Intelligent, enlightened, ethical, open-minded, effective - Complete Horsemanship

Bridget Colston Complete Horsemanship | IHRT EET
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Testimonials

"From the moment I met Bridget, I immediately gravitated towards her, her passion for horses shines through like a beacon! This combined with her extensive knowledge, experience and her armoury of research makes her an incredibly tenacious, awe-inspiring teacher. Watching Bridget work with horses is a bit like watching a dance taking place. As an Enlightened Equitation teacher, Bridget speaks a lot about synchronicity, and synchronicity is definitely the word I would use when describing Bridget’s work with horses; whether on the ground or under saddle, she manages to use her gracious energy to communicate with the horse in an extremely effective way. A fair way, a clear way, a way in which appears to be tapping into the equine language. I feel extremely lucky to have spent so much time with Bridget. As a new horse owner, I couldn’t help but quiz her about lots of different aspects of horse ownership and she was always very obliging in sharing her invaluable knowledge. I am looking forward to putting all of my learning into practice and I feel that I am now in a much more confident place. I can’t thank Bridget enough for such an inspiring week."
        Jessica G, Review of Costa Rica Clinic

"Thank you so much for all your advice with Harry, I come to you confused and uncertain and leave you feeling committed and optimistic! Many thanks."
        Sue, Chillesford, Suffolk

"I just thought I'd send you an update on me and Brian. We now hack out at least once a week on our own. I never go very far but each time a little bit further, even if it's to the next tree. I remember you saying even if it's only to the end of the drive it's still a hack and that is where we started. We do loads of desensitizing stuff - the pit of milk bottles is no problem and we walk through them without thinking about it. Today we went to the beach, first time Brian has ever been anywhere like that. My nephew (Brian's last jockey when in racing) jumped on him first. I was horrified to see loads of wind and kite surfers. And we all wondered what he was going to do. Well he didn't even look at them even when they sailed past. Can only think it's all the groundwork we've done. What was really nice was he was a bit scared at the water but he followed me in. My nephew said he would never have coped with any of it when he was in racing and he said how confident he was. Thank you, your guidance and training has made such a difference to us. I only had a little ride on him, but has been a dream of mine to ride him on the beach. It was only a walk this time but we've done it."
        Mel and Brian, Suffolk

"I learnt more in my first hour of riding with Bridget than I had in the three years I have had my pony - and she is going so much better too."
        Julie, Suffolk

"Bridget has been out recently to help get my horses ready for moving home, specifically loading into a trailer. Her patience with my gelding was superb - no fuss, no faff and lots of ideas for making it easy for him. No feeling of 'time's up' even when it took a few hours to get to a good point the first session. Result? 2nd practice session yesterday and within a short space of time both horses were standing nicely on the trailer with the back ramp closed. Cannot recommend Bridget highly enough."
        Sue Gould-Wright, Woodbridge, Suffolk

"I 'found' Bridget after a couple of disastrous sessions under other trainers. I contacted her as I needed help bringing my horse on under saddle. She, very patiently, listened to my (not so) brief on what I had been doing with him and watched me as we went through our current training. She gave a very thorough lesson and offered relevant and helpful corrections and advice. Bridget has a wealth of experience with horses and a variety of training experiences which means she is able to tailor a training plan that suits the horse and rider rather than expecting the pair to fit the plan. I highly recommend Bridget to any improving or struggling horse and rider combination. She absolutely has the horse's welfare in her sights and is a friendly and empathetic instructor. She listens to the person, communicates clearly and does so without any form of ego."
        Ria Moss, Brandon, Suffolk

"I have been looking for the right trainer for such a long time, and despaired of finding "the one". I'm not a fan of the "whippy, kicky, Alpha, show'em who's boss" brigade but it seemed that was all there was in my area. And then my lovely friend Kelly recommended Bridget. We had our first lesson yesterday and it was such a breath of fresh air. Bridget was kind, calm, quiet, and very understanding of my Fjordie mare, and pointed out a lot of things that, yes, we should all know but we don't all think of. Well, I don't anyway. And then more that I didn't know. I'm already a fan. Onwards!"
        Kerris Macauley, Cottenham

"You're a natural teacher and your enthusiasm for making life better for our horses is second to none. "
        Juliet Baldwin

"Complete Horsemanship Discussion Group: What a great idea Bridget had in bringing together horse owners and riders to chat socially. But it was so much more than that! Bridget sensitively created a forum in which we could share experiences with people who empathised rather than judged, with Bridget chipping in to explain why things might have happened. Would I go again? Definitely YES!! I was a bit doubtful about giving up a chunk of Saturday but the timing worked well for me as I could see to my horses before and after; and I left with a real, feel good factor. And I met lovely people who I'd like to spend more time with. And there was lots of cake!"
        Ali Nicholson, Parham

"Thanks so much for the leadership notes they will be very useful and thanks for the brilliant session last week. You are truly inspiring and I only hope I can get it right, with practice."
        Sally Hanlin, Beccles

"Thank-you so much for (the) session at the College of West Anglia. In response to your email, it was everything I had hoped for ... and more, so thank you!"
        Anglia Ruskin University

"Wonderful! I am truly impressed with how you work with Penny and how natural it seems to be to you, to do the right thing at the right time that she understands and co-operates with."
        H Alston, Billockby, Norfolk

"I am really impressed by your knowledge and your appraisal of each horse's situation. The horse's response to you is enviable, but very inspiring. The most striking thing is your ability to communicate with both us, and the horses."
        E. Simmonds, Hickling, Norfolk

