About Sara
Sara is a Grand Prix dressage rider, UKCC 3 Coach, British Dressage list 1 judge and Tutor Judge. Her passion is competing and she trains and inspires many people at all levels to reach their full potential. She loves helping horses and riders at all levels and thinks her speciality is proving even non dressage types can be champions!
Sara has won 35 Regional Championships from Novice to Prix St Georges, and 9 National titles including Freestyle to Music and Combined Training Championships. Having spent many years producing youngsters for sale and re-schooling problem horses, qualifying them for championships only for them to be sold, she now gets to keep her horses!
Sara started riding at eleven years of age after moving back to England and living in the countryside. Her younger years had been spent in the busy cities of Dusseldorf in Germany, and then Paris in France. She sat on a pony at a theme park in Paris at eight but hated it saying it was a ‘dirty smelly thing’. How times have changed!
She quickly progressed to having ponies and competed in showing and pony club teams, at dressage, show jumping and her main love, eventing. After three ponies came a succession of larger horses and the move to BHS eventing proper. She competed successfully up to Open Intermediate level5
Her youngster at the time proved to be a quick learner in dressage and was not that brave cross country. He progressed rapidly to Prix St George although he was not a conventional dressage type but a Thoroughbred. Working at the time for the late Linda Whetstone she was lucky to have schoolmaster lessons on Linda’s advanced horse from Dane Rawlins (of Dressage at Hickstead fame) who was based at Linda’s at the time. Riding half passes and changes for the first time made Sara change her mind about what she wanted to do and now tries to keep her feet firmly on the floor!
She then spent many years producing youngsters for competition. Mostly warmbloods specially selected for their temperament and movement and imported from Denmark, Germany and Holland. These were trained, competed and then sold on, to homes as far apart as Thailand, Japan, the USA, and Scandinavia.
Sara now earns her living from teaching with busy clinics all around the south. She also takes in selected horses for training and competing and would love to find another competition ride to bring on to a high level.
Sara herself trains with Olympic riders Spencer Wilton and Rafael Soto whenever she can. In the past she has learnt from Hans Eric Pedersen, Christine Stuckelberger, Dane Rawlins, Jennie Loriston-Clarke, Peter Storr, Ellen Bontje and Isobel Wessels. Sara is a List 1 British Dressage Judge and has her UKCC3 Coaching Certificate. She more recently passed all her tutor judging exams and enjoys mentoring new judges.
Sara’s hobby is photography and she can be regularly seen at events complete with camera. She has had photographs published in Horse and Hound and even Carl Hester’s autobiography ‘Making It Happen’.
Sara's Core Values
I am always learning and striving to be the best I can at what I do. I want to train my horses in a relaxed environment with empathy and understanding. I aim to give my students the confidence and the knowledge to be able to ride and compete well independently from me. I think it is important to treat everyone equally, whatever their level, and to be fair to all. To stay consistent and enthusiastic however long the day. I like to be approachable and supportive for my clients outside of coaching sessions too, available to answer questions and receive feedback. I love seeing people that I have been involved in training progress up the levels.
- QUALIFICATIONS
- List 1 British Dressage Judge
- UKCC3 Coaching Certificate
- Tutoring and Assessing in Sport Level 3 Award