Cheryl Beaudry works with all breeds including mules and gaited horses and across the disciplines. Specializing in Natural Horsemanship and Dressage she creates an encouraging and supportive environment to students of all ages and backgrounds.
Cheryl Beaudry grew up with horses and received her inspiration for her riding and training techniques from her family. It started with her grandfather, Chuck Tripp, who was a student of the horse, Dressage/Vaquero concepts and practiced Natural Horsemanship/Cowboy Dressage before there was a name for it. As a farrier, he understood the importance of good ground manners and how it carried over to riding. He helped his horses and clients to be calm, confident partners from competitions, youth and 4-H riders, to recreational riding through his horse handling school. He was fascinated with horse behavior and different training techniques, always searching for a better way to communicate with the horse. A very modest man, his actions always spoke louder than his words. He could often be seen performing advanced Dressage maneuvers from Tempe Changes to Piaffe in his western saddle and spade bit with slack in the reins.
The family was also heavily involved in the Draft Horse Assoc., Equifriends Therapeutic Riding Center, Snohomish Co. 4-H, Farrier’s Assoc. of WA, and the mounted police of Seattle. He started his last colt at age 80 with Cheryl putting the first rides on her and rode up in the hills and around his place until he was 89. A jack of all trades, he was an example of how to age and still be active and involved in the horse community.
Cheryl’s mom, Carol Elves, and aunt, Linda Cook, were also very involved, competitive riders/mentors following in the tradition of Horsemanship and involvement from 4-H to Breed Shows. Her grandmother, Virginia Tripp, and father, Ross Elves, also rode and were huge supporters of the horse endeavors. There was never a shortage of horses to ride and learn from or adults to offer expert advice to Cheryl and her sister, Teri. “I am a result of all their years of combined experiences and of what my own experiences have added to it,” Cheryl says.
Cheryl learned from an early age about patience, feel/timing, compassion, and hard work. A stay at home mom, Carol was instrumental in teaching Cheryl all the stages of Horsemanship and has been an invaluable mentor as she branched out to training and instruction at age 15. Cheryl was an accomplished 4-H Performance rider earning countless medals in English and Western and was also active in horse council. Her family also did a lot of camping with the horses allowing them to be all around safe mounts. After high school, she delved deeper into jumping with the help of Carol, Rae Early, and Jean (Von Zimmerman) Garcia. As an adult, she has several Championships/Hi points in Dressage, Western Dressage, Jumping, English /Western Pleasure/Equitation, Trail, Showmanship, Ranch Competitions, and International Mountain Trail Competitions (IMTCA). She had the honor of meeting Jack Brainard and Eitan Beth-Halachmy who started cowboy dressage and thanked them for giving what she learned from her grandfather a name.
Cheryl earned her AA from EdCC and a BS in Exercise Science from CWU with a specialty in Coaching and Athletic Training Minors. Being a collegiate soccer player, she continued her passion for soccer by accepting two coaching positions for East Valley, where she stayed for 15 seasons. There she learned to help young people of varying skill levels and with different personalities to excel together. She also has been a Physical Therapy Aide, a 4-H Program Assistant through WSU, and worked for the Pegasus Project Therapeutic Riding Center as their Equine Director. Cheryl continues to volunteer for the Yakima Co. 4-H Horse Program as the Medals Supervisor and is a Judge for local events and the IMTCA for Mark Bolender. She currently works full time as a Trainer/Instructor/Breeder.
She works with and progresses along all levels of equine training including mules and gaited horses. Through her cross training, Cheryl is able to keep her mounts stimulated and happy in their work. She also specializes in helping the people she trains to build confidence in and improve their relationship with their horses so that their riding experiences can be free from stress and full of fun. She works with all ages and skill levels with an emphasis on safety, balance and effective training practices both on the ground and in the saddle so that her students can achieve their riding dreams. Her positive attitude and proactive teaching, makes her students become addicted to riding.
“I’ve been doing Natural Horsemanship and Cowboy Dressage my whole life. It pertains to more than just horses; it’s a way of life and how we navigate that life. I enjoy helping people do more and have a better connection with their horses for whatever discipline(s) they are interested in. It’s all about the partnership. I love being a part of that growth and seeing people smile and laugh in their lessons because they are having incredible resistance-free rides now. I show people how to connect an idea or concept to what is happening, understand why it’s happening, and learn how to handle it so that they stay in charge of their ride. My students, young and old, are wonderful people who are committed to improving their relationship with their horses and are highly supportive of each other. We are a big family called Team Beaudry.”
Cheryl lives in Moxee with her supportive husband Tim and son Jake.