SISTER LAKES — Writing a story and riding a horse sound like two polar opposite activities, but at Brandi Lyons’ Horsemanship Clinics, visitors can experience the mending of both disciplines.

Caliridge Farms, 68409 Hillside Dr., Dowagiac, will be hosting a four-day horsemanship clinic July 18 through 21. The clinic will be taught by Brandi Lyons, a horse trainer, teacher and clinician for more than 22 years, along with Megan and Katie Carmichael, head trainers and the co-owners of Caliridge Farms. A fourth trainer, April Johnston, from Arizona, will also be helping out at the clinic, which will take place in Caliridge Farms’ 300 by 110 square foot outdoor arena.

Last year, the Carmichael sisters spent four months in Rio Verde, Arizona at Lyons’ No Limits Ranch learning new methods on how to train horses from Lyons and her family. When the sisters left, they were Brandi Lyons certified trainers and brought their knowledge back to Caliridge Farms.

The Carmichael sisters finished their certification in January and coordinated with Lyons to bring a clinic to Caliridge Farms.

“After talking to Brandi, she loved our facility, loved how big it was and just really wanted to host a clinic at Caliridge Farms to support us,” Megan said. “[Lyons] wants to help us bring in a little more business. She’s super supportive of her trainers, and once you ride with her, she will always be there for you.”

Lyons’ clinics give personalized attention to each rider’s goals. She shows what each rider needs in order to write their own story by learning control exercises and what individual riders are lacking in, so they can fulfill their goals, said Lyon’s website.

Lyons’ horsemanship clinics are scheduled for four days. At three day clinics, participants are just starting to make progress. With Lyons’ learning style, another day is needed to finish off all the things participants are working on, Megan said. At the same time, five days can also seem too long, she said.

Clinic days will begin at 9 a.m. and go until 5 p.m. each day with an included one hour lunch break. Breaks can be taken at any time, since Lyons’ also understands how hard riding a horse is on the body, according to her website. A maximum of 14 participants are allowed so individual attention is given for any discipline level, Megan said, who has been riding horses with her sister since she was young.

“We’ve been riding our whole lives,” Megan said. “Our gram owned a ranch in Cassopolis, and my mom, [Joy’s] dream had always been to have her own horse barn. That came true four years ago, and now we do both rescue and rehabilitation here.”

Since the sisters returned from their certification training, they have helped children find 4-H horses and also gain confidence to compete in horse shows, Megan said. Caliridge Farms also offers horse boarding and lessons to students of all ages and ability levels. The trainers also ride at least six days a week, Megan said.

The clinic in Sister Lakes will teach riders how to communicate effectively with their horses and how to put a foundation of body control for progression at any discipline level. The clinic also teaches what each body part does for a rider and how to integrate movements to do any maneuver, said clinic organizers.

“There was a horse who was throwing a woman around, and she actually ended up going to the hospital,” Megan said. “In the end, that rider decided that the horse needed to go back to the original owner, but the women who was injured is still riding. Just the change Brandi made in a short four days made the woman comfortable enough to get on another horse and not be afraid.”

Safety is a top priority at Lyons’ clinics, and she hopes every participant can leave with a new sense of control, love and respect for horses, according Lyons’ website.

Interested readers in attending the horse clinic can call, text or message Megan Carmichael to reserve a stall at (708) 928-9185.