I started riding with Marissa in March of 2023 with my 14 year old son, who has never ridden before. The reason we chose Marissa is because of her wonderful demeanor, her extensive horsemanship knowledge and the positive attitude that surrounds her barn. Marissa's philosophy is to ensure my son and I, and all her students, obtain a holistic education in horsemanship which includes barn etiquette, handling horses out of the saddle, grooming, tacking, understanding why a horse may act in certain ways and how to mitigate any potential situation that may arise. Marissa was wonderful with my son who is on the spectrum, and he got to the point where he was grooming, tacking and riding on his own and even cantering. Marissa instilled confidence in Aaron and myself as we continued to improve in our riding, and she had patience and understanding that further boosted our confidence. I always felt safe within the Barn and could go to Marissa with any quetsions or concerns I had, and received prompt response and guidance. The atmosphere in the Barn is like family and there is an intimacy between teacher and rider and horse. We are so thankful we found Marissa.