I have loved horses all my life, and although I grew up in a city I was lucky enough to spend my weekends and school holidays at a local riding school. I learned a lot about the practical side of riding and caring for horses, and built good relationships with a lot of the ponies, but always had a feeling that there could (and should) be more to the relationship than just riding and hard work. It wasn’t until years later when Honey, my first horse, was on box rest that I discovered the fun of clicker training to give us things to do and think about while she was recovering from an injury. It was clicker training (and later Connection Training) that showed me that the missing part of the puzzle: the horses weren’t enjoying the relationship as much as the people were. Once the horses were given the opportunity to both understand and truly enjoy what we were doing, it became much more fun for all of us.

 

I enjoy teaching all aspects of horsemanship, and I consider my job as a coach is to make horsemanship fun – as fun for the horse as it is for the handler. I have had first-hand experience of when things go wrong, and when both handlers and horses can lose confidence in each other. I have helped many partnerships rebuild their relationship, using the principles and process of positive reinforcement to overcome fears and doubt, and to create a bond that is strong, deep, and secure.

 

My speciality is obstacle training and Horse Agility; I am a Horse Agility Accredited Trainer and have been European Horse Agility Champion (liberty or on lead) four times with my little rescue pony, Pip, and my donkey Molly, who was also Reserve World Champion donkey in 2017 – we are proudly taking positive reinforcement right to the top of international competition! I teach regular Horse Agility clinics, and love using obstacle training to help both horses and humans overcome their fears and worries, gain confidence in each other and learn new ways to communicate, using empathy, emotional awareness, and of course positive reinforcement.