About Trisha

Background:

I was born in Scotland, where I had regular riding lessons as a child, rode friends ponies, and worked at a Welsh Cob stud farm. I bought my first horse in my early 20's, and switched to Western riding after attaining my BHS Stage 3. I became the first resident representative in Scotland for the Western Equestrian Society, and spent several years promoting western riding in Scotland, organising shows, clinics, and social events for the rapidly increasing number of western enthusiasts, also spending 2 years as a WES Council member. I became approved by WES as an Instructor, and in my spare time gave Western riding lessons and started horses. I competed successfully in Western shows in Scotland, and at the UK Championships, and won the Scottish Open Hi-Points twice, with 2 different horses.

When I began having problems with a home-bred horse I had to look in a different direction, and discovered an American clinician called Mark Rashid. I began hosting clinics with him in Scotland over the next few years, as well as with other eminent US clinicians - Leslie Desmond, Dr Deb Bennett, and Peggy Cummings. I worked in the US as Mark Rashid's apprentice in 2001 and 2002, assisting at clinics all over the US and in the UK, an invaluable experience.

Since then I have trained primarily with Peggy Cummings, creator of Connected Riding. Peggy also introduced me to Feldenkrais, ‘body awareness through movement’, which releases my own body and mind and also relates to what I am teaching to horses, and to Tteam, which has to be the softest most considerate way of working with horses on the ground.

My Kiwi husband, Ian, and I emigrated from Scotland to the Waikato, New Zealand, in September 2005. Suffice to say I love the lifestyle, climate, and people here!

About my horses:

When I lived in Scotland my horses were shod more than not, and rugged / covered while turned out during the day in the winter. They lived out 24/7 in the summer months, and were stabled at night in winter due to lack of shelter in their fields. Here in NZ my Scottish mare and 3 Kiwi horses are uncovered and barefoot, and I’m trimming them myself, learning more all the time. All 4 (2 mares and 2 geldings) live together on a track, which has optional grazing off of it. This keeps them moving, is great for their feet, and allows me to control their grass intake. I have adopted 2 unhandled Kaimanawas since being here, starting them and then rehoming them to productive lives, which was a great experience and challenge. I now have one Quarter Horse, one Standardbred, one QH x TB, and one TB x Andalusian. My biggest learning curve since coming to NZ has been nutrition and mineral supplements, which horses here seem to be affected by much more than in the UK.