The Balanced Horse Project

The Balanced Horse Project STEP TRAINING enhances equine symmetry, balance, and confidence by addressing resistance, and preventing injuries.

Led by Patricia Cleveland of BHP, it ensures safety, sustainability, and performance, improving life quality for horses and riders. At The Balanced Horse Project, our goal is to create a comfortable body for the horse to use, while their mind focuses on the job. We develop training programs to address the completeness of symmetry and balance through organic means. Training, going to the show ring,

the track, or down the trail, horses face constant physical stress. Attention to preventing injury is very important. Our maintenance program can be done on site using photo analysis, the mobile service, or visiting Rel Leaf Farm. Restoring and regenerating the body provides instant and long term benefits. The techniques are designed to resolve very deep seated issues producing the compensation injuries and behavior commonly experienced. We are dedicated to present a discussion through which owners, trainers, and handlers gain an education regarding the potential of quantum resources to naturally straightening the body, making training a horse safer and easier. Improving the whole body before training allows the horse to experience natural balance. We offer information, experience, and data relating quantum realms, energy, and the material goals of the horseman to create self-carriage, engagement, and athletic power. The horse develops his body, as we expand our thoughts.

“High Ho, Commander!"Old behaviors... new beginnings.Commander isn’t your average horse. He came with a story. A past of...
04/24/2025

“High Ho, Commander!"

Old behaviors... new beginnings.
Commander isn’t your average horse. He came with a story. A past of intense barrel training left him with a hollow back, a one-sided body, sore stifles, and a strong will to rear or buck when pushed. His behavior said “no,” but his heart still whispered “help.”

Maddie stuck with him through the resistance, the aging, the pain. She brought him to us for a fresh start. She loves Commander and watching him age touched her heart.

After a few thoughtful rides, it was time for Commander to experience STEP 2 in the RESET training. That’s when Commander made his move.

We are horse trainers who use the historical tradition of balance to develop body symmetry in the horse. It changes negatives into positives. Everything about training and riding get easy because of the horse's body confidence.

We problem solve from the horse's prespective. We never know how each horse will solve their conformation and behaviors issues.

Sometime we get a surprise.
Commander's self determined effort definitely was off the scale.

Commander chose to be explosive.

He reared.
Not from fear or fight.But with a control precision that asked us to hold him as he went past the true vertical without toppling.

It required that much core energy to release the pre existing sources of resistance and limitation. Only a horse can initiate the auto reset using their core.

The expression engaged every element of Commander's being. He knew this was his chance.

High ho, SILVER!
Maddie stabilized his balance. Frank and I followed, his motion trusting he knew what he was doing! As trainers we are often blind to the purpose of the horse's action.

But wow!
Commander went all in.
No one was expecting him to returned to earth as a new horse.

Then... everything changed.
Time slowed.
His head dropped.
His breath deepened.
Then he began bending his neck side to side. Over and over again. He tested his range of motion as if he couldn't believe it the new found freedom.

We checked his trigger points—nothing. No flinch. No resistance. Just peace.

He stood in silence for 20 minutes, integrating what his body had just accomplished.

And when he walked out of the stall
the hollow back?
Gone.

The downhill build?
Corrected.

His hips were now lower than his withers, and for the first time, he carried himself level.
Straight through the spine. Grounded through the stride.
Proud.

Maddie’s jaw hit the floor.
She couldn’t believe how flat and balanced his back looked.

This wasn’t magic.
It was STEP RESET, powered by the horse’s self awareness and willingness to change his life .

When we listen, truly listen…
The horse shows us their plan!

He is still cheekie but he can rear back and turn without seizures. It's going to take time for the body to regenerate. ...
04/23/2025

He is still cheekie but he can rear back and turn without seizures.
It's going to take time for the body to regenerate. But he is off to a good start.

What if horses didn’t have to cry ?What if pain wasn’t the teacher we relied on?These are the questions I ask myself alm...
04/23/2025

What if horses didn’t have to cry ?

What if pain wasn’t the teacher we relied on?

