Robyn Catterall – Side Saddle Rider Had my first ever live video lesson with Wise Owl Equitation and I am over the moon with how it went. Admittedly, I was a little skeptical about the video lessons. I really didn’t think it would work as well as it did. I received a link to the lesson via email around an hour before which gave us plenty of time to prepare. I used a cheap pair of Bluetooth earphones from amazon and could hear my trainer perfectly from start to finish. My sister videoed the entire lesson on my phone, the video picture was very clear and we had no glitches at all. Unfortunately, there is a lack of SSA qualified instructors in Ireland so it’s hard for me to prepare for the Nationals but now I am able to connect to trainers in the mainland UK and ensure my side saddle riding is up to scratch. No matter who you are, it’s always great to have someone on the ground or in my case on the phone to help improve your riding and ensure you don’t fall into bad habits.I am really looking forward to my next lesson!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH WISE OWL EQUITATION

Naomi Wiss – ShowJumper “Connie was just an absolute rocket in our lesson today  Personally I can see a huge difference. Thank you @wise_owl_equitation for allowing us to be able to have access to such amazing trainers without even leaving the house. If you would like a lesson with one of these top class trainers all you need to do is sign onto the Wise Owl Equitation website, choose the trainer you like most based on your discipline, book your lesson and then you will be sent a code to access a live room 1 hour before the lesson! Definitely advise using long range headphones … on my way to order some now  I can’t believe the difference in my riding after just one lesson! Untold number of fantastic trainers available. Today my lesson was with Paul Crago who is without a doubt one of the best trainers I’ve ever ridden with! Already planning my next lessons “

Zoe Johnson – Dressage Rider Had the most wonderful online feedback session with Tonya via Wise Owl Equitation! I learnt so much through just the one video submission in an easy to understand and manageable way, I cannot wait to put all the tips in to practice. It has really helped with showing me the next steps to enter my next dressage competition. 100% recommend the platform and service, it’s wonderful all round. Cannot wait for my next one

Simon Corridon – Showjumper After looking through all the wonderful and amazing instructors, which made it a very hard decision, I picked to get video feedback off Cormac Rafferty. I felt that Cormac suited me best as I was jumping a young horse which I wanted to work on getting him correct and more careful around a course of fences. Cormac was very professional and very prompt giving me feedback on my videos. Cormac took everything into account from the videos I sent him and gave me wonderful feedback, tips and exercises to work on with my horse. After taking on Cormac’s feed back I put it to work at a show last weekend and Apollo was 100 times better. I would highly recommend booking a lesson with Cormac Rafferty.

Gee Gee Steele – Dressage Rider “The difference a lesson can make – So on Friday we had our very first Wise Owl Equitation live video lesson with (my first lesson since last year!). I was super impressed with how even through a computer screen Miri was able to pick up on all the smallest of details and seriously kick our butt’s into shape. We started with some ground work and teaching G how to find the rest and relaxation and create softness through his body then I hopped on board and we transferred that feeling into the ridden work. We went right back to basics and concentrated on our suppleness through the upward and downwards transitions, keeping the hind leg coming through and the ribcage open allowing him to step under and not block the contact. Our T/W transitions needed the most work and Miri suggested asking for the downwards on a circle to keep the soft feel in his body and down the rein. We finished the session feeling on top form and like we’d really come away with a few more tools in our belts!

With Miri’s advice ringing in my ears we headed off to Bury Farm Equestrian Village on Sunday for some BD Quest Club. The atmosphere was electric compared to our usual quieter dressage days as there was a SJ competition on at the same time but G was a superstar as always, even with lots of whizzy ponies zooming around!

I came out of the first test (MyQuest) feeling incredible, G was on fire and I felt like it was the best test we’ve done. He was soft and connected and I really felt like I was able to ride each letter and shape rather than thinking too much about what he was doing. We finished 2nd on 72.82% and I could not have been more thrilled with him.

After a quick break we headed back in for our TeamQuest test for the #divasquad, he felt really on form again but a little stronger in the hand. I tried to keep his neck and body soft and create a little lift from the shoulder to keep him light. This test was a lot more fiddly, some 10m circles with give and retake reins, 20m trot circles on a long rein and a 3 loop serpentine too- tricky on a big wobbly baby! Would you believe we finished 1st on 77.82% like holy actual moly!

I’m absolutely convinced that our lesson on Friday is to thank for the boost in our scores this week and I’m so grateful to Miri for her help and advice. It just goes to show that there is always room for improvement and that with the right support anything is possible.”

Rachel Burt – Pleasure Rider So we’ve had our video feedback from Wise Owl Equitation, and this was my first flatwork lesson in a long time! We are very dressage rusty but I’ve dusted off my dressage saddle and we are back at it!Emma Jablonski gave us some very detailed and constructive comments and lots to work towards.

1. Steady the trot
2. Use transitions to help the tightness in Izzy’s neck
3. Aim for more relaxation over the back

I can highly recommend the whole process of recording and submitting a video for feedback and advice. The comments were detailed, accurate and very helpful. We’ve worked on our homework and I can see an improvements in the trot already (it’s a work in progress) she feels more relaxed and the canter felt lovely, I can’t wait for Emma’s next lot of feedback! This has been super useful as next week I intend to enter my first online dressage competition. Snippet from the schooling video submitted below….