Eric Ryan Anderson
Trainer
Mounted Patrol & Mounted Defensive Tactics
Eric has been an active member of the Lake County Mounted Posse for over 20 years. He has extensive experience training Mounted Units throughout the Southeast through his company, X-Treme Horsemanship, founded in 2009. Eric is a member of the CMSA Mounted Shooting Club, The Peacemakers, and was the Men’s Level 6 Florida Champion in 2008. Eric proudly served as Platoon Sergeant in the US Marine Corps, he is a certified NRA Instructor, an FWC Hunter Safety Instructor, and was selected as a competitor on the Season 2 of the History Channel’s hit show, Top Shot in 2010.
April E. W. Milner
Director
Curriculum & Marketing
April founded Tailwind Trails in 2017 and it quickly became the premier training venue in the area. An IHSA rider in college, April earned a BS from the prestigious Purdue University and spent 20 years as a professional pilot, first in the corporate jet market and then with the international division of American Airlines. April has always been an entrepreneur with successful second careers as a restaurateur, real estate agent, and photographer. April circled back to her love of horses in 2017 with Tailwind Trails. She now owns several horses and trains in Eventing. April began training Mounted Units throughout South Florida in 2017.
Evan Ackerly
Trainer
Education & Horsemanship
Evan specializes in Natural Horsemanship and has been starting horses for 10 years. Evan is a consultant and frequently invited guest lecturer at Keiser University’s Equine Science Department teaching groundwork and horsemanship principles. Evan grew up in the Western Performance sports and won championship saddles in 2007, 2009, 2010, and 2011. More recently, Evan has expanded his areas of expertise, studying Dressage, Show Jumping, and founding Treasure Coast Top Guns, a CMSA Mounted Shooting Club in Palm City. Evan is also a consultant for Dr. Karie Vander Werf of Treasure Coast Equine Emergency Services assisting with the most difficult emergency transports, a frequent invited guest lecturer at Keiser University’s Equine Science Department, and has been training mounted police units in South Florida since 2020.