We recently connected with Alessandra Deerinck and have shared our conversation below.

Alessandra, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. One of the things we most admire about small businesses is their ability to diverge from the corporate/industry standard. Is there something that you or your brand do that differs from the industry standard? We’d love to hear about it as well as any stories you might have that illustrate how or why this difference matters.

In light of the actual time, culture, scientific studies and my professional experience, I studied in depth the interaction between human beings and horses, and how communication naturally happens during this time, aiming to keep an objective perspective. I applied the information that came from this approach to the interaction between human and horse in many different instances, ranging from breeding to training, competing and performing in events. The experience suggested a deep innovation for the traditional modality of the relationship and the communication between human and horse, making a radical shift from an interaction based on training to giving a structure to the immediate interspecific communication that naturally happens in that time. The communication in the interaction between human and horse can be managed through purposeful movement, taking into account the content, modality, and the sense through which the information is perceived – from the ground (communicating through sight, hearing and touch) and from the saddle (communicating through touch and hearing). The interaction has the same meaning for human and horse, is kept in the social context of relationship, with concepts that are instinctual for human and equine, and does not include the use of force or of fear. The result is a system for communicating with the horse through behavior, in a dynamic dialogue with a comprehensive approach that always keeps in consideration both sides, human and equine. Such model allows us to manage the situation in the time while it happens, modulating it and reshaping it, moment by moment.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I was not “born with horses” in Milano, Italy. I “pulled” horses in my life because I always felt drawn to them like a magnet is drawn to metal. I wanted to ride, since I was two, but my Dad asked me to wait until I was eleven; later, he also asked me to stop because he was concerned about the dangers of riding, but I could not obey him. Riding is my passion, and has become my work. At the age of sixteen, in order to keep riding I went to work at the racetrack, exercising horses before I went to school every morning. At the age of 18 I also earned my license to ride in flat racing, and rode and won for ten years. I value the time I spent at the racetrack as well as I am thankful to my parents for insisting that I graduate from the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Milano. During that period of time I followed in his work Dr. Bassignana, a racetrack Veterinarian and Professor at the school of Veterinary Medicine in Pisa. I also worked at different breeding farms to assist in the foaling season, and did student internships in small and large animal surgery. While I was studying, I illustrated with drawings and edited a book Dr Bassignana published, about lameness in horses. I competed in flat races between 1980 and 1992, until an accident ended my racing career. In 1992 , during a trip to California I met Charles Deerinck, and we got married two years later. In 2005 I attempted to get a racehorse trainer license in the US, and started to exercise racehorses, but I had another major fall in which I broke my back for the third time. Too often jockeys risk their lives riding, because not much care is taken about the racehorse’s proper training. Since then, changing this very wrong situation became important to me, and I am very aware of how fortunate I am, for having a husband and children and still being able to ride without permanent consequences from my accidents.
Of the many racehorses that left their influence in me, I have to mention Downtown Rosalie, who helped me explore all the possibilities of the human to horse relationship and another very special horse, who started it all. His name was Maslogarth, an ordinary racehorse that, just for being a “good boy”, became the S Siro racetrack mascot, and earned himself lifetime room and board from this institution. Together we won and placed in several races. I was able to ride him bareback with a simple halter on the racetrack. On the ground, he walked at my side free of tack, even when we were between other horses. At that time, I could not explain how I was able to work with him like that. It was spontaneous, and beautiful. Later in my life, I created HH Sensing, a new way relating to horses, based on my experience with horses, but rooted in the goals and nuances of classical dressage training, and current horse behavioral sciences. I have ridden in many different disciplines, trained many horses and now, aside from being the mother of three children, I believe in a comprehensive approach, and take care of any and every aspect of the horse, from managing their health and nurturing their mind, to trimming their hooves, from training to competing if the owners would like to do so. The thrill of an endurance race is for me as exciting as jumping or teaching my horse to keep eyes and ears on me, or to walk truly straight on a loose rein, or to teach my skills to others.
Since the year 2009, with HH Sensing, I have worked as a horsemanship clinician and horse trainer, between the US and Italy, my country of origin. I coded HH Sensing to be able to teach it online, as well as in traditional settings, and have been doing so since 2009. My horsemanship instruction program runs year around and can be personalized to everyone’s needs and wants, in order to give people a way to communicate with horses in a spontaneous and immediate way.
I am a regular contributor in the training section for Elite Equestrian in Ocala Florida.
During 2010 I was invited to present at Cavalli a Milano, a worldwide equestrian trade show held in Italy, and in 2011 I presented my work at Equine Affaire in Pomona.
2010 was also the year I first rode a Mangalarga Marchador, and fell in love with this breed, which sums up all of the traits I appreciate in horses. They are very responsive, attentive, they tune in with the rider, and move effortlessly at each gait. Their movement is one of the smoothest a rider can experience in the saddle, yet natural and very effective, up to speed even for endurance.
I worked for Rancho de Los Cielos a Mangalarga Marchador breeding operation in Riverside, CA. Of all of their horses, Allegria de los Cielos is my favorite. I trained her and introduced her to endurance in 2012, rode her in the Tournament of Roses Parade for 2016, won the title of Champion Mangalarga Marchador mare 2014 in Las Vegas, participated in rail shows, trail competitions, cowboy challenges, cowboy dressage and endurance LD rides.
My 10 y/old Mangalarga Marchador mare Aria de Los Cielos and I have shown in dressage, done competitive trail rides, have won in endurance and even tried mounted archery, fox hunting and polo together. I had her since birth and she is my dream horse coming to life.
I always like to work to give form to every feeling, expression to every thought and reality to every dream.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

What helped build my reputation is the results that clients experience when they apply the concepts I teach to their activity with horses and see how much they can do.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

The book “The emotional brain” written by Joseph Ledoux had a strong impact on my work and I believe that it provides a very important knowledge about human and animal brains.

Contact Info:

• Website: hhsensing.com
• Facebook: Deerinck Alessandra
• Linkedin: Alessandra Deerinck
• Youtube: Alessandra Deerinck
• Yelp: Human Horse Sensing