior.

In 2005 Carolyn released her first book Naked Liberty, which was subtitled Memoirs of my childhood, Guided by passion, Educated by Wild Horses. The language of movement, communication and leadership through the ways of the horse. The book is printed in English, German and Italian.

ABOUT NANCY 

Nancy Zintsmaster is the co-owner and a Certified Master Trainer and Instructor of The Carolyn Resnick Method of Liberty Training™. As the only Master Trainer personally trained and certified by Carolyn Resnick, Nancy has become a leading authority on The Waterhole Rituals™ and the art of creating authentic connection with horses.

A lifelong horsewoman, Nancy has been drawn to horses since childhood, seeking their company and wisdom whenever she could. It was not until she discovered The Carolyn Resnick Method that she came to understand the extraordinary depth of relationship possible between humans and horses. Experiencing this transformation herself, she committed her life to studying, teaching, and preserving the integrity of the method.

Nancy’s work has taken her across the United States and Central America, where she has led clinics, retreats, and workshops for students devoted to deepening their understanding of horses. She has trained and mentored hundreds of students and professionals—from dedicated horse lovers to equine-assisted therapists and coaches—guiding them toward building relationships with horses rooted in trust, respect, and mutual understanding. She has also co-founded liberty training academies, developed online programs to make this work accessible worldwide, and continues to mentor instructors-in-training to ensure the method is passed on with authenticity and care.

Recognized for her intuitive connection with horses and her compassionate, insightful teaching style, Nancy is dedicated to elevating the treatment of horses and to helping people experience the profound rewards of true connection. She believes that all horse lovers should have the opportunity to experience the bond that transformed her own life.

“The connection that I now have with my horses has helped me realize my true nature and has led me to the path I was meant to take in my life. This is something I believe is possible for all humans and horses.”

Through her teaching, leadership, and advocacy, Nancy has become a respected ambassador for the language of horses, inspiring students to discover their own authentic relationships with the horse.