Testimonials

Claire and Bon

I have had 2 sessions so far with Sue. Bon came to live with my herd in Sept 2019 after her owner had her scanned and diagnosed in basic terms with fused vertebrae in her neck so she was no longer able to have a competition career as the owner had hoped. Bon was very guarded and lost, in our first session Sue picked up she had an ‘empty’ heart and she needed reassurance that she was going to spend the rest of her days with me. It was a very emotional session for us all so I did as Sue said and kept telling her she was here to stay. When Sue came for our 2nd session she said Bon's heart felt full and she was much happier. This has continued over the last 6 months and she has come on leaps and bounds and really found her place.

Testimonials (Training)

Michaela

My vet recommended Sue Gardner to me.

The first few lessons we had were on the ground and Sue soon had us working with poles. I could have cried when I realised just how terrified Treasure was of touching one of these monstrosities and what I, in my ignorance must have put her through.

Treasure and I now have an unbreakable bond. I hack out mostly in a rope halter much to the amazement of my friends and passers by.

I will always be grateful for what Sue has given us all.

Liberty

(Refined Free Schooling)

I am thrilled to be writing the Liberty Challenges for Concordia Equestrians.

The first introductory challenge is with you at your horse's side and at walk with several halts and a backup as well as a small turn on the forehand and on the haunches.

You will be mainly using the fence line for support.

As you work through the levels you will be asking your horse for different patterns with you alongside him and then for higher transitions with you further away from him.

From 1st March, our online challenges will include unique, ground-breaking Liberty tests written by Sue Gardner one of our Concordia Professionals. Can you communicate so clearly and politely that your horse is happy to connect with you? Available now on our youtube page, you can watch Sue Gardner demonstrating our first Liberty test with her beautiful horse Morgan

Schooling your horse when he has no equipment whatsoever on him is very useful in many ways.

Watch his natural behaviour express itself
How emotional is he when left to his own devices?
Observe his body and which way he naturally "goes"
You can gauge the level of your relationship
(does he leave at any given opportunity)
Recognise the importance of body language
Recognise he can respond to your breathing
Train and exercise when there is no time to ride

When you learn how to free school with refinement (liberty training) you will recognise how useful this is for your own training. Your horse will let you know if you are being too aggressive, he mirrors what he sees and feels and what he assumes he is being asked to do.