Alison’s equine career started by working for an event rider, and then gaining her BHS stages I II and III as well as a BSc in Equine Studies.

Through this time though she became nervous of jumping but also of riding. She could not always see why the horse bucked, stopped or over jumped and as a result couldn’t predict when the horse would do it again.

An introduction to groundwork was a completely new concept and to begin with she felt as though she had taken a step back, asking her horse to back up and go sideways on the ground instead of working on half pass. However, after a while, she realized that she was working on half pass!

Alison has spent much time training in the USA (with both Pat and Linda Parelli as well as other Parelli professionals) and she is constantly undertaking further training. From being able to read the horse she now competes in affiliated horse trials, dressage, and starts young horses.

Performance is one of Alison’s passions – how to have a great foundation for the competition horse. Two of her horses are currently affiliated, regularly competing and winning points at novice, elementary and medium with aspirations of advanced medium dressage.

“Everyone had a dream when they first got into horses. Often they take the shape of the films we saw as a child- The Black Stallion or National Velvet, or books like Black Beauty or the Jill series, provoke us to wanting an infallible relationship with our horse. These vary from high level competition to safely owning or riding down the road. Through a variety of reasons rarely are we living this dream. Parelli has enabled me to achieve my goals- some which I did not even know I had!”

Alison’s passion is to help people and horses have a solid foundation, a must for a great partnership as well as for performance. In this video, Alison teaches the steps towards bareback and bridle-less riding, what to feel for, how to ensure you get there safely and confidently and how to become completely harmonious with your horse.