Courtenay rode her first Grand Prix at the age of 23. Getting to the Grand Prix ring is an accomplishment in itself but the achievement that Courtenay is most proud of is that this was aboard her self trained gelding "Against All Odds" who is the by-product of the PMU industry. Her trainers and mentors along her journey towards the Grand Prix ring were Roanne Tyson and the late Dietrich von Hopffgarten. Without their tutelage Courtenay would never have been able to attain so much at such a young age especially on an untrained horse. The aptitude and dedication of both Courtenay and her teachers is apparent in the level of training that "Against All Odds" has achieved. Courtenay uses this early success as a point of inspiration and continues to strive for excellence as a Dressage rider. Her future goal is to ride as a member of the Canadian Equestrian Team at a major international event such as the World Equestrian Games or the Olympics.
How Courtenay Can Help You Achieve Your
Riding Goals
The basis of
Courtenay's training comes from the German training scale of rhythm,
suppleness, contact, impulsion, straightness, and collection. However,
Courtenay also believes that training horses not all is black and
white: ideas from other schools of thought must also be considered.
Courtenay is very enthusiastic about training horses and loves that dressage
can improve any horse, regardless of breed, conformation or natural athletic
ability.
Courtenay challenges herself daily to improve upon her performance as a rider
and trainer. In this never-ending education, she regularly attends
clinics with top-level dressage trainers: attending these lessons with an open
mind allows Courtenay to realize rapid progress with her own horses and pass this
expertise on to her students.
While she consistently pushes herself, Court is unique in her ability to
empathise with riders who are new to dressage. Oh, don't misunderstand
- a lesson with Courtenay is a workout for both horse and rider, but
neither will be pushed beyond their capacity.
Along with an adherence to the German training scale, the underlying philosophy
in Courtenay's training can be summed up in the quotation from Etienne Beadant:
"Repeat frequently, be
happy with very little and reward generously for progress".
Now doesn't that just sum up the way you'd like to be recognized by YOUR
boss? Your horse feels the same way!
We regret that school horses are not
available.
If you are interested in having Courtenay train your horse or teach lessons or
clinics, please contact her for availability and rates:
Highbury
Dressage
www.courtenayfrasercom
