Lead-Up International Instructors

Lead-Up had its official worldwide launch at the Monty Roberts International Learning Center in Solvang, California, in February 2017, with the first 8 Lead-Up International Instructors certified to hold Lead-Up workshops across the globe.

We have grown to 14 instructors worldwide and are continuing to grow to reach our goal of having Lead-Up workshops in each country with a Monty Roberts Certified Instructor.

Katie Cunningham
Katie CunninghamGUATEMALA
Katie Cunningham is a British Ex-Pat, living in Guatemala and the founder of Lead-Up. Katie is in Advanced Studies of Certification at the Monty Roberts International Learning Center and is an advocate of Join-Up and non-violence. Katie grew up in the UK but traveled to Guatemala in 1999 where she was offered work with horses. She now lives in Antigua, Guatemala with her husband and children where they own La Ronda Equestrian Center, birthplace to Lead-Up International. In 2012 she was awarded a certificate by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth for her efforts to reduce violence in the training of horses in Guatemala. This inspired her to develop a Join-Up program in collaboration with the Brooke partner program ‘Equinos Sanos Para El Pueblo’ (Healthy Horses for the People) that would further reduce violence towards horses and humans by helping to shift deep-rooted attitudes and behaviors. These efforts have led to the creation of Lead-Up International.
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Martina Höbling
Martina HöblingAUSTRIA
Martina has been working as an adult education trainer for the last 15 years. She has been around horses since the age of 12. Next to her main job she started working with horses and children with special needs. When she first got in touch with Monty’s Book “Horse Sense and Healing“ she was so fascinated about his methods, that she wanted to know more about it.

So in 2008, she went to Monty’s Farm for the first time participating in the Introductory Course. Finally, after working with Instructors from Denmark, Netherlands, Italy, Hungary, Germany, USA, and Finland she became a certified Monty Roberts Instructor in 2015. She is now teaching Monty’s Methods in Austria. On top of this, Martina also has a qualification as a Horse Assisted Educator® in coaching people supported by horses and is successfully working as a Horse Agility Accredited Trainer®.

Her goal is, to help people and horses by creating healthy partnerships on trust-based communication.

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Caroline Jennings
Caroline JenningsAUSTRALIA
Caroline Jennings B.Sc., brings her skills and knowledge of the Monty Roberts’ methods to the people and horses of Australia. Caroline, who is originally from Ireland, has always had horses in her life as a hobby and naturally followed this passion as her career path.

Caroline completed her third-level education in Equine and Human Sport Science before beginning her Monty Roberts training in 2004 and then receiving her instructorship from Monty in 2008. Since then, Caroline has had great success with a number of troubled people, horses, riders, trainers, and owners, and has introduced Monty’s methods to a range of facilities, trainers, yards, and studs worldwide. Caroline has assisted Monty Roberts in many areas worldwide including seminars and demonstrations, veteran courses, and private consultancy for professionals in many disciplines.

Caroline is now working alongside the Australian Childhood Foundation to develop a therapeutic program utilizing the embodied experience of Join-Up and up-to-date scientific research on the neurobiological effects of trauma. Using this knowledge, training, and experience, Caroline will provide Lead-Up workshops for youth in Australia.

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Miguel Lupiano
Miguel LupianoBRAZIL
Miguel was certified as a Monty Roberts instructor in 2015 and since then has worked tirelessly to provide non-violent training of horses and to educate people about non-violence towards horses and humans.

Miguel is one of Lead-Up’s Development Instructors and is providing life transforming workshops to vulnerable youth in Brazil. Miguel feels a huge responsibility to help reduce and prevent violence in Brazil by teaching peaceful leadership through the experience of Join-Up and interactions with horses.

Miguel has added Lead-Up workshops to the the list of invaluable courses and education that he provides, as part of his combined effort to help reduce violence in the lives of horses and humans in Brazil.

Simon d'Unienville
Simon d'UnienvilleCALIFORNIA
Simon became the first Monty Roberts Certified Instructor in Africa in August 2018. Whilst completing his Monty Roberts certification, Simon learned about Lead-Up and immediately knew that was the field he wanted to dedicate most of his time to.

He became a Lead-Up Certified Instructor in October 2018 and subsequently set up his non-profit organization Horses 4 Hope – which launched in Johannesburg, South Africa in January 2019. In 2020, Simon joined the team where he headed up the Monty Roberts International Learning Center including the facilitation of Lead-Up in California.

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Denise Heinlein
Denise HeinleinGERMANY
In November 2009, Denise realized her goal of becoming an Instructor of Monty’s methods and is now spreading the concepts of Monty’s non-violent approach. After teaching classes and courses in Germany and getting a lot of experience in the Thoroughbred Industry she has been more recently working as Head Instructor at the Monty Roberts International Learning Center in California. She is also a member of the Monty Roberts Instructor’s Committee.

Denise is dedicated to sharing the impact of working with horses and youth troubled by abuse and violence. She has worked with horses since her childhood and knows about the incredible healing power of these animals. She has brought the non-violent approach of Lead-Up to help youth in need in Germany and the world.

Denise experienced firsthand the change and healing while working with Veterans with PTSD for the last 3 years whilst serving as the Head Instructor at the MRILC.

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Csilla Csazar
Csilla CsazarHUNGARY
Csilla has been around horses since she was born. Her experience includes trail riding, tourism, traditional Hungarian horse shows and games, show jumping, training horses, horse riding, and therapeutic riding. In addition to working with horses, she became a Theologist who works with people.

After reading Monty’s book in 2007, her dream to help horses and people through communication started to come true. In 2014, she became a Monty Roberts certified instructor. Csilla believes horses and people can help one another and people experience change through horses.