These are the questions I ask myself almost every day.

Because the greatest gift horses have ever given me isn't about riding or ribbons—it’s the invitation to stop thinking. To slow down. To listen. To trust something older and wiser than words.

They’ve taught me to observe with my senses, not just my eyes. To feel energy shift before movement even begins. To let go of ego, and simply be present.

Each horse that arrives brings a mystery. I never know what I’ll face. But when the horse begins to trust, when we cross that invisible bridge, something beautiful happens. The confusion fades. The mask falls. And I see the horse's truth, clear as day.

I’ve faced some truly mind-bending situations. Cases others gave up on. Horses labeled as dangerous, neurologic, beyond repair. No drugs. No diagnostic machines. No degrees on my wall. Just deep trust, careful observation, and a training philosophy that honors the body’s natural design.With a clear understanding the horse creates the right dynamics and they stop crying.

Today, another so-called “hopeless” horse left my barn. For the first time in three years, he walked without pain. His seizures have stopped. He can feel his own feet. His fear of people is melting away. He wants to connect.

He was diagnosed with Wobbler Syndrome. But the cause? Man-made.
Not nature, not genetics—training methods. Overbending. Tying down or up. Hobbles. Young bodies forced into shapes they weren’t ready to hold.

This is the real epidemic. Not just wobblers—but a loss of wisdom. We’ve trusted devices and formulas over relationship balance and respect We’ve forgotten how to see. How to feel. How to wait.

It’s fulfilling to help these horses find themselves again. But I shouldn’t have to do this.

So I’m asking you to sit with this:

What would change if we trained horses who never had to cry?
What if balance, not dominance, guided our hands?
What if we taught our kids to listen before they ask a horse to obey?

The answers are in the questions.
The healing starts with wonder.

Have you ever had a moment where a horse taught you to pause and everything changed?
I'd love to hear your story in the comments.

Dare to dream.
04/22/2025

Dare to dream.

Being a Horse trainer is about knowing your self as much as knowing the horse.
04/21/2025

Being a Horse trainer is about knowing your self as much as knowing the horse.

When your horse strikes a pose so weird it stops a three-year streak of seizures… you pay attention.This stallion pulled...
04/21/2025

When your horse strikes a pose so weird it stops a three-year streak of seizures… you pay attention.

This stallion pulled off what can only be described as a yoga move from another dimension.
At first, we thought: “Is he stuck?”
Then came the exhale.
Then... the stillness.
And then a pop.
The seizures ended.

That’s when it hit us:
This wasn’t random.
This was a self-diagnosed, self-executed effort to do what human's can not provide.

Did we witness a miracle?

The owner's scratching his head (in a good way), wondering how balance just became the most powerful training tool in the barn.

Every time we think we've seen it all, a horse enters STEP RESET Training and makes us question everything. If we follow the rules will universal law supercede science?

And yes—awkward poses mean something the defies our understanding of biology. When the horse and trainer commit to solving behavior and states of imbalance the focus and results shift.

When we stop trying to fix horses and start letting them show us what they need, the results are... well, let's just say “posturally profound.”

So here’s to the weird moments, the wobbly angles, and the wisdom that only a horse can bring to the training pen.

-

Every once in a while, a horse sends out a silent wish… and the right people hear it.Nola and Pete’s dream took shape mi...
04/19/2025

Every once in a while, a horse sends out a silent wish… and the right people hear it.

Nola and Pete’s dream took shape miles away in Indiana, but thanks to the heart and hustle of Dave and Sarah—who drove through the night—it rolled right into reality.

Today, they began STEP RESET Training at the Balanced Horse Project’s home base.

New beginnings, big hearts, and a future full of balance—welcome to the journey, Nola and Pete!

What Happens When Trainers Ask the Right Questions?Two seasoned professionals stood in front of a powerful but dangerous...
04/18/2025

What Happens When Trainers Ask the Right Questions?

Two seasoned professionals stood in front of a powerful but dangerous stallion. After months of training setbacks and escalating behaviors, they stepped back and questioned their own approach.

