About Me
I am a life-long horse lover, and was lucky enough to start riding as a young child - that's me and my trusty school pony at the Bengal Lancers in Halifax!
I credit Anne Myhr with my introduction to dressage and laying the foundation for my path as a trainer and coach - a relationship that continues today as we work together out of the Atlantic Equestrian Centre. I am a certified level 1 Coach with Equestrian Canada. I have ridden with Jacqui Brooks, Ingrid Klimke, Walter Zettl, and Burt Rutten, among other greats in the sport, and spent 6 months as a working student under Ron Postlieb. I was fortunate to be part of the Nova Scotia Dressage Team in the '90s, and to have had many wonderful showing and training opportunities on both my own and students' horses since then. Over the past several years, my focus has shifted from training exclusively for competition and moving a horse through the levels to building deeper relationships with my horses and helping my students do the same. I take inspiration from trainers like Tristan Tucker and Warwick Schiller and I'm always looking for new ways to better understand our equine partners. I never get tired of seeing the joy on both horse and rider's face when the communication "clicks." |
My Approach
Confidence. Clarity. Connection.
The Training Scale is the cornerstone of athletic development for the dressage horse, and bringing a horse along through the scale is seen as a measure of the rider's skill. But what about mental and emotional development? And what about horses who don't come to us as blank slates?
I believe that a strong, successful partnership starts with building confidence in both horse and rider. My program starts with developing the tools for both horse and human to relax and achieve a mindset where learning is truly possible.
I believe that a strong, successful partnership starts with building confidence in both horse and rider. My program starts with developing the tools for both horse and human to relax and achieve a mindset where learning is truly possible.
- Groundwork is the starting point for many of my students - regardless of the horse's age or experience! It's a great tool to help horses with body awareness and relaxation, and to establish or reset clear communication between horse and human in a lower-stakes setting
- Building on good experiences - The old school method of "grit your teeth and get it done" never really appealed to me. So I don't use it. We all need to move out of our comfort zones to grow and improve, but learning shouldn't be a white-knuckle experience. I work with my students to build a strong foundation of trust so trips outside the comfort zone can be exhilarating and fun, not scary!
- If at first you don't succeed... get creative - The more time I spend creating deeper connections with horses, the more I come to appreciate that a "one size fits all" solution doesn't really exist. When we encounter problems with our horses or our training, I like to approach them as an opportunity to find the right way to communicate with this horse, kindly and effectively.
- So about that training scale - Rhythm, Relaxation, Connection, Straightness, and Collection still inform the athletic development of our partners in dressage, and our skill in guiding them. Learning to work in balance and proper carriage helps our horses build musculature and fitness that can keep them sound and comfortable well into their senior years. It's my goal to help my students and their horses progress through the training scale according to their goals, and using the foundation of mental and emotional fitness we have established to make the journey fun and rewarding for everyone.