Enlightened Equitation Lessons
Enlightened Equitation Lessons focus on simple, logical and biomechanically sound methods to help riders of all levels to be quiet, effective and in tune with their horse. The EE approach will help you to:
- Sit to the trot and canter
- Develop a truly independent seat
- Appear still in the saddle
- Ride lightly and in balance in the classical ear, shoulder, hip, heel alignment.
- Transform into an elegant, effective and kind rider
I have been teaching for most of my adult life and qualified as an EE Teacher back in 2008. My passion is to help riders with confidence issues, although I enjoy teaching at all levels - variety is the spice of life! I also love to work with ‘remedial’ horses, both from a psychological perspective as well as physical, as often the two are closely linked.
In essence, the aim of my lessons are to help you to:
- Work in harmony with your horse,
- Be able to understand how the horse is working underneath you and learn how to feel what your horse is doing and how you can influence the movement,
- Be an effective rider, but using subtle aids that are almost invisible to the onlooker,
- Ride in a kind manner,
- But most of all… enjoy it!
Unless a serious competition rider (who will have slightly different goals) then I believe most horse-owners want to have riding lessons to help them understand and work together with their horses in a safe, kind manner and to enjoy the experience – we all want what is best for our horses as, after all, they are usually our number one priority (much to the rest of our family's dismay!).
I also offer groundwork lessons, from general handling to more Classical In-Hand lessons, which help both the horse and rider with their ridden work, aiding balance and suppleness as well as being extremely beneficial to the rider to be able to see how the horse is moving.
I thoroughly enjoy teaching and I believe I am very lucky to be able to do what I love day in, day out (even with the English weather!).
Some Common Questions:
How often should I have a lesson?
Well, that depends! I have some clients who have a weekly lesson without fail, some fortnightly, others monthly, and some even once every 6 months just to have a refresher and keep them on track. There is absolutely no obligation as every horse and rider combination is different.
How much does a lesson cost?
Lessons are £35 per hour with travel costs added if outside a 15 mile radius from Highclere, Berkshire (please see the price list for more details). I do regularly travel outside of this area however, and will always do my best to organise clients in the same area for the same day to minimise everyone’s travel costs. I am also happy to run clinics for groups of people, particularly those who are further afield, so please contact me to discuss finer details or look at the 'areas covered' tab.
Do I need an Indoor Manege?
I would love to say 'yes', but realistically we don't all have that luxury (me included!), so the answer is 'no'! Ideally it would be best to have some sort of level, fenced off area to work in, but even that sometimes either isn't appropriate or impossible, so I am happy to work with what you have got!
