Welcome to the Classical Equitation Site

Hello!

Have you come to the right site? Am I the instructor you're looking for?
Read on...

Am I Qualified?

Yes! As well as being a qualified (insured) instructor for 20 years, I’ve been classically trained and continue my training with a student of Nuno Oliveira – the classical master of the 20th Century.

What is my attitude towards teaching?

I consider myself lucky to a have a real passion for teaching! Despite teaching for 20 years I gain as much pleasure from it as when I first began. Irrespective of your standard - beginner or advanced, I use images and descriptions to adjust your body for maximum effect. For example - initially checking or changing your body so you are relaxed on your horse - in balance. Later more images/descriptions follow for canter, lateral work etc. Not all of us are as supple and fit as we'd like! Within each person's own ability I try to encourage muscles and joints to gently stretch and improve the position and therefore achieve better results.

Feedback from my students suggest benefits include weight loss, better posture and a more toned body with much more fun than a trip to the gym! Each person comes to their lesson with a different attitude, expectation and way of thinking. Moods and stress levels change with each week. Many of my company executives find concentrating on their riding a welcome break from sales figures and for my 'mums' - a welcome break from their 'little ones'. I feel that riding lessons should not only offer equine tuition but also relaxation, stress-relief, stimulation or whatever you may need that week. Not everyone wants their riding to take them to the Olympics! Lessons also make a fantastic (and easy to arrange!) present to your friends or loved ones. Send me a suitable card with a cheque and that’s your present organised! For those special occasions I can recommend excellent hotels where husbands can chill or play golf whilst wives spend the day with me!

I will be able to help you ride more effectively, safely, comfortably and ultimately help your horse to be happier and more comfortable. For me, coming to Classical Riding was like finding the light at the end of the tunnel. My greatest reward in life would be to enable as many people as possible to be given that opportunity.

So What is ‘Classical Riding’?

Much confusion abounds as to what it is and why it is different. The new fashion seems to be classical, and yet some would contend that those purporting to be following this route differ very little in their methods from those used elsewhere.

A look at the history of equitation may help to explain the differences. The Frenchman M. la Guérinière is considered the founding father of classical equitation in the 18th Century. Two schools have emerged – the French and the German – with modern competitive dressage following the German route. They have kept to essentially the same principles but diverged in their interpretation and execution. The French style emphasises a more artistic approach to riding and training – as exemplified by the Portuguese Master Nuno Oliveira.

For followers of the French approach, the importance lies in working the horse with delicacy, kindness and finesse. Lightness is a key principle – both from the rider …. light aids, rein contact, never asking beyond what the horse happily and willingly will give …. and from the horse …. responding with enthusiasm and moving lightly in its own natural balance.

The Classical Masters are truly the ‘Natural Horsemanship’ experts of the past – totally understanding the horse's movement and mind.

It is with these principles I try to ride and teach. Using methods not usually found in British Riding Schools, I hope to be able to relay some of the true wonder that classical training can bring us all.