Straight from the horse's mouth...
Martel Rose:
"Lovely lady, very through in all aspects, looking forward to my next lesson this weekend."
Tracy Batt:
"I've just had my first session with Alex today and it was blooming amazing! I know I've got a long way to go but it's a step in the right direction ?Bob the cob seemed to enjoy himself too, Alex is very calm and has a lot of patience, thank you very much and looking forward to our next training session! Tracy and Bob."
"Thank you Alex for today, I think I'm back on track with Bob especially now you have shown me what to do when it's not going to plan! So glad we are now doing this training with you, you are very calm and patient which is what both bob and I need, thanks again."
Kathy Nichols:
"We had a lovely morning with Alex, both me and my youngster George learned so much, looking forward to our next session."
Annie Peace - Sanghera
"I am very glad to have found Alex and Sense Equine! I had been looking for somebody to help me restart my gelding for quite a while. Alex is supportive and encouraging and I really look forward to our sessions. I have even decided to take my mare back to basics too! The ponies and I are having fun, learning together and growing in confidence. I also know the foundational training we are putting in now means I will have happy healthy riding horses for years to come. Thank you Alex!"
Alice Blatchford:
"Alex is a fantastic trainer, she’s teaching me and Choral new tricks and I’m really enjoying learning new things and I’m very excited to progress with our training!"
Elizabeth Matthews:
"Alex came to see my horse this weekend and I can honestly say it is the most relaxed my mare Belle has ever been when introducing a new trainer. She is a very anxious horse but Alex's approach was measured, compassionate and fully for the horse. I'm so pleased we have found Alex and am looking forward to the future of our training. Thank you again Alex - looking forward to our next session! Lizzie & Belle"
Gemma Wilson:
"Alex came out to see my horse and I today. I was shown some fantastic things for my toolbox, and enjoyed working with him bitless and bare back. Alex had a very calm approach towards my horse, and explained things perfectly. I am looking forward to our next session. Thanks Alex."
Katie Patterson:
"I had Alex out today to help me with my new pony.
Alex is such a lovely person, and has really helped us all ready. I can't wait to have more lessons with her.
I definitely recommend Sense Equine."
Amanda Melton:
"I am so glad I made the effort to get to the clinic with Theresa and Alex. I learned enough in one day to keep me busy for months. My horses will be happier and so will I as a result. Can't ask for more than that really!"
Cara Louise:
"Alex came out to us this morning and I can't thank her enough for help.
Both ponies really enjoyed it, and I enjoyed learning a new way to keep them happy and relaxed � even my partner had a go with my dominant 5 year old and was amazed by how such small movements could make such a difference to her."
Sheila Armel:
"I cannot imagine where my horse, Kizzy, and I would be without the foundational training we have learned (and continue to learn) from Theresa and Alex. They just seem to know and understand how to bring out the best in both horse and rider. I can't wait to see what they have planned for the future."
Jennifer Morris:
"Theresa has been an excellent trainer for my daughter and I. She teaches you how to train your own horse and ride them for longevity. She is sympathetic to the horse and all training techniques are to help the horse and rider move in harmony and balance together. This training is just good training and will work on any horse and any discipline!"
Sherry Blenden, DVM:
Theresa McManus provided the keys of knowledge for me to unlock my horse’s potential.
I am a lifelong horseman, having started out with all-around ponies and progressed to lower level eventing and dressage. After many years of studying dressage and as a working student at a grand-prix barn I became frustrated with the heavy contact and had lost the joy of simply riding; the freedom of just cantering across a field was gone. I was drawn to Parelli Natural horsemanship which gave me my horses back. I developed relationship and partnership with my horses again and soon was riding bareback and bridleless. I progressed to PNH level ¾, even officially completing my level 4 online. However I was lacking the horsemanship fundamentals to progress to level 4 under saddle. Sure my horse could walk/trot/canter, open gates, sidepass, etc all bareback and bridleless, but we could not find the lightness and balance needed for flying lead changes, rein-back, or spins; instead we got bucks! I struggled for several years trying different instructors, reading books and watching dvds. Then my equine veterinarian and osteopath mentioned Theresa McManus, saying the horse’s (and their riders) that studied with Theresa did not continually come back with the same back, postural and osteopathic problems; in fact they were all remarkably healthy!
Theresa has given me the long-sought goals of lightness, balance, relationship AND fun with my horses.
She showed me the tools to help my high-strung Arabian relax, so then we could both learn together. I took those lessons and transferred them to my new, lovely, gaited Kentucky Mountain Horse, Sunny. He was so stiff when purchased that he did not know how to bend his neck to the rein, on the ground or under saddle; he also could not move his back enough to even gait. After a few sessions with Theresa’s lessons he became relaxed and supple. She has taught me how to lightly and easily have independent shoulder and hip movement; this translates into shoulder-in and travers/renvers with just a slight shift in the seat and lift of the rein. And as soon as Sunny was able to swing his hips in haunches-in he suddenly could gait (yay!). It is so fun to have a light, balanced horse that can easily transition from shoulder-in to haunches-in, to half-pass, and all while moving down the trail. I found it simply amazing that the basic dressage exercises that I struggled with for so long could be so easy with correct instruction (no more pointless 20 m circles!!).
I also love that Theresa gives me references to read and videos to watch to further develop my eye and independent learning. Sunny is an endurance horse in his first season of 50 mile rides, and the classical dressage foundation with Theresa has given me everything I have ever wanted in my horses. I can’t wait to continue my education into the next level with spanish walk, lead changes, and more!
You can see Sherry's blog at www.sunnyandsherry.blogspot.com
Lisa Geyer:
(Before) A trainer "trying" to ride my horse and her head is up in the air, she is speeding up when all he asked for was a walk, and totally out of control.
(After) Me on her just a couple of months ago, and she is crossing the bars at a nice slow walk, headset is nice and low, and she is very relaxed. A completely different horse.
I met Theresa 1 ½ years ago, and our journey has been nothing short of a miracle. Theresa taught me an entirely new way to communicate with and ride my horse. No, it is not natural horsemanship! Until you have met Theresa and put into practice her method of riding, you are missing something spectacular. Theresa McManus is a classical horsewoman who can teach any rider, no matter which discipline they ride. As Theresa says, she is not training your horse, she is giving the rider the tools to know how to work through problems with their horse, and the results are amazing.