Tailored Tuition

We can provide you with a service to suit your needs.

The following are scenarios which are typical, although fictitious. There are links to many of the skills mentioned here; click for more information.

– Jane has bought a horse who she has lost confidence with after a few incidents. She brings him for a week’s intensive tuition at Moor Wood. They work on leading, handling, Join-Up ®, long lining, desensitising him to ropes and bags, and improve his standing for mounting (see links to many of these training issues on site map). Jane learns to long line mainly in the school, so she can settle him down before she rides in future. The work concentrates on ground training, which both Jane and her horse have studied very little of. However, she also begins to do elementary seat training with him, which gives both of them great confidence. After working for an average 3 hours a day with Adam, and spending another hour consolidating her bonding by leading her horse out in hand, Jane’s confidence is much enhanced. Her skills are far greater, and her horse is calmer and safer to be with.

– Diana had her horse started in the autumn, by a local trainer, and in spring she brings him to Moor Wood for help in bringing him on. He stays for two weeks and 3 weekends, and is worked for an hour almost every day, while Diana comes up to watch and participate in the training every morning before leaving to do a half day at work. The weekends she works a little more intensively and also watches some other lessons. By the end she has done her first hack, her first long lining and her first unsupervised ride on him.

– Katy comes on a Five Day course to kick-start her riding after a break. She then arranges for weekly seat-training and schooling lessons at Moor Wood in preparation for buying a horse. When she buys her, she brings her for a few days of intensive training to iron out any kinks.

– Sue and Penny want to learn to do classical In-Hand work. They book a couple of days tailored tuition during the week, and share the costs of all sessions, borrowing Moor Wood horses. When they go home to the other side of the UK they have the skills to begin working with the two horses they keep at a yard together.

– 14 year old Katy is having some problems with her horse. It’s frustrating that other ponies perform so much better and Katy is easily embarrassed, and sensitive to her failings. Every piece of advice her mum Sam says is just a source of further embarrassment and resentment. Sam gives her Whispering Back for Xmas and brings her and pony to Moor Wood for 4 days at half term. They work together on their issues, in private with just Adam, for 2 hours a day, and watch other lessons as well as caring for the horse together. As they leave mother and daughter feel closer than they have for months. Not everything is 100% fixed but the stress is gone. Katy feels much more confident and has experienced a very different learning environment than the riding school she had previously attended. They decide to curtail those lessons and come back on a clinic in the holiday, which they will get a 10% discount off.

– Debbie and Andy both have horses. Although they have no great problems, they wish to improve their riding before the spring. She arranges for a stay at Moor Wood as his Xmas present. They come for 2 days’ private tuition during the late winter, before clinic season has begun. After seat work and a lesson, they go for a hack as part of their work.

– Charlie’s horse Ollie has a real issue with traffic. This isn’t suitable to be addressed around other horses so a clinic doesn’t seem appropriate. Charlie books Ollie in for three weeks. The first week Charlie attends each day for 2 hours and learns a lot about how to improve traffic phobia. By the end of the week Ollie is coping with the quad bike in and around the school. In the second week Charlie goes back to work but Ollie remains in training, one hour a day and by the next weekend, can be ridden calmly by Charlie on the driveway while Adam drives a car past him. On week 3 Charlie takes mornings off work to be able to attend training, which has now progressed to riding on the country lanes and hacking to see the dual carriageway in action. Upon departure a clear training progression is in place in Charlie’s mind, giving everyone confidence that the rest of Ollie’s traffic worries can become a thing of the past.

– Alison has bought a youngster, Bobby, that she wants to start. When he is 2 she arranges a callout for Adam to come to her home to help establish good leading and handling habits with him. Whilst there, Adam assesses that although she has reasonable facilities (a school, some safe hacking), it isn’t the best place to introduce first saddle, long-lines and rider.

Alison continues to consolidate the leading and handling practise at home with Bobby, and comes to Moor Wood to learn how to long-line with an established horse, and also begins seat-training for herself to ensure she’s the best possible rider for her young horse.

The next year Alison then brings Bobby to Moor Wood, and with the help of the team here, Bobby is introduced to his first saddle and long-lines… [Depending on his maturity and Alison’s confidence and competence, he could either stay for backing, basic schooling, in-hand work, culminating in hacking out, or he might return home at the long-lining stage for further consolidation and growing time, returning for the next stages at a later date. Alison could be as hands-on as she likes, and if appropriate be the first rider, or she could have more of the initial work done by us and do more towards the end. The work might be completed within a fortnight or so, or be spread out over more than a year. This model would also work for remedial horses.]