Anna Russ

Question: How did you find out about AKA and its training program for Equine Coach?

I have been looking for a horse job for many years, that can be reconciled with my values. My search became very in depth and timely. From the classical training as a qualified groom with the main focus on breeding, husbandry, riding therapist, therapy horse trainer, and back to horse herding. I have gained a lot of experience, but I never felt happy, because in my opinion horses were often treated “unfair”. Even though I felt that people wanted only the best for their favorite four-legged friend, I had the feeling that horses are often misunderstood. Always looking for further development, I found AKA on the Internet. Andrea Kutsch and Monty Roberts have been with me for a long time. When I read about Andrea’s scientific approach, it was immediately clear to me that I needed to get to know AKA. Scientifically researching and demonstrating communication with horses seemed to me the solution. And that’s it today!

Question: What was your first impression of the AKA when you started the training?

Everything seemed very new. The whole concept of AKA with the use of modern online media was for the first time somewhat unusual. But I quickly realized that this unique concept works and was well thought out on all levels. When I decided to be apart of this modern community, I quickly realized that I was no longer alone with my yearnings. Whether it is technical questions, financing, seemingly difficult situations with training horses or inner motives – everything gets its category in AKA, it is always out sought together for solutions.

Question: What motivated you to take the first step?

A very strong intrinsic motivation that grew inside of me for years. It was just a few mouse clicks and I became part of the academy.

Question: What sets AKA apart in the worldwide horse industry?

In the field of ethology, there is now a lot of information about the behavior of the horses and much of it (fortunately) is already taught, for example, about the FN. However, sometimes it seems like bewitched, the different disciplines are still in disagreement over the right training approaches in practice, and few are willing to look at each other’s “map”. Although in the end often the same thing is meant, a common consensus is rarely found. AKA is completely worthless towards the different equestrian disciplines and uses of the horse. It is no longer speculated, but scientifically proven and that continuously, without stagnation! As a participant, you will experience a summary of the scientific findings, which in a community made up of many creative minds, meaningfully linked with the classical theory of learning and transferred to the practice of the horse. It is not adhered to old patterns but constantly evolving.

A revolution in the horse industry was long overdue. I see them not only as an agricultural and equestrian profession, but also as an opportunity to recognize the entirety of communication to the horse in a concrete context and to make use of scientific knowledge. Good for both sides. Horses and humans.

Question: How did AKA support a difference in your life and how did it change it?

My personal topic was and is the clarity. Horses understand us only when we are able to communicate with them in a clear, expressive, non-verbal communication. Uncertainty, ignorance, and doubt remove us from each other. Over the years, Andrea Kutsch and the AKA team have repeatedly put me in situations that allow me to find clarity for myself. We are not served the answers on the plate, but are allowed to feel and internalize our learning experiences ourselves, to integrate them into our subconscious. The horses reflect our behavior; in every situation in training can be transferred to a situation in life. For me, this means: The more clearly I communicate with the horse, the better I understand it, in turn means I’m more authentic and self-assured with my fellow human beings.

Question: How did AKA help you achieve your goals, both professionally and privately?

It is the maxim of life that is becoming more and more integrated into my everyday life. Sometimes quite consciously and sometimes unconsciously. The multifaceted knowledge, which is taught to me in AKA, includes not only different forms of communication with horses but also the human to human area. We are empathetic, benevolent, and constructive in our dealings with each other, which in the course of time is more and more transferred to my personal environment. The psychological contents become psychologists and coaches who lovingly and honestly accompany the path of introspection. In one sentence: “EBEC is not just a training method, it is my new lifestyle.”

Question: What does it take personally for you to be a part of AKA?

Love, Awareness, Compassion, Foresight, Flexibility, Insight, Forbearance, Imagination, Creativity, Love of Life, Empathy, Perseverance, Consequence, Spontaneity, Trust, Physical Fitness, Love for Animals, Charity, Responsibility, Loving Nature, Scientific Interest, and Willpower.

Question: To what extent does the AKA also live traditional disciplines and concepts of the horse industry?

I experience AKA as a perfect integration into the traditional disciplines, because EBEC is a foundation that applies to every discipline and form of use on horses.

Question: What do you love most about AKA?

AKA gives me the feeling that I have arrived. I am very grateful for that!