I started riding from inside the womb, my mother was a licensee & keen horse woman and always had stables at her public houses. At age 2 yrs I used to ride my shetland Penny through the pub as fast as I could.
Mother liked to buy  young unbroken ponies and sell them on , so at a young age, I started breaking and producing youngsters. Showing and working hunter ponies, were the start of my competition career and we turned many a " Beeston auction special" into a county standard show pony.
In my teenage years, I began affiliated show jumping ,competing at Hickstead and all over the country, producing young ponies which were sold onto the likes of the Whitakers.
Going into my twenties, foot & mouth disease hit the industry and I decided to join the Greater Manchester Police Force. I remained in the job for 3 yrs, but after a terrible day at work and missing the equine way of life,  I made the decision to leave the force and go back to the horses.

I began working in a show jumping yard for the next 12 months, but was not getting job satisfaction. I then received a call from Astrid Bolton, who I had known for 10 yrs in passing, she asked if I wanted a job as her rider was leaving. Having always had great respect for Astrid and her quality young horses, that she appeared to have an endless supply of, I jumped at the chance to ride for her stables.

So in 2005 I began riding for Astrid, breaking and producing sport horses.
Dressage was becoming more popular, but it was something I knew nothing about but was soon learn. Astrid began to alter my whole riding style and position and slowly I started to see dressage saddles as something more than an instrument of torture ! Our working / training relationship is extremely strong and I have upmost respect and trust in her methods.

During the first few years at AB Sport Horses there was little time for competition, as Astrid was building a purpose built yard on the Fylde and selling horses was all that we had time for.

In 2008, Astrid sold a very talented 4yr old dressage horse that she had imported as a 2 yr old. I had broken and ridden the horse and Astrid and I had high hopes for his future. Unfortunately the horse and rider did not gel and he was returned in a deal 2 yrs later, looking like a yeti and with no further education, than when he left as a 4 yr old and with a reputation as " unrideable " . For 6 months we might have agreed!
2010 was the Start of my relationship with Zidaane(Jacob) and I was to start dressage in a serious manner. In 2011 Zidaane and I won two National Champion titles at the BD summer Championships at Stoneleigh, our faith in his talent restored.

Fortunately for me, a 4 yr old Furst Kiss, was to arrive at the same time in 2010 after a lucky find on the Dutch / German border and the training of this amazing young stallion began.
A place in the 4 yr old final in 2010 and qualification to the 5 yr old championships in 2011, has made this young horse, a sought after stallion in England, and his training continues to flourish in his 6th year, having gained over140 BD points and over 30 First Place Wins in 18 months of competition , he has just qualified for the Winter National Championships at Hartpury College in April 2012.

My bug for dressage was born !