Kandis & Medicine Cap Command
Owner:  Angela Swedberg
“Cappy” is trained & shown by Kandis.  These two are winners many times over in the showring, from English pleasure to dressage.  Thank you, Angela, for allowing Kandis & Roze-El Stables to show off your magnificent horse!

Kandis R. Horton

Dressage Instructor & Trainer

As far back as I can remember, I have always loved horses.  I have fond memories of playing with my plastic Breyer horses and spending hours with a few particular horse-crazy friends pretending to be wild horses.  One day, one of my very dear horse-crazy friends helped me find a horse that would soon become my treasured companion.  Sauni, aka “Sunny”, was a sweet little 5-year-old chestnut Arabian who took very good care of me through my 4-H years and riding clinics.  With Sunny’s help, my mother spent hours upon hours teaching me basic horsemanship and riding skills.  I give my mom and Sunny much credit for my understanding of horses and riding today.  Sunny taught me to develop an impeccable sense of balance, timing, rhythm and feel that I have successfully applied to other horses I train.  My mother taught me patience, tactfulness, and how to “just ride” for the joy of it.  These experiences, in combination with years of instruction, have helped me to gain a deeper understanding of what the art of dressage embraces.

My early positive experience with horses laid a solid foundation for the successful teaching/training position I enjoy today at Roze-El Stables^®, an equine facility owned and operated by my family in Port Orchard, Washington.  My teaching and training agenda has a proven record of success in the show ring for myself, my students, and the horses I train.

I have had instruction from more people that I can count, including well-known international trainers Lilo Fore, Dr. Thomas Ritter, and Sandra Tillmann.  Currently, I train with two fabulous local teachers, Beth Anderson-Ness and Kim McGuire.  I am also inspired by Sally Swift, the founder of Centered Riding^® and who was recently inducted into the USDF Hall of Fame.   I am the only Centered Riding^® instructor in Kitsap County and one of only ten in the State of Washington.  Presently, I am working on achieving Level 3 status.

At the end of each day, I collect my thoughts and ideas and prepare to apply them to the best teachers I will ever know, my horses.  They tell me when my aids make them want to put on their ballet shoes and when things are not quite right.  I truly believe great trainers can hear a horse whisper.  I believe this is the mark of a superb trainer and instructor, and I work hard to achieve just that.