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A graduate of Aberdeen University (BSc Physiology) and Strathclyde University (MSc Forensic Science), I have gone on to do some training with the Heather Moffett saddles (the design and how to fit them), studied Equine Behaviour and am also a BHS equine welfare representative.  Already a trimmer of my own horses hooves, my future plans include gaining a qualification in barefoot trimming and also going on to study Equine Science and much much more.

So little bit about me......

During my 4 years at Aberdeen University, I was lucky enough to be chosen to be the pioneer student for the exchange that had just been arranged with Guelph University near Toronto, Ontario, Canada.  Ontario has continued to be a place that holds fond memories for me and for years to follow I returned there regularly to soak up the atmosphere I had grown to love so much.

Following on from my BSc, I decided to study for a Masters Degree in Forensic Science at Strathclyde University.  When the opportunity came up to work for the Police Forensic Department in Melbourne, Australia during my MSc, I just couldn’t resist.  So off I went on my travels again.

After completing my BSc and MSc, I started a job working in veterinary medicine research in Harrogate (Yorkshire).  After my year in Harrogate, I went to Edinburgh, Scotland where I made the natural transition to pharmaceutical research.  There I remained for the next two and a half years and it would happen that my working life was to keep me in the pharmaceutical world in a number of increasingly demanding roles.

My love of Ontario had never faded and so my next job took me back to Toronto.  After a year I returned to the UK to work for a small pharmaceutical company in Ely, near Cambridge, where I stayed for just over seven years.

During the second year that I was in Ely, my love of Cremellos’ developed, thanks to a friend.  It was at this time that my love of all things equine was really fired up again.  I began to compete with my friends horse (a Cremello) and spent more an more time with horses.  I was even asked to join the Quadrille Team for a local Riding Club (Worlington).  Alas the Cremello ended up chronically lame due to a congenital issue in his legs and so I ended up training for and going to the Olympia Quadrille Qualifiers on my friends 17hh Warmblood (click here for pictures).  Unfortunately we did not qualify due to one of the team 'misbehaving', but the experience of being there was definitely something that I would love to repeat again with Classic.

At this time I was also lucky enough to be riding in one of the new Heather Moffett saddles which meant I was one of the lucky ones who was involved BETA testing them.

Then in 2004, I decided that I was now ready to take on the responsibility and cost of my own horse.  So I set off looking for a school master, but I wanted something that looked unusual….somehow I ended up with an 18 month old Cremello Danish Warmblood colt who was intended to breed one day !!  There was method in my madness.... somewhere !?......

Classic (Crowns Classic Pearl – my colt) was to be the figurehead stallion for the Cremello Society.  As you will see on the stallion web pages, Classic (pink papered with the Danish Palomino Society) should make 17hh and was actually the first large Cremello stallion to be brought to the UK for breeding.....and remains the tallest Cremello stallion available in the UK (and most of Europe).

As I had never owned a horse before, let alone a stallion, long before Classics arrival with me, I started to look for a method of teaching that would ensure I had the stallion with impeccable manners and was enthusiastic about training.  And so I found clicker training, a method of training horses that uses positive reinforcement and asks you to understand and train using your horses offered behaviours.  I also discovered it was a method of training that, not only gets you understanding your horses behaviour much better, but it results in very rapid learning.  I found Clicker Training Clinics with Alexandra Kurland in the UK.  It is a great pleasure for Classic and I to participate in these Clicker training courses with Alexandra and so I continue to expand my knowledge and skills of the applications of Clicker Training.  Alexandra is an inspiration to everyone who meets her.

I was extremely fortunate that Classic had a great start in life and is an extremely well balanced chap.  He lived out with, and so was raised by, 5 of the younger stallions at the stud.  Then his socialisation was continued after I bought him and I had him living out 24/7 with 5 geldings.  That coupled with the clicker training, Classic has turned out to be one of the calmest horses I work with on a day-to-day basis.  It has been commented to me that he is the calmest and friendliest horse on the yard and loves people coming over to talk to him.  He has only ever been treated as a horse.  After all, having never worked with a stallion before, I didn’t know what he was supposed to do !!  It turned out that the combination of the clicker training and my lack of anticipation of what a stallion might do has worked to Classics benefit.

Then, due to a change in circumstances at work, my plans with Classic and Cremello Society were turned on their head as I was to move to Geneva, Switzerland with my company.  However, things did not work as planned and I made a hasty retreat back to the UK.  Classic had come with me to Geneva and so when we returned, I had the dilemma of where he would live when we came back to the UK.  As it turned out, I returned to my roots, and Classic is now based near Edinburgh.

With moving back to the UK, I made my decision to start training more seriously in the equine world.  With the love of clicker training and seeing how it had benefited my own horse, and as I was also a trainer at work, I thought it would be fabulous to be able to help others to learn the benefits of positive reinforcement to train their horses.  At the same time, I noticed emerging behaviours in Classic which were due to the rather unfavourable experiences he had endured in Geneva AND my little chap was maturing (he has started to discover mares), I realised I had quite a bit to learn about horses behaviour.  So, I studied equine behaviour in 2006 (and am now available for consultations). 

As I have encountered many people who would love to get started with Clicker Training but don't know where/how to get started, and so I have added Equine Clicker Training classes to the list of skills I can offer training for.

Using positive reinforcement training to build in-hand skills with Classic, I was able to 'back' Classic and develop his ridden work on my own.  This type of learning suits him well and I have a very attentive and willing partner as my 'pupil'. Classic has also started his breeding career....  So watch out for little 'Crown's Classic Pearls' around !!

Classic and I still use positive reinforcement (in the form of clicker training) as our basis of teaching/learning  and the results continue to be quite profound.  We are generally working on a clicker trained foundation of behaviours which result in a collection of the horse at liberty, and the results are stunning.

All of this brings me to where I am now and my aims for the future.......

• continue to advance my clicker training knowledge and skills through training both with Alexandra Kurland and the ClickerExpo Continued Professional Development Conferences.

• provide a series of lectures and clinics on training using positive reinforcement

• provide a series of lectures and clinics on how to provide for your horses basic needs

• provide Reiki for horses and riders

• gain qualification in barefoot trimming

• gain an MSc in Equine Science

• gain BHS qualifications

• add to the number of species for which I can offer behavioural and clicker training

• ...and much more

Amanda Martin

Telephone:      +44 (0)777 196 5083

Email:              enquiries@naturallyequine.co.uk

Click on the links to see the full list of recommended books.