Six vets, one university exam, and final a diagnosis: Wobbler’s Syndrome.
The X-rays confirmed it. The prognosis was grim. Euthanasia was recommended.

But one question changed everything:
“How does a horse with no genetic markers for Wobblers end up with it?”

Brilliant.
That single moment of critical thinking cracked the case wide open. The horse may have suffered neck and spine injury at another trainers.

Instead of treating symptoms or forcing control, these trainers turned to nature’s blueprint and trusted the body’s balanced agenda. They used the X-rays not as a death sentence, but as a roadmap to identify how the horse’s body had twisted and collapsed under stress.

If they could unwind that twist, would the seizures stop? Would balance return?

They put STEP RESET Training to the test.

For one week, the work was quiet but intentional. The results were beyond expectation:

The seizures stopped.

Pain faded.

The stallion walked evenly and could balance again.

Now, Peppercorn isn’t just safer,
he’s present. He can focus, connect, and trust.

And the trainers?
They learned the power of WHOLISTIC science and how it sees beyond labels and limitations, and brings the body back to balance.

Photo: Maddie Jenne
STEP Technician: Frank Frazier
Horse: Peppercorn
Location: The Balanced Horse Project

Gunny's Got the Groove!On a lighter note… something incredible happened this week.Just one week ago, Gunny struggled to ...
04/14/2025

Gunny's Got the Groove!

On a lighter note… something incredible happened this week.

Just one week ago, Gunny struggled to flex his head to the right to kiss the girth. He hesitated to cross with his right front for a clean pivot. We saw the resistance, the hesitation and knew a new STEP exercise would develop from our observations.

So on Wednesday, Frank and I mapped the source of resistance, developed an exercise, applied it and watched Gunny's neck and shoulders lift. 3 days later his chest spread. The impact of these shifts were subtle... until yesterday.

Luewin climbed on, and without being asked, Gunny volunteered the very neck flex movement that had challenged him. He softly flexed to both sides, reaching toward her boots, as if saying, “See? I can do it now!”
He offered it twice. He wanted to clearly illustrate his new found ability.

That moment? Absolutely priceless.

So we upped the ante.

Luewin had a riding lesson. Lower the reins and ride from the core.
It's harder to do, than you think. Gunny responded with power and pride.
At the trot they worked through the cones. 1 step forward, 2 steps sideways—and together they danced through the line like a seasoned team.

Then it happened.
The pivot became a spin.
The spin became a statement.

The energy was electric. Gunny lit up, with joy. "I did it!"

This is what happens when a horse feels heard, and a rider lets go of the mechanical ride. A balanced partnership creates the feel and everything flows.

Gunny,
You’ve got us all grinning.

Today, I have a small but powerful favor to ask.Please take a moment to send a prayer, a blessing, or even just a compas...
04/14/2025

Today, I have a small but powerful favor to ask.

Please take a moment to send a prayer, a blessing, or even just a compassate thought.

There is a horse standing at a fragile crossroads. A soul who wants to live. The vets have run out of answers. But this horse hasn’t given up.

So he has come to us.

We believe in something deeper than science. We have experienced an ancient wisdom that says the body, when listened to with reverence, can correct itself. Today, we will lean on that wholistic truth.

With humble hands, simple trust and faith in the horse’s will, we’re about to ask for something that borders on impossible.

If fate allows, we will witness a miracle.

Your energy, your light, and your love will help steady those who doubt.

Happy Trainer Moment!Today was one of those feel-good days that reminds me why I love this work.Today we focused on invi...
04/13/2025

Happy Trainer Moment!

Today was one of those feel-good days that reminds me why I love this work.

Today we focused on invisible aides while riding a ranch pattern. Gunny absolutely nailed it. Honestly, he’s figured it out so well he might not need a rider (kidding… sort of).

It was such a joy to finally apply 17 years of equine mastery and classical skills to create a invisible line of communication between Gunny and Luewin.

