About
All Heart Equestrian Services

Hannah Barker

Bitten by the horse bug at a young age, Hannah couldn't keep them off her mind or out of her heart; she would drag her parents to visit the horses when at fairs, beg for pony rides, and read endless books about them. A family friend invited her to visit her barn, giving Hannah her first experiences on horseback, driving a horse in a cart, and seeing a newborn foal. A birthday surprise of riding lessons at ten meant no-turning-back. From the first canter strides to the first cross rail - she was hooked.

In middle school into high school, Hannah was on her barn's Riding Team with the privilege of showing at local and regional competitions. A passion for training horses sparked when she rode a troubled horse no one else wanted to ride. Putting in the hours and hard rides, she was able to help him overcome his problems to become a desirable riding horse. While not every day was perfect, and many of them were frustrating - receiving the Year End Grand Champion award showed that others had noticed her diligence and perseverance.

When an opportunity to work with a young four-year-old gelding who had never been ridden came up, Hannah jumped on board with a resounding yes. She followed the horse's progress as he spent thirty days with a Parelli trainer to get used to being handled and saddled. They spent the next several months braving the brutal winter cold overcoming all new experiences - working in the indoor ring on finding rhythm and balance at the walk and trot, moving up to the canter, and even over his first jump. While peers were conquering 3-foot oxers and fine-tuning their equitation, Hannah and Thunder were focused on the basics and building a strong foundation. In the spring, they went to their first horse show to show off the skills they had developed and by the end of the summer were able to hold their own against experienced horses and riders in low jumpers and low-level dressage.

An opportunity to volunteer at a local therapeutic riding center gave Hannah a new perspective on the care and keeping of horses as well as seeing the remarkable power between equines and humans. She studied with the barn's manager to understand what it takes to keep therapeutic horses in good health and with the instructors on how to provide riders and students with a well-balanced and meaningful lesson through therapeutic riding, equine-assisted learning, and hippotherapy.

Pursuing her passion into college, she attended Scottsdale Community College in the Equine Science Program with Dr. Patricia Evans. Hannah filled her schedule with all the horse classes offered - Equine Behavior, Anatomy & Physiology, Equine Business, and Stable Management. For the first time school was easy and brought her joy. She became a go-to volunteer for any community lectures or courses. Hannah had experiences like: Running a horsemanship Clinic - registration, check-in, event set-up, raffle tickets, gift packages; 4H and Community Demonstrations (First Aid & Ground Work) with hands-on learning stations; Event Booths with Educational Demonstrations (Arabian Horse Show, Carousel Horse Show, SVS Sport Horse Auction).

The SCC Equine Science Program offered fantastic opportunities through the internship and practicum programs as well as the hands-on classes.

A summer internship on a horse ranch in northern AZ turned into a job as a barn manager a year later. The Foaling Practicum gave valuable experience working with pregnant mares, foaling out, and training young foals. A year as a Teacher's Assistant helped spark her passion for teaching and continuing education.

In the horse world - the motto of 'Why Say No' lead Hannah to a lot of interesting and different work experiences.

One summer during college, she was a counselor at a Girl Scout sleep-away Horse Camp in charge of daily care for girls on their journey for adventure. She was able to share her love for the outdoors and horses with the campers. The job entailed working with staff members to follow a set schedule while also bringing entertainment and fun to the clients. As well as keeping written documentation of the girls' achievements and experiences for the parents to read. The experience gained her leadership skills and dependability while creating an engaging atmosphere.

For a year, Hannah learned what it took to be a groom and rider at a Saddlebred Saddle Seat facility; taking on the challenge of being around an entirely new discipline and understanding the care and expertise to train high-quality show horses at the A-rated level. She learned to ride and condition show horses and lesson horses; learned how to tack up and drive carriages and carts; and had the opportunity to ride gaited Saddlebreds and Tennessee Walking Horses.

She spent a summer riding and working with Clydesdales on a Draft Horse Drill Team.

Working with a close friend, she groomed and trained Tennessee Walking Horses for dressage and pleasure shows.

Hannah spent a year at a riding academy as a yard manager, daily care provider, and riding instructor to young children (ages 3-10).

She spent several years working and caring for senior horses and training in Liberty and Positive Reinforcement.

Over many years Hannah has had the opportunity to ride and condition horses from all backgrounds - dressage, hunters, jumpers, reining, cow ponies and trail mounts; mules, drafts, ponies, and minis; stallions, mares, and geldings. She's trained and worked with horses from newborn foals, excitable yearlings, in their prime show horses, and ageing seniors.

The most important part of horses has always been caring for them - from cleaning stalls and cleaning tack, feeding and turn out, grooming and bathing; the horse comes first, and finding joy in that.

Hannah loves to learn and share her knowledge through teaching and discussion - caring for animals, training techniques, or better understanding all aspects of animals. Every day is an opportunity to learn something new and be better for others.

When not working with animals, Hannah is an avid reader, amateur graphic arts designer, and adventurer. If she can't be in the barn working with horses, she hopes to be hiking in the woods with a four-legged friend.