Margie has been actively involved in the equine industry for more than 30 years. She trained on the West Coast with notable hunter/jumper trainers Mark Mullen (deceased) and Victor Hugo-Vidal (To and Fro Farms), and took lessons from Hap Hanson, Rob Gage, and, later, with Anne Kursinski. She rode hunters in AHSA and PCHA A-rated shows.  Today, Margie teaches Hunt Seat in the style of George Morris so that the transition to Jumpers (if the rider so desires) is safe for both the horse and the rider.  Although Margie trained with many European dressage trainers while in Brazil, she has become a devotee of Kyra Kyrklund and teaches Dressage with the same attention to detail.

In 1983 she joined the United States Department of State, Foreign Service, and was sent to São Paulo, Brazil, in the diplomatic corps. Soon after arriving in Brazil, Margie met and married, Bill, an American businessman. After finishing her assignment, Margie left the Foreign Service and she and Bill remained in Brazil for a total of 13 years.

As a member of the prestigious Santo Amaro Riding Club of São Paulo, Brazil, Margie was able to concentrate on riding and training full time. There she rode and trained jumpers, dressage, and cross country. This is when she began to experiment with behavior modification techniques that evolved over the years into the training method she uses today. She also schooled problem horses and trained English-speaking students over fences and in equitation.

Margie has been in Central Florida since July, 1996, and has given many clinics in the area. In December, 2000, she and Bill opened Loch Eden Equestrian Centre.

Margie was always seeking more efficient and humane ways to train horses. It was because of this that she studied every book and video she could find on the subject and attended courses, seminars, and demonstrations in the United States and Brazil with name trainers. Of this group she respects most Dr. Stephen Mackenzie, Ph.D., Department of Animal Science, at the State University of New York at Cobleskill, and Dr. Jim McCall, Ph.D., Horse Production.

Through her observations she has learned that horses can think and reason, and that she wasn't training horses; she was, in fact, educating them. This is why she named her method "Equine Education" and her slogan, "Don't Break...Educate!" She has been practicing and improving her technique for 19+ years. Her ultimate objective is to educate the horse and owner so that both believe and trust in each other. Daily observation of her student's (horses) reaction to the education techniques and commands are important keys to refining and improving her Equine Education Skills.

Equine Education utilizes the fundamentals of free lungeing combined with conditioned response methods, and most importantly, her uncanny ability to communicate with the horse and gain his respect. During the initial part of the schooling, Margie studies the horse's body language and behavior so she can tailor its education to resolve myriad problems and fears.

Throughout the schooling, the horse is able to use his flight instinct to escape situations that he is not sure of or that may frighten him. Soon he begins to learn and his confidence builds, he overcomes his fears, and his stress level subsides to a point where he rarely wants to use his flight instinct. Instead he wants to be with Margie, who, in his eyes, is now the dominate horse in the pasture or alpha mare. From this point forward, the education and personality shaping begin.

In October, 2000, Margie moved to Eustis, Florida, and opened the Loch Eden Equestrian Centre, a twenty-five acre site where she offers training in hunter, jumper, and dressage disciplines, and continues her behavioral work.

Many articles have been written about Margie including the following:

"A Special Touch", Ocala Star-Banner, by Alan Youngblood, text and photography, Jul. 2, 1997, Ocala, FL

"The Horse Whisperer", Orlando Sentinel, by Mike Thomas, May 16, 1999

Whispers, Not Whips- Lake Sentinel, by Ramsey Campbell, text; Julie Fletcher, Photography, Nov. 26, 1998

"Equine Educator - Margie Dumont", Pasobeat Internet Magazine, June, 1998 (www.pasobeat.com)