About The Next Step

Transforming Riding: Building Confidence, Trust, and Enjoyment

Our emphasis is on enhancing your horse’s exposure, boosting their confidence, and fostering trust – the three foundational pillars for safe and enjoyable riding. Allow us to transform your daily horse riding experiences into truly delightful moments.

About Kimba

Kimba is a professional equine trainer with years of trail experience and formerly served as the Equine Mounted Unit Training Sergeant for the Oakland County Sheriff Office where she served as a mounted deputy/Sergeant for over 12 years. While also focused heavily on Buffalo at NBR, Kimba has expanded the NBR enterprise to include specialized horse training focused on building a horses confidence in any type of work they might do, including working with buffalo and other livestock. Kimba’s unparalleled ability to prepare and train horses to work in the most common and uncommon environments, including everything from every day trail riding to service in law enforcement has made The Next Step a huge success for our customers. (See more about our horse training offerings in our news section).  Kimba has developed scenario based training for law enforcement and has adapted that to how she trains horses for experience of real life situations – focusing on success and confidence building for the horse and rider and balancing the importance of ground work with the desire to be in the saddle.

Kevin has been riding horses since he was a boy.  Most of his time has been spent riding and training and developing working ranch horses that are the best in the industry at herding the most difficult of animals – Buffalo.  Kevin has served as the Assistant Herd manager at Custer State Park, SD since 2005 – using his horses to herd buffalo and occasionally Elk and Burroughs as well.  Kevin has trained horses for the real trails of the great West – including all day Mountain and Prairie riding.  Kevin also serves as a Mounted Sheriff Deputy with Kimba and actively works on new training ideas for high crime, crowd control and other tactical areas of mounted law enforcement.  Kevin supports Kimba in their horse training efforts by augmenting Kimba’s professional training and certifications with practical applications of day to day working ranch life and trail riding education and confidence building for the horse.

Together, Kevin and Kimba have also served as Mounted Unit Law Enforcement Trainers.  They have trained other law enforcement mounted deputies and officers from around the country and internationally and are expanding their law enforcement engagements for training as they engage in the next phase of their law enforcement career as well.  During their partnership as deputies together they have served for the President of the United States, Presidential Candidates, numerous crowd control and crowd management situations such as Detroit Fireworks, Rochester Fireworks and more.  Kimba and Kevin have held routine patrol assignments with their horses in Pontiac’s high crime and entertainment districts serving to protect the community.  They have both worked on park patrol and other special assignments such as parades, Woodward Cruise, and more.  Kimba and Kevin are focused on making the horse confident in all they do so they can pick up and go at any time to support a search and rescue effort or head to the mountains or oceans with their horses just for fun.  You should have them help you train your horses too so they too can be ready and confident to go anywhere at any time with no hassle.

With the expansion of New Beginnings Ranch now also in Cheboygan, Michigan, Kimba and Kevin are adding many new and exciting opportunities to their horse training and certification initiatives that can only benefit your horse and you as a rider.  Look for more information about this in the coming months.

Bring us your horse, we will give you back an eager and confident partner.

Hours