In 1999 I relocated myself and my horse-focused business onto a 56ha site at Monarto, a rural area 65k's east from South Australia's capital, Adelaide.

Prior to this move I managed a 2.5ha horse training/rider teaching and agistment facility at Morphett Vale, about 25k south of Adelaide. I established this facility in 1979, after I had reached a point where I was teaching riders and developing their skills based upon the principles that underlie the development of dressage techniques. These skills incorporated my learned awareness of how a horse thinks and feels. My knowledge came from ideas and methods I had studied in earlier years.

These earlier opportunities included: an Australian backing method based upon gentling the horse by understanding the horses natural reactions thus knowing when the time for the next step would be; watching and working under a more aggressive horse breaker/rodeo/trick horse rider; and teaching/riding tuition with Tom Roberts, the South Australian horseperson/writer who had the ability to tune into a horse and work with its problems.

My earlier experiences included a wooden rocking horse at 5, riding lessons at 10, and my first horse at 11. This horse then carried me in Pony Club Rallies, show jumping and hurdle jumping events at local shows before being selected to represent the Marion Pony Club in a Teams Show Jumping event at the Adelaide Royal Agricultural Show in the early 60s. Later I retired this horse to breed my second horse. I then entered the next stage of my career, undertaking to obtain a more intelligent handle on horsework via raising her foal, a colt, working him on the lunge, then backing and schooling in dressage and showjumping over the next 7-8 years.

This horse was born in 1965, and by 1975 I was ready to put into practise the knowledge and skills I knew I had and could work with in teaching others more about working with their own horses. Australia's first Horse 'Expo' was held in Adelaide in 1975 [the first dressage club in Australia was also formed in Adelaide some years before] and having witnessed the visiting 'elite' performing I was feeling confident that it was time to seriously look at competing in dressage competition. This Expo brought Rosemary Springer from Germany to visit for a high level dressage clinic with both local and visiting top riders. I was greatly inspired by watching her work with them - the flavour underlying her ideas and demands I could easily relate to, adding more to my confidence.

It was then another 3 years, in 1978, when the opportunity came for me to purchase the property at Morphett Vale in order to set up my horse training and rider teaching establishment. By this time I had spent two years, attending schools and tuition with noted interstate and local instructors, joining a local instructor training group, and had started in dressage competition, being fortunate to be placed at my 1st State Championship effort in 1978. My experience up to this time also included training and teaching my daughter, Gail, on two ponies; starting her on a shetland pony at 5yo, then onto a welsh mountain pony at 7yo, with another 5 years organising her in competition at local 'hack' shows and then into junior dressage on that pony until she grew out of it. Once Gail reached 12 I was more ready and able to put the time into my own riding in the public arena. A couple of years later she and I had became more like team mates as we went off to competition on a more equal basis, her with her horses [plural by then], and me with mine [me still driving the machinery to get there, of course!!]

The next 20 years I spent at Morphett Vale allowed me the time and space to work with many horses. Having become a full-time professional in 'horsework', I presented myself for the first Australian nationally accredited coaches in-take held in South Australia in 1981. Working with our then National Coach [Swede/ Maj. T. Buramn] again reinforced that what I knew and was doing was easily acceptable, gaining my Level 1 accreditation at that time and approval for Level 2 a year later. I also witnessed the first batch of Australian Level 2 and 3 Coaches [our local 'elite' of those times] put through their paces, thus seeing the standard that was required and accepted at this time of the Australian horseworld development.

Various other overseas trained instructors have given approval to my work, both in competition and in clinics. The locals did not always see or think the same way - just as our second National Coach in the later 80's placed great emphasis in teaching about horses having the ability to go into long and low work when working with this states higher level dressage riders whilst our local top dressage trainer did not then see this as a valid tool for the dressage horse.

As my daughter grew into adulthood, her interest in riding horses took her to eventually represent Australia in an overseas competition in 1991, along with being twice selected onto the South Australian State Dressage Squad, having represented this state at National Competition for a 1st Team placing. Gail and her first state squad horse also competed in Eventing at the same time as performing in this National dressage competition.

My personal preference for the individual training of riders who presented themselves to be taught has enabled me to get much closer to the minds and the physical aspect of each rider, allowing both connection and empathy to occur, as to where they are at on their part of the riding journey.

The many horses coming through my Equitation Centre, whether for agistment or training, have also given me a vast opportunity to test the ideas that I put into use when training them and their owners towards dressage and jumping, both for private enjoyment and for competition 'success', among them being wins and placings at both State and National Championships.

I also trained peoples horses, but because I am more drawn to teaching others how to ride and achieve their own goals I did not promote this aspect of my skill. I preferred to rider/trainer teach - using a stable of horses personally trained and competed on, thus giving riders the choice of learning skills either on my own horses or on theirs.

These experiences have given me considerable opportunity to develop my ideas, seeing them tried and proven, with ribbons won by people taught how to train their own horses - which has always been my focus - some now also teaching and training for an income, one even being heralded as her local district's 'natural' horseperson/trainer [female - dressage; her main skill].

So these years of practise teaching others how to work with horses has enabled me to have plenty of practical experience. I know how to use words and ideas to get results. This training is about a mental conditioning approach, as well as the development of physical feel and ability. Thus it is important that the client is willing to undertake the journey, achieving results that can leave others in awe.

My future goal is to make my ideas available on a larger scale. A series of books are planned, along with free training days for groups of riders. Individual training is for a fee, either face-to-face or via this Website.

My connection with competition is still happening, but for different reasons now. I judge official dressage competition, and I am currently preparing another horse for competition performance with the intention of going further than I have with the various horses I have worked with before. The highest level attained in my competition riding has been Medium/flying change level tests [3 horses/1 in National Competition], and various other horses [10 approx. - 7 horses making it to Elementary/Shoulder-in Level/3 at State level competition] - all horses personally trained without outside help before circumstances altered their future in competition any longer. The aim of all the work with these horses was to improve their use as wonderful school horses in helping me teach the dressage skills to others. Combined Dressage and Jumping contests were also part of some of these horses' training -with the Medium Level National horse having won one Combined Event as part of his training to become the 'better' horse that he became, showing, when 3 years later he was selected for our State Advanced Dressage Squad with Gail riding him, having gone to Advanced/tempi change/canter piro. level - and a 15.1hh Arab.

Now I have the space and the time and a different focus in my work - so this current partner/horse is part of that focus, and it will be a matter of time and good fortune as to how the work with this horse will be able to be formulated.

BUT dont expect to see flashy stuff happening - as only plain, simple, solid, ethical dressage riding and performance is the planned result. And if this is what you also want, then contact me and we can talk about what our work together will entail. Then I can work with your and your learning in order to help you access the knowledge needed for you to achieve the goals you have in sight.