Her goal is to help people who have communication problems, experience addiction or depression, and children with behavioral problems who have difficulties socializing. Experiencing a Join-Up with horses can help people “Join-Up” with others, giving them a chance to have a happy, normal, or simply a higher quality of life.

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Caitriona O'Meara
Caitriona O'MearaIRELAND
Caitriona is a secondary teacher in a disadvantaged school in Kildare, Ireland. She is a trained EAGALA facilitator of Equine Assisted Learning and Therapy and has ran sessions for the last 5 years. She owned horses since she was 12 and they have made the bad days better, helped her learn about herself, and kept her sane! They led her to become a Monty Roberts Instructor in 2014.

Having seen firsthand the benefit of contact with horses, she has worked with a youth diversion project for youth at risk, students with behavioral issues, and individuals running Equine Assisted Learning sessions to help them find direction, regulate behavior, problem solve, build confidence and resilience to name a few.

Until now Join-Up and Equine assisted learning and therapy were separate. Lead-Up marries the Join-Up Techniques and the learning and therapy. It brings the two together and is the missing puzzle piece for Caitriona. Youths will reap the benefits of contact with the horses, practical techniques for self-regulation, increased self-awareness, and an increase in resilience. She now offers the Lead-Up program in Ireland.

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Padraic Foy
Padraic FoyIRELAND
Padraic is a qualified riding instructor who has worked in various sectors of the equine industry. As manager of the family equestrian facility in the West of Ireland, he encountered troubled youths who go horse riding with a student association he deals with. He noticed that being around horses had a positive influence on these people.

Hearing about Monty Roberts and Join-Up (a non-violent method of communicating with horses), he wanted to learn more. Through Monty, he realized that the benefits of this can also be applied to people as well as horses. He became a Certified Monty Roberts Instructor in 2015.

As a result of the Lead-Up program, it is now possible to make a difference in the lives of young people using these concepts. He enjoys offering Lead-Up workshops to organizations and individuals in Ireland.

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Chris Morris
Chris MorrisUNITED KINGDOM
Monty Roberts certified Chris Morris as an instructor in 2012. Based near Brighton in the UK, Chris has taught Monty’s non-violent horse training approach to a wide variety of students and clients as well as training his growing herd of rescue horses!

During his trips to California Chris took part in many Horse Sense and Healing clinics for veterans and first responders, in the work being done through the Lead-Up program, and is passionate about educating more people about how the non-violent horse training approach has a significant positive impact on the lives of humans who have suffered or are suffering with violence in their lives.

Chris offers Lead-Up workshops in the UK which teach the peaceful leadership approach utilizing the experience of Join-Up to produce partnerships based on trust and how violence is never the answer with any interaction, whether horse to human or human to human.

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Caron Whaley
Caron WhaleyUNITED KINGDOM
Caron started riding at 4 years of age but at 19 left her beloved horses to pursue an academic career, giving her exceptional credentials of a BEng Hons Civil Engineering and two MSc Degrees in Project Management and Organisational Psychology. Caron spent nearly 2 decades working in the UK, Asia, Australia, and the Middle East, initially as a corporate professional and more recently as an equine behaviorist and equine-assisted personal development specialist. After 7 years in the Middle East (Dubai) working with remedial Thoroughbreds, Arabians, and Warmbloods she has just relocated to the heart of Somerset in the UK. She enjoys sharing Monty’s philosophy in both Somerset and the Middle East where she travels during the winter seasons. She also plans to continue her work in the equine-assisted personal development arena, a topic that Monty is passionate about and has helped to pioneer in the last few years. Caron has been a Monty Roberts Certified Instructor since 2007.

The Lead-Up Program allows people to undertake a voyage of self-discovery by means of the transformative quality that is equine-facilitated learning, a process that Caron is particularly passionate about. Currently, Caron heads up the equine-assisted therapy division for the world’s largest equine welfare charity. This charity has an international reach and she hopes the Lead-Up Programme can be part of a plan that benefits vulnerable people around the world.

On a more personal level, she loves offering Lead-Up workshops from her beautiful Devonshire home.

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Joanna Lowes
Joanna LowesWALES
Joanna Lowes was selected to become Monty Roberts’ PA in 2015, and since then has accompanied him on his endeavors worldwide, from starting racehorses for private clients to demonstrations in front of huge audiences.

This incredible opportunity has meant Jo has been involved with Horse Sense & Healing clinics in both the US and the UK, and recently the first one in Germany. Witnessing first-hand the effect that Join-Up and working with horses can have on veterans and military personnel suffering from post-traumatic stress paved the way for Jo’s interest in sharing these valuable concepts with those who need it most.

Prior to working for Monty, Jo became a qualified BHSAI and UKCC Level 2 Coach, gained invaluable work experience in early education at a Primary School in Wales, and successfully completed a CELTA (Cambridge Certification in English Language Teaching) in South Africa.

Jo aims to combine her experience in teaching, her passion for horses, and her knowledge of Join-Up to help make positive changes in the next generations.

Courtney Dunn
Courtney DunnUNITED STATES
Courtney received her instructor certification in 2011. She comes from North Carolina where she was manager at Horseworks LLC. She was specialized in halter training foals, inspection handling, starting/breaking, problem/spooky horses, and gentling. She has been riding and competing with hunter/jumpers from a young age and had a good start in pony club and foxhunting. In the summer of 2011, Courtney moved cross country to work at Flag Is Up Farms where she focused on teaching and horse training. She is currently continuing her work with horses in the Santa Ynez Valley in California.
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