Jo and Arty

"I have had many problems with Arty my beautiful but full of attitude French Trotter. Under Unity my way of riding and training has completely changed but the positive response is obvious with Arty. Unity have opened up a whole new way of learning for both me and Arty.

Arty is a very dominant horse and Unity have shown me how to control him in a fair but firm way. Our lessons are great fun and I look forward to them.Unity are positive and calm when teaching which is perfect for a nervous rider like myself, she has a very calming influence on both of us.

The only reason my horse Arty is still with me is because Unity have been on hand to help me when its all got too much. I have recommended her to friends who are also delighted with her work."

Jo with her horse Arty

Roger and Norman

"In Spring 2008 I bought a horse from a dealer. I hadn't had any previous experience with horses before but really fancied the idea of just riding out on the Forest at weekends and enjoying the countryside on horseback.

I realised I needed some help and tried several instructors in the area. After about 10 lessons I felt like I hadn't made any progress and I was beginning to get frustrated as I still didn't have the confidence to go out on the Forest yet. To make matters worse, Norman was beginning to become a bit of a handful.

In late June I met Steve. He had come to the yard to work a horse for a lady who was having problems. I watched for most of the lesson and was taken by how relaxed Steve was with the horse and how the horse responded to Steve.

I spoke to Steve about my problems with Norman and everything he said to me made complete sense. I arranged to have some lessons with Steve and we haven't looked back!! My confidence is soaring and I have a brilliant relationship with Norman. Our walks on the Forest are everything I thought they would be. Thanks Steve."

Kelly and Hector

"Hector reared with me and despite my shattered confidence it was decided I needed to get back on him, when I did he did the same thing again.

Unity set out a program of groundwork lessons and by the end of our first lesson Hector was beginning to do what was asked of him. From this point we worked on many things including riding sticks which Hector was terrified of but is not now.

We identified that Hector had an aversion to men so with Steve's help, Hector went from not responding at all to being far more comfortable and responsive.

Hector is now a different horse. He is far happier, relaxed and a pleasure to be with - he will even follow me with no lead rope.

I know that without help and assistance from Unity, I would no longer be riding him and Hector would not be the chilled out pony he has become."

Kelly and Hector

Alison and Jasper

"I had had Jasper, my 6 year old French Trotter gelding for just over 10 months when i realised that we were taking two steps forward and three back! He had previously trained as a Trotter in France and came to me with lots of emotional baggage.

My two previous trainers had taken a more standard English traditional approach and Jasper was becoming more and more tense, and unpredictable despite showing bags of potential. On landing after a jump, he performed one buck too far and threw me which resulted in a torn shoulder ligament and a serious loss of confidence.

I realised i needed a more natural trainer who would focus on producing a safe and relaxed horse. Once a month, Unity Horse Training visit and give us an amazing injection of confidence, enthusiasm and knowledge. With their guidance, the clarity of understanding of Jaspers psyche and appreciation of how we communicate has been a revelation. He has relaxed and become receptive and our bond has really strengthened."

Alison and Jasper

Lizzie and Farley

"Having struggled with hacking, I turned to Unity for help. Farley thought any grass under foot meant gallop! I also got the feeling he was bored stiff with schooling and I needed a way to get him interested in learning new things.

Unity have taught both Farley and myself that ground work plays as much importance as ridden work and the two go together and compliment each other no end. Farley seems to really enjoy working on the line and has been able to build up muscle and condition through what actually looks like quite sedate work.

Steve has also worked with Farley, showing me how it is possible to get Farley to listen to small changes in my body language and react to them accordingly. Steve explains things clearly and thoroughly in a language both myself and Farley understand. He does however have a poor grasp on Horsey Fashion - that's men for you!

Gail and Mike

"We went to a Unity Horse Training 'Fun Day'. We were not sure what to expect but took our horses Ben and Fiesta along.

We arrived and found several like minded people who like us had horses for enjoyment but no desire to compete. There was an arena and field set up for us 'to have a go at it', comprising of all sorts of obstacles for us to negotiate.It was a challenging, fun day.

Steve gave us an informal talk to start the day which made us all feel relaxed and ready to take on anything. As a result we had a fantastic day and with Steve's guidance and hands on help we achieved all the obstacles put in front of us.

Since then, Unity have always been there to help whenever we have encountered a problem."

Nicole and Sienna

"I have been having lessons with Unity for about 2 years. My new horse was a bit of a handful and Unity Horse Training has helped me enormously. I am sure I would have sold her if it hadn't been for Unity's knowledge and sympathetic approach to dealing with Sienna's problems.

Her lessons are immensely enjoyable, confidence boosting and she has the ability to use varying techniques to suit the problems the horse and rider are facing. The end result is I have a lovely horse who is progressing in different areas and who trusts me.

What more could I ask."

Gail and Mossman

"When I lost my dressage horse 4 years ago, I decided to buy a youngster to bring on and take up through the levels. I had plenty of experience and had done it already with Chester up to advanced so thought it would be fun and interesting to start again.

I found an amazing warm blood with fantastic paces and a very relaxed temperament. He was five and had been broken in and ridden on for a year, just what I wanted. Until about a year later when I started to ask for more. More collection and more energy, then my laid back horse began to resist. He became very resistant and tense, even kicking out when I applied my leg. I got in touch with Unity who came out to give me an assessment. They pointed out that the laid back temperament which had drawn me to him, was working both for and against me.

Whilst it kept him calm and relaxed going to competitions, it also meant that I needed ways of motivating him in our schooling. This would make it more fun for him, as well as producing better results for me. The results showed very quickly as Mossman became more relaxed, more free forward moving and very responsive to my leg. Because it has been such an enjoyable experience, I will be continuing with our lessons."

Robin and Django

"When Django was rescued from a French~fattening farm" he was a very nervous unhandled two year old and had obviously been very badly treated. Being new to horse training I soon realised that I was going to need professional help to make sure I didn't make any drastic mistakes with Django's education.

I was keen on natural horsemanship methods with an eventual aim of riding Western Style. Luckily I was put in contact with Unity whose methods and philosophy were exactly what I was looking for. Although Django was too young to be backed, Unity recommended that we start with basic groundwork including circling, backing up and disengaging as well as lots of desensitising in order to make him a 'safe' and 'brave' horse.

It's going to be a long process but I know that with Unity's inspirational and motivational help, Django and I will make a perfect partnership."