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The Heart of Carolyn Resnick Liberty Horsemanship
Carolyn Resnick Liberty Horsemanship is the culmination of Carolyn Resnick’s lifetime of studying horses and more than 50 years of teaching people how to build relationships with horses through connection, communication, and partnership.
Carolyn’s work began with her extraordinary childhood experiences studying wild horses in the California desert. What she learned from living among horses and observing their natural social behavior became the foundation of the Waterhole Rituals™, a method of liberty horsemanship that teaches people to communicate with horses through the language horses naturally use with one another.
As a herd behavior specialist, Carolyn developed a unique understanding of how horses communicate, establish relationships, and interact within their herds. Her ability to translate these natural social dynamics into practical ways for humans to relate to horses has helped thousands of people and horses develop deeper, more harmonious partnerships, enhancing both the quality of their relationships and their performance together.
In 2017, Carolyn and Nancy Zintsmaster co-created the Waterhole Rituals Online Academy, beginning a partnership dedicated to preserving the depth and integrity of Carolyn’s life’s work while making it accessible to students around the world.
Today, Carolyn Resnick Liberty Horsemanship continues this legacy through education, mentorship, and programs that help horse owners and equine professionals deepen their understanding of horses and develop more meaningful relationships with them. The work is grounded in the principles of trust, respect, willingness, and focus, offering a different approach to horsemanship that honors the horse’s natural instincts, intelligence, and social nature.
The shared mission is to ensure that Carolyn’s life’s work continues to inspire future generations and that horses are recognized not simply as animals to be trained, but as partners, teachers, and guides in learning, personal growth, and transformation. Through the Waterhole Rituals™, students are invited to discover what becomes possible when they learn to understand the horse’s world and build a relationship based on mutual trust, communication, and genuine partnership.
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Nancy Zintsmaster: My Story
My journey with horses began with four rescue horses and a question I couldn't answer. I loved them deeply, but I didn't know how to reach them or what to do to help them become the willing partners I knew they could be.
Then I discovered Carolyn Resnick's book, Naked Liberty, and my life changed forever.
Through Carolyn's work and the Waterhole Rituals™, I began to see horses in an entirely new way. I discovered that building a relationship with a horse went far beyond handling, riding, or conventional training. It was about learning to understand the horse in his own language, developing trust, and creating a relationship in which connection and willingness could grow naturally.
Within five days of applying what I was learning, I experienced a transformation with my horses that I can only describe as miraculous. The horses I had once struggled to understand began to connect with me and become willing partners. I was witnessing something extraordinary, and I knew I had found my life's passion.
That experience set me on a path that has shaped more than two decades of my life. I became Carolyn Resnick's longtime student, teaching partner, and business partner, dedicating myself to learning, practicing, and sharing the Waterhole Rituals with others. Today, I am a Certified Master Trainer and Instructor of the Waterhole Rituals™ and co-owner of Carolyn Resnick Liberty Horsemanship.
Over the years, I have had the privilege of teaching and mentoring people from around the world, helping them develop deeper relationships with their horses and discover what becomes possible when we learn to meet horses in their own language. My rescue horses have been among my greatest teachers, continually reminding me that the quality of our relationship begins with us.
My work is rooted in the belief that horses have so much to teach us when we are willing to listen, observe, and change the way we approach them. The Waterhole Rituals transformed my life and my relationships with my horses, and sharing this work with others has become my calling.
What began with four rescue horses and a book has grown into a lifelong commitment to helping people experience the extraordinary connection, trust, and partnership that can emerge when we learn to see the world through the horse's eyes.
