Sponsored Trainer Highlight: Megan Compton
Megan Compton is a USDF Bronze and Silver medalist, and L Graduate with Distinction. She runs a program that focuses on developing horses mentally, emotionally, and physically while maintaining their dignity for performance careers.
Growing up, Megan dabbled in the Hunter/Jumpers, Eventing, and Dressage. It was her curiosity about developing difficult horses that led her to find a different path through natural horsemanship. Megan ended up being the youngest teaching faculty member of the Parelli Natural Horsemanship Program on-site at both of the Parelli ranches. It was during her time working in Colorado and Florida that Megan was able to meet Walter Zettl. Mr. Zettl’s way of teaching and being with the horses re-sparked Megan’s desire for top sport and she then switched her focus back to the sport of Dressage. When Megan parted ways with the Parelli Program, she moved to her family’s farm in Alabama (Hope Valley Farm) and started her own program from scratch.
Megan has completed her Bronze and Silver medals on horses she has raised since the day they were weaned and continues to have a focus on developing young horses in the sport of Dressage. In addition to raising her own horses and building a successful training business, Megan has become truly passionate about teaching riders of all ages and levels how to better communicate with their horses by merging her natural and classical backgrounds into one program that focuses on training according to each horse’s personality.
What does Megan have to say about The Distinguished Rider and Kingsley?
"I’m completely blown away by the customer service that TDR offers. I found my way to Kingsley’s through a series of unfortunate events and Marissa graciously rescued me after seeing some of my boot woes on social media. TDR has absolutely been one of the best companies I’ve yet to encounter in the equine industry, and I’m truly humbled to be a part of such a wonderful team and get to represent them!
I have been pleasantly surprised by how easy my Kingsleys have been to break in and how long they have lasted! I have a full schedule and spend most of the day in my boots. Between playing with my three-year-old son around the barn and doing ground work with the young horses, my boots unfortunately do not only see the inside of a stirrup iron. I do my best to follow TDR’s carefully curated boot care protocol, but I am very thankful to ride in a boot that has such quality and craftsmanship…along with each pair being absolutely gorgeous!"
What boots is Megan riding in currently?
"I have two pairs of schooling boots that I religiously rotate every other day. My waterproof, blue Orlando’s with rose gold and a textured, brown Capri model. Even though I’m based in Southeastern Alabama, I have a pair of fleece lined Orlando’s in burgundy that make me smile every time I bring them out of the bag! Last, but not least, I have one pair of Capri show boots in a patent navy blue with clear crystals. I cannot take credit for the design on any of them as I always have deferred to Marissa who is definitely my fairy boot mother!"
Currently, Megan is working on developing more content to YouTube - focusing on filling in the gaps that can start to appear in even the most accomplished horse and rider partnerships. This includes trailer loading, trouble shooting issues in and out of the tack, and how to recognize the core of issues. "The biggest one being that I see people blaming their horses for having respect issues when the horse actually lacks confidence and doesn’t have a clear understanding of how to respond in a specific situation rather than just reacting exactly as nature intended them to…as a claustrophobic flight animal." Along the way, Megan is hoping to continue to chip away at scores towards her USDF Gold Medal and continue her judges education into the ‘r’ program.