Join us as we talk with Melissa Deal, Meet Melissa Spell Deal — a lifelong equestrian and founder of Compassionate Horse Click, where she helps horses and their humans communicate with kindness, confidence, and joy. Her work centers on creating relationships rooted in trust and understanding, so both partners feel confident, connected, and optimistic. A Certified Connection Training Coach, graduate of Shawna Karrasch mastery course Sante Fe, and a Recognized Compassionate Equestrian facility owner, Melissa has also spent 25 years as a certified instructor with the American Riding Instructor Association in Dressage, Hunt Seat, and Western Equitation. Along the way, she earned her USDF Bronze Medal, adding to her decades of experience training, teaching, and supporting equestrians of all backgrounds. In recent years, Melissa has devoted her focus to the science and art of connection—studying with renowned behavioral experts such as Ken Ramirez and Justine Harrison. She shares her insights as a speaker at international equine-behavior conferences and most recently through her work supporting a local mustang sanctuary. Her approach resonates deeply with both horses and humans: simple, effective, positive principles that restore optimism, deepen understanding, and build lasting trust. Melissa believes wholeheartedly in compassion-driven training that transforms not only behavior, but the emotional well-being of both horse and handler. Melissa’s home base is her farm in Burgaw, North Carolina, where she coaches in person and online, offering live immersive clinics, online courses, and community experiences that bring these concepts to equestrians worldwide. Her own horse, Eclipse—once labeled “dangerous” and surrendered as a behavior problem—is now her greatest teacher and living proof that compassion, consent, and clear communication can change everything. 💙
