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Originally from Southern Africa, my family were keen competitors in Saddleseat Equitation and jumping. Horses were part of my story and I was desperate to be around them. 

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In my school years I spent time working at dressage barns. I loved the idea of owning a warmblood but found off-the-track thoroughbreds to be more within my budget. 

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Back then, my money-making scheme was to take thoroughbreds and ‘flip’ them by retraining them and selling them on. My scheme was ruined when I met Beau. Beau was, in my opinion at the time, untrainable and unsellable. He was the only horse who would charge across his yard to attack a stable hand and on the same day faint from fear when tied in the wash bay. Beau found his way to me, as one of my very first teachers. 

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Where my thoroughbreds did succeed was in the eventing and jumping arenas, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. This gave me scope to start coaching at riding schools and clubs, open my own coaching business, and took me overseas to compete.

 

​In 2016 my eventer, Rio, suffered a severe ligament injury.

A vet concluded that he would never return to work; however, I wasn’t ready to let Rio go, so I started down the path of learning about rehabilitation. 

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To keep competing, I got a chance to take on Joe.

Joe was perfect on paper; a higher-level jumper with national awards, well-travelled and the sweetest horse to handle. However, after our first season of jumping together, I was concerned about how he responded to my aids, and I wasn’t keen on how he incorporated bucking and rearing into his rounds. Advice like “put a bigger bit on him” was no longer working for me, and so I pulled back from the competition scene.

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Here I was, with a full stable block of horses that had physical or mental issues. I was feeling lost.

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Understanding none of them would be able to jump in their current state, I went in search of a training method with focus on retraining and rehabilitation. One that would provide me explanations based on extensive scientific research and where the communities would welcome me with open arms. I found all of this in the classical training communities. 

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Immersing myself into the world of classical training assisted me in rehabilitating and retraining my horses into the strong, balanced and reliable partners I have today.