I introduced invisible aides instead of relying on leg or rein. The magic moment? As soon as Luewin engaged her core, Gunny floated over the logs and glided through the cones in a perfect half pass.

After liberating Gunny's neck and assisting with his chest development this week, his pivots are now silky smooth in both directions. Watching it all come together was priceless—Luewin is still in shock!

I didn’t realize how much I missed teaching riding lessons until today. What a great reminder that horsemanship is an art and when it clicks, it’s magic.

Wake Up.That’s what happens.In the middle of the night—My spirit nudges me awake, and the solution is already waiting.Cl...
04/12/2025

Wake Up.

That’s what happens.
In the middle of the night—

My spirit nudges me awake, and the solution is already waiting.
Clear.
Simple.
Almost too obvious.

That’s how it works.
No textbook. No degree.
Just a photo of a struggling horse, and suddenly…
I know.

Where does the knowing come from?
Not a classroom.
Not a lab.
Maybe—just maybe—it comes from the horse himself.
A nonverbal transmission. A whisper from the field.
Soon I’m to work with another horse who science has given up on.
The kind where the vets say, “It’s kinder to let go.”
But the owner will reached out. The conventional beliefs will be tested.
And I feel truth pull at my heart strings.
Here is one more chance to prove that the body doesn’t fail.
If we listen.

Believers in science will say, "Why bother trying when science says no?"

Because maybe the model of science we’ve applied to the horse is disconnected from reality.

Pieces without pattern.
Facts without context.
Power without presence.

I’m not a vet.
I'm not a healer.
I don’t use drugs or machines.
I use trust, gut instinct, and a deep understanding of how balance is the universal solution.

Some call it intuition.
Some call it madness.
But after nine months with an OTTB that no one could help, I've
watched him rebuild from the inside out—
I don’t need validation. I’ve seen the proof.

This work isn’t about being right.
Human ego gets in the way.

It’s about doing what’s right.
And when the horse leads, the solutions are beyond amazing.

So yes I'm a horse trainer who dares to try.
And yes
I wake up with ideas that seem absurd.
Yes, I'm aware they don’t belong to me.

And the simple explanation challenges belief.

The results are profoundlly true.

So as a horse trainer, what am I to do?

I wake-up!

-

Reiner or Ranch horse?What do you think?Gunny’s Growing Up!When we brought Gunny home on February 27, he was sweet but s...
04/11/2025

Reiner or Ranch horse?
What do you think?

Gunny’s Growing Up!

When we brought Gunny home on February 27, he was sweet but stressed — a bit downhill, emotionally guarded, and showing signs that conventional training had him a bit overwhelm. It wasn't his behavior but his body that told the his tail.

So we hit pause. No pressure. No agenda. Just observation, connection, and four focused STEP RESET sessions to help him unwind and find his balance.

Six weeks later…
What. A. Change.

His chest has lifted.
His neck is engaged.
He grew a butt!
His chest openned and spread.
And today, he looks like a reiner.

We haven’t done much — 2 light rides, 1 pen workout, and a whole lot of passive development — but that’s the beauty of WHOLISTIC training. When a horse is allowed to decompress and reset at the core level, the body follows. Naturally. Effortlessly.

Gunny’s hooves are now matched in shape and size, his body has bulked evenly, and most importantly — he’s happy.

This horse is uncomplicated fun.
He’s got heart, try, and now, the posture to apply himself to a real job.

We call him Gunny for short… but don’t blink —
He’ll roll out of a turn like a bullet and stop on a dime.
This is just the beginning, and I couldn’t be prouder.

I love this horse, athletic or not.
But lucky me —
He’s confident and powered by love.


If you have a young horse or you are a trainer wanting to produce a better horse, consider what STEP RESET has to offer. It removes the stress so the horse is able to work.

OTTB Update: The Future Looks BrightSam, our off-track Thoroughbred, has officially turned a corner.This week, we modifi...
04/11/2025

OTTB Update: The Future Looks Bright

Sam, our off-track Thoroughbred, has officially turned a corner.

