|
| Sarah Simmons with her 6 year old Quarter Horse Stallion "Chilli" |
“If given a partly
rotten apple, I will peel it to search for any good bits left, the seeds are always there, so in my mind, it can be given
the chance to grow again with the right nurturing. It is a sad fact that many a horse has been ‘discarded’,
mainly due to the lack of understanding of horse behaviour”, says Sarah.
Sarah Simmons is a qualified BHSAI and also a Western Equestrian Society Approved Instructor.
She was also one of the first students to attend and gain the Monty Roberts Prelim Certificate back in the 1990’s and
has over 20 years experience working with many disciplines including Eventing, Thoroughbred Racing, Western Performance and
Le Trec.
With a well rounded education with horses, Sarah is able to help both
the horse and the owner from the beginning i.e. handling the newborn foal right through to European competition level.
Her passion is helping build a solid foundation, which is necessary in any discipline, be it English or Western, based on
mutual trust and respect and keeping things simple for the horse and rider.
Confidence only builds with success, so breaking goals down into bite size pieces is a much easier
way of expanding the comfort zone for horse and rider. Although we need consistency and patterns to help us to learn,
we also need variety to keep us ‘alive and interested’. Fun is a big factor in Sarah’s lessons and
clinics. Safety, of course, is a priority, but if we do not enjoy ourselves or feel like we are progressing then it’s
really not worth all the hard work, time and money to have our horses.
Many people have contacted Sarah as a last resort to either regain their confidence
in handling/riding their horse. or to help their horse to step back on the right track when lack of knowledge or experience
has altered the balance in the relationship.
“ A lot of horses just seem to feel lost when their human is unsure of how to obtain and maintain the
role of leader. Frustration starts when the knowledge ends, assertiveness changes to aggressiveness and then the horse
reacts by being defensive or sometimes he will just shut down as a way of coping”, says Sarah. “Anyone can make
a horse do something once but can you ask your horse to willingly do it many times, and with enjoyment?”
Sarah is based at Mopley Farm in the New Forest, Hampshire, but also visits clients who have their own premises for clinic days, demos or individual sessions; e.g. loading problems
or handling young foals. If you want to chat to Sarah about your requirements then
please send me an email on simmonsequine@talktalk.net.
