About the Pony Pros

Kali, age 12, and her pony, Indy Kali, all grown up, on a 4 year old pony's first day of jumping ever
Left: Indy and Kali, age 12. Right: Boo and Kali, all grown up

Kali Kiger (formerly Vanagas)

Graduated Summa Cum Laude from OSU-Cascades in Spring 2006

about_us My mom had horses when she was young so when I went through a particularly shy phase at age 7, she knew horses would be an excellent solution. I began taking lessons and competing on the A circuit in hunters. I got my first green pony, Indy, as a 9th birthday present and, even now, still love ponies as much as ever. My mom and I spent 3 hours a day, 4 days a week at the barn. She bought me my first natural horsemanship book at age 12 and I've been 100% dedicated to natural horsemanship ever since. I'm really passionate about helping kids and adults learn to read horse body language and to bond with their ponies in such a way that they can realize their horsemanship dreams. I'm eternally grateful for the good times my family had at the barn and at shows. We still go to the barn together today. I want every family to have as much fun in ponies as my mom and I did.

Les Kiger (formerly Freeman)

Graduated Summa Cum Laude from OSU-Cascades in Winter 2006

about_us I was introduced to horses at a young age through my mom. She rode and showed hunters in the Seattle area for a number of years. At age 8, she started sending me to summer camps at a stable in Samamish, Wa., where I learned the basics of riding. It was great for my mom and I to share the interest in horses, as it gave us something to do together during our time in the summer. Horses were absent from most of my teen life. I didn't even know that I missed having horses in my life until Kali reintroduced me to them in college. I quickly learned to love training horses in addition to riding. I am deeply interested in horse behavior and psychology, focusing a lot on ground work and pre-ride training. I love working with horses because it involves such a wide variety of physical and mental challenges.

       

Arielrose Jasper

(Photo of Ariel coming soon!) I'm 18 years old and 13 of those years have been spent with horses in my life. My parents decided to put me in riding lessons when I was young because I was terrified of ponies. I started out riding Western, but found a real passion in English on my horse Graffiti. I taught myself, as well as him, how to jump and after that I spent most of my time training in the saddle. My dad first introduced me to natural horsemanship when I was young and I'm looking forward to expanding my knowledge with PonyPros in the years to come. I want everyone to understand that with a little time and patience, you can create a lasting loving bond with your pony.

Kirsten Rehn

(Photo of Kirsten coming soon!) I have had a passion for horses for as long as I can remember. I started taking lessons when I was eight-years-old and after a year, I began competing on the Central Oregon Hunter Jumper Association circuit as a hunter. I begged my mom for my own horse and I finally got my wish when we brought home Whisper, a little Morgan mare. I competed with Whisper in COHJA and in the High Desert Classic. In high school, I competed on my school’s Oregon High School Equestrian Team. In the summer of my senior year, I bought my second horse, Clifford, a four-year-old thoroughbred. Horses have helped me get though some of my most difficult times growing up and my fondest family memories are all out at the barn. I don’t know what I would have done if I didn’t have horses when I was growing up.

I started working with PonyPros in 2010 and I have already learned so much from Kali and Les. I have never seen Natural Horsemanship used in the way that PonyPros does, and I absolutely love their techniques. I wish I grew up learning these skills. I know it would have made me a better rider and trainer. I hope to pass on my love of horses to others so that they can have the same wonderful experience I have when riding and working with ponies.