Larkfield Dressage
I have been working with Serena Gordon for about six months and in that period of time my horses have moved on exponentially in their training. The move forward is entirely down to her inspirational teaching which takes account of both the rider and the horse’s strengths. I compete in dressage but do not have the conventional dressage horses as my horses are ex- racehorses. They are both sharp and quirky and not the easiest of characters but Serena has brought the best out in them and me. My older horse has moved from Prelim to Elementary Level in this time and has found collected canter andestablished a good simple change. He is currently working at medium to advanced medium at home. I never thought I would be working at this level but I get clear step by step homework from each session and can work in a focused way between lessons. I am thrilled with the progress my horses have made in this short time and cannot recommend her highly enough she has been an inspiration. I watched her work in at the winter championships recently and I felt proud to be trained by her as she was sympathetic and rode her horse beautifully when many horses and riders around her exhibited tension in what was a charged atmosphere.
Sandra Smith
I was first introduced to Serena approximately 18 months ago when my horse at the time wasn’t as enthused by a dressage career as I was which resulted in some negative behavior. With Serena’s patience and non-confrontational training methods this energy was focused into producing positive work which enabled me to compete primarily at Prelim and two or three Novice competitions.
Given the challenges at the time, it was always highly probable that the horse would be sold to a more suitable eventing home and while never influencing my decision whether to sell, I felt that she always had me in mind whenever she heard of suitable horses for me to buy. As was the case, I was extremely fortunate to sell him and it was through Serena that I now have a more compatible partner to progress through the dressage levels. It was extremely valuable to me that Serena took the time to call the owner to establish whether she thought he would be suitable and accompanied me to go and try him.
I find Serena’s method of training extremely holistic and empowering. She encourages me to both think about and feel the horse’s way of going in order to allow me to recognize when my horse is working correctly and if not, what to do in order to improve it. Given that I am not the most experienced or confident of riders, I find that her way of training gives me the tools and homework I need so that I can confidently continue with my horse’s training between our sessions and at competitions. I always look forward to my sessions and always come away having enjoyed myself and feeling very positive.
Serena is the utmost professional and she is extremely sympathetic and fair towards both horse and rider and is always welcome to questions, which are always answered in a very clear and constructive way. I am excited by the prospect of progressing through the levels under Serena’s training.
Dana Luxton
Given the challenges at the time, it was always highly probable that the horse would be sold to a more suitable eventing home and while never influencing my decision whether to sell, I felt that she always had me in mind whenever she heard of suitable horses for me to buy. As was the case, I was extremely fortunate to sell him and it was through Serena that I now have a more compatible partner to progress through the dressage levels. It was extremely valuable to me that Serena took the time to call the owner to establish whether she thought he would be suitable and accompanied me to go and try him.
I find Serena’s method of training extremely holistic and empowering. She encourages me to both think about and feel the horse’s way of going in order to allow me to recognize when my horse is working correctly and if not, what to do in order to improve it. Given that I am not the most experienced or confident of riders, I find that her way of training gives me the tools and homework I need so that I can confidently continue with my horse’s training between our sessions and at competitions. I always look forward to my sessions and always come away having enjoyed myself and feeling very positive.
Serena is the utmost professional and she is extremely sympathetic and fair towards both horse and rider and is always welcome to questions, which are always answered in a very clear and constructive way. I am excited by the prospect of progressing through the levels under Serena’s training.
Dana Luxton
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