Hi everyone. I am writing to clarify a few things on this abhorrent thread. Both as someone who has known and worked with Celeste for a decade and as an Admin on the Masterclass.
The Masterclass was never capped. When it was originally launched, Celeste expected it would be small, but it ended up being about 250. The response with requests to join after from lots of people posting about how amazing it was was so overwhelming that she decided to leave it open for replays for those who wanted it. As time went on she decided to add more lectures and content to it and it has continued to evolve to meet the requests from members over the past year. There are now nearly 3000 members and over 15 hours of lecture and boatloads of educational content and more to come. So yes, it has absolutely been an incredible success both financially and more importantly, for the equine community which is why you “can’t seem to get away from it” in terms of people suggesting it left and right.
As in all groups, there are community guidelines and rules. One of the things that makes the Masterclass group so successful is that it is a fully encompassed safe place for everyone from top tier professionals to amateur horse owners. The rules of the group have always been very clear: You can and will be removed from the group for being rude, disrespectful or argumentative. The group itself is also complimentary, is advertised as such, and therefore cannot be refunded.
The “cone of silence” is not what is being depicted here. From a post on May 27, 2022 in the Masterclass: “You are NOT allowed to advertise that you teach this or give demonstrations on it, in any capacity if you haven’t received a full sign off from me. You ARE allowed to use it with your clients and business as long as you are giving credit to the methodology and being clear that you are simply studying and practicing it but are not certified in it.”
This is just common sense for liability issues and ensuring the safety of horses. You cannot listen to a lecture and watch a few clips and then go off and say that you are teaching it or understand it. The apprenticeship that she does with her trainers are 2 years with daily check ins. This isn’t just a series of exercises. (And this class only covers a small handful of a very long list of them). It’s a methodology and checklist to ensure that we are keeping a consensual relationship with our horse, tracking their development and being thoughtful during every interaction of any underlying pathologies or concerns that may present.
Celeste has openly made the decision to take a lot of public heat for not posting blanket exercises because she deeply understands the potential contraindications and cares about the welfare of the horse. The entire purpose of the masterclass was to guide people through how to pick up on cues from their horses so that the exercises are done during a parasympathetic state and mindful to meet each horse where they are at, and so it can look quite different horse to horse. She could make a lot more money and get a lot more popularity if she chose to post those videos and the fact that she doesn’t is proof in and of itself that she cares more about a horse’s well-being than a dollar sign. I’m sorry for anyone who thinks that it is somehow awful for someone to make a good living at something they are passionate about, it is what we all strive for but few can grasp because of how difficult all of the work it takes to get and maintain it.
Dealing with things like this forum is a prime example of the trade off that happens when you are put in a public light. One that takes a huge hit on her mental health but she chooses to continue to show up publicly because of the vast differences that it has made for countless horses and programs.
Good marketing does not solve lameness issues. Veterinarians from around the globe would not be using her methodology if it wasn’t successful. She is fully licensed and insured in everything that she offers; they have never lapsed and all of that information is readily available and easily found through WA’s licensing site.
On a personal note, there is a real, live, feeling person being behind this business and the comments here are acting like there isn’t. Please check in with yourself as you continue being keyboard warriors and remember we all have opinions and perspectives, and if you don’t agree with her, move on! If you want to know about her, reach out! She’s happy to talk to anyone. There are TONS of trainers and methods out there. If she doesn’t resonate there is no need to keep dragging her through the mud. Casually looking at Instagram or searching on her website or listening to podcasts is not stalking. But a whole deep dive entry about her life, relationships, children, making accusations her daughter is adopted, and making suggestions for someone local to investigate her further could be considered as such.
