I am an EA Level 1 Coach and I am actively involved in Show Jumping, Dressage and Show Horse, both as a coach and competitor. With over 20 years of experience, I coach and train horses full-time, operating as Darwin Equestrian Academy.

I strongly believe that education is the key to improving horse welfare and I am passionate about helping riders learn how to improve their training methods.

I completed the Diploma of Equitation Science because I want to know the ‘why’ and the ‘how’.

Why do horses display certain behaviours, why do some training methods work better than others, why do some horses learn more quickly, why do horses exposed to the same conditions not always exhibit the same behaviours, why do horses develop problem behaviours.

I found that the more I knew, the more I realised how much I didn’t know.

So given that I have been training horses for many years and I also have a Science background, it made perfect sense to study Equines; the Behavioural Science of Horses, how the horse learns, how to shape behaviours, how habits are formed, the horses mental capabilities/limitations and Biomechanics.

I believe that this has been the single most important step in my career as a trainer and coach because it has allowed me to increase rider safety and improve horse welfare. It has definitely improved the quality of the horses that we are turning out and has certainly made diagnosing and retraining problem behaviours much more efficient and ethical.

One of my favourite quotes – “You assure him of friends wherever he goes. Perhaps the greatest kindness you can do any horse is to educate him well” – Tom Roberts.