Can be tailored to suit individual venues/organisations but work best on a one-to-one basis

Each individual is asked to prepare in advance by carefully analysing what they lack confidence in doing – you will be amazed at how many people will say they are nervous about jumping 100 cms when in fact they are nervous about leaving the ground at all.

Correct analysis of your confidence issue is very important … if you are nervous about cantering then it logically follows that you will be nervous about jumping from canter.  We have to address the issues in a logical sequence.

The clinics help a wide variety of riders from the very nervous novice to the competitive rider suddenly getting anxious about ditches.

Many professional riders/trainers do not cope well with riders who have confidence issues because they have never personally experienced them.

Mark understands irrational fears and employs a method of risk assessment to rationalise his own fears for the activities that he engages in … many assume he is fearless but he vehemently denies this.  By getting riders to utilise the same methods he shows them how to be able to overcome their fears/worries when he is not there to encourage them.  His aim is not to enable them to gain confidence when he is present … he wants them to be able to do it when he is not present (99% of the time!!).

Confidence comes from good experiences.  Mark will show you how to stack the cards in your favour so that you have repeated good experiences.

It therefore follows that repetition is essential to build up a huge resevoir of good experiences.

Example Confidence Issue

As an example if on day one with a new horse you have a fall you have a fall ratio of 1 fall to each ride … confidence cruncher!! Statistical chance of this being a life-changing incident 1 in 20,000

If you have the horse for a year (300 rides) and then have a fall you have a fall ratio of 1 fall to 300 rides … far less likely to destroy confidence. Statistical chance of this being a life-changing incident 1 in 20,000.

Statistically identical but hugely different in the rider’s mind.

Mark understands the science of fear and his unique techniques will help you to stage manage your experiences with your horse so as to minimise the risk (nobody can eliminate the risk) and therefore enable you to enjoy your horse.  It is, after all, supposed to be f u n!

Cost of a clinic £30 per 45 minute session

(There will be an additional travelling charge of 25p a mile from OX136AD for clinics of less than six riders)