About "The School"
The Classical Stock Seat School of Arizona (C.S.S.S.A.) became a 501 C-3, non-profit (Tax ID #20-0140244) riding school in 2006, which allows The School to offer higher quality programs to its full time instructors in training, help with scholarships, and offer complete programs for beginner and novice riders. C.S.S.S.A. was founded on the evolutionary scientific research of Monte Foreman and his discovery of the science of footwork and move basics. Monte was a world-famous equine scientist, filmmaker, and equine author, master equine trainer and clinician.
Ron McLoughlin, head-instructor, travelled the United States and Canada assisting Monte Foreman with his clinics and worked extensively with Monte for 12 years. Ron has kept an active research of quality riding instruction and horse training at The School*, continuing where Monte Foreman left off. Our vision is that the Foreman system of humane riding techniques will continue down through the centuries through development of top-quality horse instructors and the training of riders.
The art of the Classical Stock Seat Riding is not the norm or for the faint of heart. The Classical Dressage world attempts to maintain the tested and tried training techniques of the old masters by continuing their training ideals down through the centuries. In like manner, we identify with a true master in the field of training the stock-seat horse with humane, tried and true training techniques. There is never a 'quick fix' to any problem that the horse and rider might develop, but rather, there is the correct and humane way, to work with the horse while being sensitive to their capacity for understanding each training method. The method of understanding the horse's footwork, and combining that understanding with move-basics, The Basic Handle, is good for any riding discipline and for any level of rider!
*To learn more about the equestrian industry and how to contribute to "The School", please click here.
"Ask your horse for perfection; take what you get."
Success is inconvenient. Most people do not want to be inconvenienced, therefore, most people are not successful.
School Staff
Ron McLoughlin
Head Instructor
Ron McLoughlin was born in Petaluma, California, on a quarter horse ranch. Being the son of an Army Officer, Ron traveled the world as a youngster, starting riding lessons in Germany in the dressage arena. Ron began teaching horseback riding in 1967, and after two years of college, three years in the U.S. Navy (the last being spent in Vietnam on gun boats and as a small arms instructor), in February of 1972, he started the McLoughlin Horse Handling in Towanda, Pennsylvania - which is currently still in operation - please click here to learn more.
In 1972, Ron met two men that changed his whole outlook on horses and the horse industry. One such influence was Francis C. Sullivan D.V.M., an equine vet and horseman of unequaled wisdom. The foundation of Ron's attitude and ideals towards horses, breeding, care of, management of stables, people and vet care, came from Dr. Sullivan.
The other influential horseman was Monte Foreman of Elbert, Colorado. Monte, a world-famous horse scientist, film maker (supporting his theories through photo analysis), author and artist of horse books, and all around top hand horse trainer and riding instructor, came into Ron's life like a stampede. For the next 12 years, Ron worked extensively with Monte, helping with the research, videotaping, and assisting with Monte's riding clinics around the United States.
In 1978, Ron was certified as a 'Foreman Instructor' and continued his research over the years. In 1998, Ron along with his wife Lisa moved to Pearce, Arizona, where they currently run and operate the facility which offers a complete instruction program.
In 2003, McLoughlin Horse Handling Foundation was established in order to support student scholarships. Then in 2006 the name changed into The Classical Stock Seat School of Arizona. The School was founded on the 'Foreman Humane System' of handling horses. The Foreman system is the science of footwork and move-basics. Ron has kept active research over the years, to continue where Monte Foreman left off.
Over the years, Ron has worked with thousands of students, many in the equine industry and show arena today. He has conducted many mounted law enforcement training schools and has trained the U.S. Border Patrol Mounted Division. To date, Ron has actively conducted over 991 three-day horse Handling Clinics around the United States, Canada and Europe. To learn more about McLoughlin Horse Handling (R.M.H.H.), please click here.
Lisa McLoughlin
C.S.S.S.A. Instructor / Head Trainer
Owning horses for 54 years has made Lisa horse savvy with the way horses 'think and act'. She studied under other 'top-named' Clinicians in her home state of California, while always looking for a system of training that made perfect "horse" sense. She discovered just such a system, when she first rode in a Ron McLoughlin Clinic in 1992 which then introduced her to The School. Her horses' balance and agility that was improved by using the 'Basic Handle' made her a ready believer of the Foreman/McLoughlin system. Since then, there has been no deviation from the 'Basic Handle' while training young and older horses alike; as developing a horse from the ground up this way, makes for a willing, solid and athletic individual. She maintains the School horses at C.S.S.S.A., cooks for resident week students, and maintains the school's office, while assisting Ron during various School programs.
Mary Jani
C.S.S.S.A. Instructor
Retired
Mary has been working in the horse business for 35 years. She first met Ron McLoughlin in 1975, when she spent 11 months as a student-staff at his school in Pennsylvania. Soon after, she was hired as barn manager and assistant instructor at the McLoughlin Horse Handling School. Along with managing the barn, she also trained horses, started colts, ran the weekly lesson program and breeding programs and assisted with resident weeks. She worked at The School in PA for 14 years. During this time, Mary got to know and ride under Monte Foreman, and in 1979 became one of his youngest Accredited Instructors.
Mary has used the Foreman Basic Handle training philosophy and principles to successfully train hundreds of horses and riders throughout the years. Mary has trained and instructed on farms and ranches in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Colorado, Tennessee, Arizona, Florida, Maine and North Carolina. She also continued to fly in to assist during School Programs and has spent several stints working at C.S.S.S.A. in Arizona. Mary has been working at the Santa Lucia Ranch, a working cattle ranch, in Amado, Arizona since 2011.
Dana Jo Fitch
C.S.S.S.A. Instructor / Demonstration Rider
After spending most of her life with horses, DJ started riding with Ron McLoughlin in 1992, which was a totally new way of thinking about training and instructing classically for her. In 1994 she attended her first resident school, and followed that training with several more resident stays. After attending numerous School programs, she moved to The School to study full time, where she focused on training, instruction and horse management. She moved back to Florida in 1999, where she runs her own training and instructional facility, DJ's Horse Handling. She has many riding students that are starting to carve out their own spot in the limelight.
Besides showing her own and clients horses in dressage and reining, she also maintains a heavy training program with the school, and assists Ron at numerous programs and performances. D.J. has a full lesson program and hosts workshops. DJ can be reached via email at: djshorsehandling@yahoo.com
Other C.S.S.S.A. Instructors
Shelia Ellison - Gadsden, Alabama
Retired
Kathy Stafford - Nemo, Texas
Retired
The Late Chuck Warren - Ojai, CA
**To learn more about the equestrian industry and how to contribute to "The School", please click here.