Equestrian Services Bit Fitting, Transport and Rider Training company Suffolk Essex

Safe and Sound
Horse Transport

Highly experienced, safe and careful
equestrian transport services. 

Get in touch

Equestrian Services Bit Fitting, Transport and Rider Training company Suffolk Essex

Horse & Rider Training

From groundwork to competitive disciplines.

View Services

Equestrian Services Bit Fitting, Transport and Rider Training company Suffolk Essex

Bit & Bridle Fitting

Fully qualified service with

experienced help and advice

 

Read more…

About Abi Sinclair

Summary of Equestrian Experience

Over the past 25 years Abi has worked with, backed, trained and reschooled hundreds of different horses and ponies of many breeds and types, ages, shapes and sizes. Each one has taught her something new. With a great sense of feel and eye for detail she has helped numerous horse and rider combinations improve their confidence and ability. She continues to teach all ages and abilities of riders from beginners to competitors although young horses and problem solving remain a favourite challenge.

The past ten years has also seen the addition of horse transportation and working with building horses trust and confidence in travelling.

Alongside teaching and training Abi continues to work with problem loaders and inexperienced horses to enable owners to enjoy their horses out and about with confidence.

Lets go back to the start.... Abi aged 6!
Read more...

 Equestrian Services Bit Bridle Fitting, Horse Transport, Rider Training in Suffolk and Essex

 First Love - Neddy

Abi Sinclair (nee Parfitt) started riding, age six, at her local riding stables in Bentley, Suffolk. Her first steed, when she was aged 10, was a Neddy, a donkey who sadly died from ragwort poisoning after only a year. However, during this year Abi learned many very important lessons from Neddy. Riding mainly without saddle or bridle Neddy taught her to; ride bareback, sit on a buck and how to get off quickly when he’d had had enough and would either lay down or go for the low branches! Also how not to get too close behind Neddy when trying to catch him after escaping the field and the drastic lesson about poisonous plants. To this day Abi does not like yellow flowers!

After this and unable to afford ponies she spent her early teens begging to ride all the local naughty ponies or donkeys. Armed with a book about problem horses Abi worked through most of the categories, both ridden or on the ground, fuelling her interest early about how horses think and how to retrain them.

Equestrian Services Bit Bridle Fitting, Horse Transport, Rider Training in Suffolk and Essex

 BHS Qualifications

After leaving school in 1985 Abi trained for her BHS exams and completed the BHS Horsecare and Riding stages 1, 2 and 3 in a year. She then worked in several competition yards learning more about backing youngsters and training horses for competition. In 1987 she was offered a job from one of the livery owners, Bruce Andrews, for whom she continued to work for the next five years with point to pointers. This was the ideal place to learn about fitness and training, injuries and rehabilitation and how to get the best from a thoroughbred.

During this time they had the leading Ladies Open point to pointer in East Anglia, Noan Wood, who in 1989 won 11 out of 13 races, (in the other two races he came second) and just missed out being the leading horse in the country by one race.

In sole charge, Abi was allowed to care for and work the horses to their best ability enabling her to learn a huge amount about backing and training the 3 year olds herself, as well as fitness and training for racing and how to avoid or rehabilitate injuries.

She also learnt to appreciate the amazing thoroughbred mind and how to settle and focus it.

 Rider, Groom, Instructor

After five years Abi wanted to move back into more classical riding and eventing and became a freelance professional rider, groom and instructor.

After a couple of years she started British Eventing with Alison Bromwich’s horse, Zack, with whom they enjoyed several years of successful competing before he succumbed to bone spavin lameness just before going Intermediate.

Over the following years Abi continued with eventing horses for Alison, as well as other owners, until recurring back problems forced her to stop competing and concentrate on training instead.

One of Alison's horses Lily, an Irish Draught x thoroughbred, also had to retire from competition because of check ligament problems became a brood mare. Her second foal, Jester, Abi bought from Alison at six months old.

Jester was to be very instrumental in Abi’s learning about the development of foals and young horses. Being able to work with him from the very beginning for over ten years helped to clarify some ideas about Nature vs Nuture. It also proved to her just how many horses are being started and competed before they are either mentally or physically ready.

 

View Equine Services 

Cookie Control