This week, we modified one of our core Balanced Horse Project training exercises to address the inverted base of his ewe neck. What followed was remarkable.

Almost immediately, we saw shifts—not just in his posture, but in his whole system. The angle of his withers, the shoulders, the back, and even his hips began to reorganize. It was as if releasing the neck finally gave his spine permission to connect.

Then on Sunday, Sam had a minor colic event—but it wasn’t a setback. It felt more like his body was flushing out years of internal tension. We applied the BHP principles, and within 1 hour and 15 minutes, he bounced back—brighter, looser, and more present than ever before.

Today, Sam is no longer just a rescue.
He’s a rideable candidate, moving forward with clarity and connection.

For the first time, his body makes sense to him.
And he’s happy.

This is why we do what we do.
The future looks bright!

OTTB Surprise.Let's colic.It was Sunday, 7:00 pm. We were just heading out for dinner when Frank stopped the truck.“Is S...
04/10/2025

OTTB
Surprise.
Let's colic.

It was Sunday, 7:00 pm. We were just heading out for dinner when Frank stopped the truck.
“Is Sam okay?”
We watched him carefully—he was down, tail swishing.

Please, not colic.

Dinner plans were put on hold. We gathered in the barn, silently hoping it was something simple.
But it wasn’t.
It was colic.

I had just tossed out an old vial of Banamine yesterday. Figures, right?
It’s been 15 years since we’ve had to deal with colic… and here we were, with no meds—only homeopathy, a car buffer, a few good friends, and faith in nature.

Frank turned on his car buffer. I expected Sam to blow up.
But tonight, he leaned into it.
He farted. He pooped. But the cramps hung on.
We gave him Nux Vomica—his energy shifted. More gas. Still tight.

Then it hit me.
STEP RESET.
I know it sounds crazy… but I trusted the body would know what to do if we went back in his muscles memory. So I organized the birthing of Sam.

Shannon, our acupuncture friend, held space while I mapped out a movement pattern.
We began gentle compression.
Back 3 steps. Forward again.
Sam's eyes softened.

Then Frank jumped in with our “Rocking Horse” movement.
More softening.
Then a 5-minute walk, a quiet stall, and time to rest.

40 minutes later, Frank (who’s worse than me when he’s worried) rushed back out.

Sam was hungry. He'd pooped three times. He wanted grass.

The stress melted into night air. Relief washed over all of us.

This OTTB continues to teach us so much.
Once again, he proved that natural balance is the most powerful problem solver we have. It sounds crazy but the body appears to have a reset reflex that solves problems I had never considered.

Sometimes, the body already knows what's needed. We just have to help engage it's auto correct cycle.

That's another adventure were STEP RESET Training confirms my theory. Being a wholistic horse trainer is a science onto it's self.

The weather has settled, and the men are out back putting the finishing touches on the round pen.Meanwhile, I just finis...
04/08/2025

The weather has settled, and the men are out back putting the finishing touches on the round pen.

Meanwhile, I just finished Luna’s first STEP Reset workout, and I wanted to share a moment worth remembering.

Luna’s story is one that tugs at the heart. Her people have done everything “right” by conventional standards. They checked all the boxes but Luna became a tuff cookie who started displaying “nasty” behavior.

There’s always a trigger.
As trainers, we skip the first question.
The one that really matters:
"Are you straight?"
Or
" Where is the source of the horse's imbalance?"

When these questions are missed, the horse has no choice but to present challenges. It’s their only way to be heard. And the longer we overlook the question, the louder the horse's self-preservation behavior becomes.

Today, Luna was finally asked the right question.
And for the first time… she gave an answer.
And the behaviors? They stopped.

She could have been rude but she chose to stand.
To soften.
To participate.

She left the barn feeling pretty good. Another “downhill twisted” horse is going out to the paddock to try out her knew sense of balance.

-

Gifts of Partnership birth a Roundpen Revival!One thing I’ve learned: never underestimate the power of a man named Frank...
04/06/2025

Gifts of Partnership birth a Roundpen Revival!

