Hayley Beresford Dressage Clinic Review

I have been fortunate enough to be a part of a clinic with Hayley Beresford at the magnificent facilities at Wallaby Hill Farm, Robertson, NSW, over the last few days. This is the second clinic that I have attended organised wonderfully by Camilla “Bird” Palmer of “Birdsequisport”.

My first lesson was on my small tour horse Coldstream Dante in the beautiful outdoor arena. Hayley has a very calm welcoming manner and got me warming up in a nice big ground covering trot with some leg yielding and shoulder in, focusing on suppleness, relaxation and getting him through into the outside rein.  Hayley has a brilliant eye for detail and with a few well-placed comments and corrections Dante’s trot seemed to loosen and grow through relaxation and confidence. With all the exercises we worked on it was a similar philosophy of making the horse supple and through and working up to the bridle. Over the next two days we were in Wallaby Hill Farm’s exquisite indoor with one of the best surfaces anyone would could hope to ride on.  We worked on creating a loose elastic horse who was happy to perform. There were also many small details that simply made riding the different exercises and movements easy. I left the clinic feeling clear and confident in how I want to train and ride towards Grand Prix, without force or tension.

I also had a lesson on Alison Castle’s four year old mare Statford Rafaella. This mare has big paces and is forward, elastic and really trainable so I was excited to have a lesson with Hayley on her. Again Hayley created an atmosphere where both horse and rider were confident to work. We worked on finding a natural balance and adjustability. The mare responded beautifully to the simple but effective training .

I look forward to Hayley’s return in late March and hope to have Dante and my young colt Bradgate Park Puccini in the clinic.

By: Michelle Baker - Michelle has recently acquired a property in the Southern Highlands and is setting up her own training facility.

Photo: courtesy of Franz Venhaus

Quick Links

• Michelle Baker's website
• Hayley Beresford's website
• Wallaby Hill Farm's website