How it works: riding lessons on your own horse
What if you didn't have to load the float, drive across town, and ask your horse to settle in a strange arena before you'd even started your lesson?
That's the whole idea here. I offer riding lessons on your own horse, at your own place, wherever you keep it. You stay put, and I bring the coaching to you. It sounds almost too simple, but it changes everything about how a lesson feels, and how much you get out of it.
What I bring
I bring thirty-three years of teaching, a British Horse Society qualification, and a good pair of eyes. I'll watch the two of you working, and I'll help you see what I'm seeing, so you can keep building on it long after I've driven off. I bring a plan for the session, but I hold it loosely, because the best lessons follow the horse and rider in front of me, not a script I decided on the way over.
What you bring
You bring your horse, your gear, and somewhere safe to ride, an arena, a flat paddock, a round yard, whatever you've got. It doesn't need to be fancy. It just needs to be safe for the two of you to work in. If you're not sure whether your space is suitable, just ask me when we chat and we'll sort it out.
Because your horse is at home, it behaves like itself, not like a nervous passenger who's just been trucked somewhere new. You ride in the space you actually ride in day to day. That's the real picture, and it's the one I want to help you with.
Where I travel
I coach across Townsville and the districts around it, with travel included as far out as Bluewater, Alligator Creek, Black River and Nome. In between that takes in Kelso, Rasmussen, Condon, Thuringowa Central, Kirwan, Alice River, Rupertswood Park, Deeragun, Jensen, Julago, Bushland Beach and Oak Valley.
If you're further out than that, I still come to you. There's one flat charge for the trip rather than a charge for each rider, and we'll agree it before you book, so there are no surprises on the day. If you're not sure whether you're in range, just ask.
What a lesson looks like
A private lesson is forty-five minutes, just you and your horse. Semi-private is an hour for two riders, a small group is an hour for three, and a large group is an hour for four up to eight. There's no minimum booking, so a single one-off lesson is completely fine if that's what suits you.
- We start with a chat. How you're feeling, what's been going well, anything that's been worrying you.
- I watch you ride. Just the two of you working as you normally would, so I see the real picture rather than a performance.
- We work on one or two things. Not a list. The things that will actually make a difference to you and your horse this week.
- You finish with something to practise. So the lesson keeps paying off long after I've driven off.
We'll start where you actually are, not where a textbook says you should be, and we'll work on the things that matter to you, whether that's confidence, flatwork, jumping, or just getting the two of you communicating a little better.
If you'd like to know what I coach in more detail, or read a bit about me, have a look around. And when you're ready, tell me about you and your horse and we'll find a time.
There's no mystery to it, really. You keep doing what you love, where you love doing it, and I turn up to help you do it better.