One thing I’ve learned: never underestimate the power of a man named Frank Frazier. He is a kind caring partner. But bull headed when inspired.

Since Hurricane Michael in 2018, my roundpen has been a patchwork of hopeful fixes and duct tape dreams. Frank has helped keep it standing, but time took it's toll. The old uprights were beyond saving.

Frank came up with a brilliant redesign—and I offered up a credit card. We gathered supplies and kicked things off last Saturday.

The pen had been there for 30 years. The original farm owner bred Little Lena cutting horses and competed at the Calgary Stampede. So he built a serious pen. Frank swears he used 4 bags of cement for every post.

Thank goodness we bought a tractor. It paid off by digging up the old anchors because the posts were so rotted they pulled out of the cement.

Cue the twist: Frank came down with a wicked case of sciatica.

So our friend Mike—here visiting—jumped in like a champ and took down the old planking. Meanwhile, I rolled up a sheepskin, turned it into a makeshift drop table, and channeled my inner bodyworker. After some torque and targeted pressure, I got Frank’s L5/6 to unhinge.

He called me a marvelous wife. I told him he’s an amazing husband. But there was no stopping him. Out the door he went.

Now, in the heat and the dirt, all the posts are standing tall. Frank and Mike are hanging the new fence sections. And maybe—just maybe—by Monday, we’ll have a roundpen worthy of the horses that come in to work.

Here’s to teamwork, resilience, and the love that holds our horse farm together.

Ever wonder why a reiner short-slides or veers off line during a stop?Odds are, it’s not a training problem, it’s a body...
04/05/2025

Ever wonder why a reiner short-slides or veers off line during a stop?
Odds are, it’s not a training problem, it’s a body symmetry problem. The horse has lost flexibility and balance. These changes cause behavior and performance problems.

Last week, I introduced the concept of the barrel and the accordion effect as a way to visualize the way energy expands and contracts through the horse's core. We saw the beginning of a STEP RESET in action.

So what happened to the reiner over the next 7 days?
Honestly… it’s jaw-dropping.
Hope the owner can adapt .
We are sending home a power stroke horse.

I could talk about conformation
angles, structure, posture.
But what’s the point when the entire body reshapes, strengthens, and realigns from the inside out?

STEP Horsemanship isn’t about repetition. As trainers we conserve the horse's body while restoring the natural pathways that energy uses to move through to balance and power the body. Instead of weeks the improvements take days. The horse's change is power by internal lightning.
How fast does a bolt of lightning travel?
That’s the level of activation STEP Training engages. Its advances the science of horsemanship to align with the 21 century.

Want to guess how many rides it took to make these improvements?
Zero.
Just two groundwork sessions—and the horse powered up and began to develop symmetry verses a lopsided body.

It’s not magic. It’s not a method.
It’s the biology of whole new way of developing balance in the horse.

Would you like to own a STEP Trained Horse? Give us a call.

Address

249 W Smithville Road
Dothan, AL
36301

Opening Hours

Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm
Sunday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+13347187806

Website

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Our Story

The Balanced Horse Project, comes straight from the personal experience of Pat Cleveland and her love for riding and training. She left the show world to track down the elusive source of training problems, resistant behaviors and crooked conformation. It transformed into private investigation which changed her views on how to train, interact and support the restoration of balance in horses.

Pat’s approach is unique. by merging crooked horses, birth and body symmetry, she problems every facet that is over looked. The engagement of a powerful epigenetic response regenerates, restore and emotionally rebirths horses who thrive under stress. The benefits bridges all disciplines, horse problems and miscommunication to enhance horse and rider safety.

Ultimately Pat’s message is leading horsemanship towards incorporating topics and research that blend insight with epigenetics and practicality, to return the potential of naturally sustainable horses.

The Balanced Horse Project is an umbrella for her programs and investigations. As an internationally recognized trainer, clinician and speaker , Pat works when and where she is asked. Long distance programs, mobile training service, consultations for owners, stables and breeding farms, generate effective horses for the track, national Equestrian teams and recreational enjoyment.