About

About Total Horsemanship Natural Equipment

I've been running Total Horsemanship Ltd and Total Horsemanship Natural Equipment and working with David Stuart for almost 6 years now,  Here is some information about myself and my horses. 

As a child, I helped out at the local riding school, working at weekends and holidays in turn for free rides! I left school and went to Waverton Riding Centre as a working pupil for a year, training for and completing my BHS AI. I then went on to work with Show Jumpers, Eventers, Hunters and Dressage horses. Back in the early eighties there was nothing that was referred to as natural horsemanship; there was just the BHS way.

I've worked on and off with horses for most of my life but didn't have my own horse until 2002. I was teaching at Wimbledon Village Stables at the time I met Anna. I loved this little mare the moment I saw her, no one wanted her, she was going to be sent back to the dealer so I bought her.  She was my natural horsemanship 'Parelli' sacrificial lamb!   How she put up with endless circles, disengaging and repeating everything until it was perfect I just don't know! Obviously I didn't know better then either. She has the patience of a saint and my first great teacher. She is now retired and had her first foal in April 2009.

Next came Dream in December 2005. He's an ex show jumper came with what we thought were many issues. We have since found out that his 'issues' are pain related, in both front feet - it's so hard to spot problems when they occur in both feet, it was only when he started going intermittently lame that we started to do tests and take x-rays.  The results showed arthritis in both front navicular bones. He is now retired and very much enjoying it!

I've always had a yearning for Hanoverians, I was looking for a horse I could compete at dressage and came across Marmite in February 2008. She was another love at first sight. She is very demonstrative and if you're wrong she lets you know in no uncertain terms. She knows what she likes and likes what she knows - what a character.  She's also been very testing with her variety of ailments, but hopefully now with some fanstatic help from Dave, my equine nutritionist, trimmer and physio we are now getting somewhere! 

Then there is StarMan, born on 13th April 2009, Anna's foal. His sire being Country Top Dollar, a coloured thoroughbred. And what a Star he is, he's a joy to have around and puts a smile on my face every single day.  I started him in June 2011 putting 14 rides on him, check out the pictures on my facebook page.  I will continue with his education this year, very much  looking forward to that. 

And lastly there is Emmie Lou. Emmie and StarMan were weaned together in the most natural way we could with absolute minumum stress to both babies and mums.  I ended up falling for Emmie who is a Belgium WB x TB. She is very pretty and quite sharp!  A very different character from StarMan.  She was born on 6 June 2009 and was started September 2011 with 11 rides and again I will be continuing with her education this year. Pictures on facebook. 

I try to keep everything as natural as possible given my circumstances, they all live happily as a herd, they are barefoot and out 24/7.