"I wish I had followed these methods years ago. I've really enjoyed the whole learning experience, seeing the positive results have made me want to understand more. You have been such an inspiration to me."
        A. Kitson, Bengate, Norfolk

"Knowing that I have your help means that I know I will have the horse that I want and that I will be able to be the best person for him. Thank you!"
        S. Chapman, Cawston, Norfolk

"I have gained valuable new knowledge which has given me confidence around my horse. She has changed beyond recognition and has gone from being a danger to a pleasure to be around."
        J Gates, Salhouse, Norfolk

"Me and my horse Brian have just got home after a 4 day intensive course with Bridget. This was the first time either of us had ever gone to anything like this and whilst we didn't have an major behavioural problems like loading we needed to work on hacking alone. I'd pretty much lost all confidence doing this after several hairy attempts. Immediately meeting Bridget I was put at ease. She explains everything in a simple to understand way and the depth of her knowledge is amazing. Everything just makes sense and finally I can begin to understand why things happen. Bridget devoted the last 4 days to us and the other course participant and whilst we each had a session morning and afternoon Bridget was certainly not clock watching and each session did not finish until each horse was in a positive place even if wasn't the direction expected. For example in the desensitizing section for the start of long lining it became apparent Brian was extremely sensitive on the offside and afraid of the lines. Our planned session was changed to work on teaching me the tools to help Brian overcome this. Bridget has such a sympathetic way of training the horses and the connection Brian and I have come away with is incredible. And it is down to the exercises, methods and techniques Bridget teaches you. Arriving 4 days ago I never dreamt I'd be hacking Brian down the lane on our own nor riding round a course of Le Trec obstacles but that is what we did today. I would urge anyone considering a course with Bridget to go for it you won't regret it. I am hooked on Bridget's methods. I wanted to stay for a month! "
        Mel and Brian, Suffolk

Welcome

Bridget with Rebel and Henry - Photo © Simon Palmer - Into The Lens

Bridget is an inspiring and natural teacher, passionate about helping horses and their owners. At the heart of her training is a desire to make it easy and pleasant for the horse to want to work with us. Always motivated by the well-being of the horse Bridget draws on a variety of techniques in order to make it easy for the horse to do the right thing. She doesn't necessarily follow a set system, but will adapt her techniques to each horse and its owner to find the best outcomes.

With a vast wealth of knowledge built up over a number of years, Bridget will cover everything from the horse's physical and mental health, its environment, management and feeding. As good with people as she is with horses Bridget will leave owners with 'homework' that allow horse and owner to progress with confidence.

Bridget has been a full time Recommended Trainer of Intelligent Horsemanship since 2010 and became a member of Monty Roberts UK Tour Team in 2011. In more recent years Bridget has furthered her training and moved towards Classical Dressage techniques, she is an Enlightened Equitation Teacher, as well as a Straightness Training Mastery student.

Whether you are experiencing ridden or ground handling issues, perhaps you have a horse who is bargy, or you are struggling with leading, loading, mounting, clipping, hoof handling for the farrier, spooking or catching problems; or maybe you would simply like to learn a new skill such as long lining or in-hand work; have you lost your confidence or do you feel that your relationship with your horse could be improved, or you would simply like to learn more about what makes him tick? Or you'd like to learn more about riding in an empathetic way which is focused on synchronising our movement with that of the horse for a more harmonious partnership. Bridget also really enjoys working with feral or unhandled horses. Whatever horse help you need, Bridget Colston Complete Horsemanship can help with all of the above and more.

Events

Services and Pricing

Groundwork Training

Bridget offers horsemanship training - ways that you and your horse can work together to promote a happier, more trusting relationship.

This includes long-lining and in hand groundwork, with the emphasis on promoting a better way of going in your horse, and correcting natural asymmetry.

Behaviour Training

Problematic behaviours worked on include leading, ground manners, spook-busting, loading, catching, difficulties with leg handling, head-shy horses, clipping, unhandled or feral horses, as well as ridden issues such as napping or hacking confidence and many more.

Loading

Bridget prefers to work with loading problems in a subsequent session after an initial assessment; which will allow an opportunity to cover preliminary groundwork and leave owners with any necessary 'homework'. This is also an opportunity to look over your vehicle and the facilities available to see whether any modifications or alternative arrangements need to be made.

For any loading session, Complete Horsemanship reserve the right to not proceed to actual loading training, if to do so would be unsafe or detrimental to the horse's well-being.

Loading sessions are two to three hours and charged at £180 (plus mileage). Click here for more pricing information.

Whilst many loading issues can be solved in a single session, many horses will need gradual incremental training, and so a series of shorter sessions may be more appropriate. Quick fixes may seem impressive but lasting solutions are much better!

Ridden Training

Bridget is an Enlightened Equitation Teacher (Level 2) studying under Heather Moffet and offers ridden training based on these principles.

Area Covered

Bridget covers Suffolk and surrounding counties.

Home/Yard Visits

Most people prefer to work in their own environment. An initial consultation will include a full assessment of you and your horse in order to start finding the possible causes behind any behavioural issues.

Remote Help

Bridget firmly believes that pain or discomfort is at the root of the vast majority of 'behavioural issues'. Horses have limited ways of letting us know when all is not well in their world. Frequently, Bridget finds that her role is to help owners come to an understanding of why their horse is behaving in a certain way, and then guide them in the right direction to seek further help. Many has been the time that a horse has been diagnosed by vets as 'behavioural' but with further investigation and a bit more digging in the right direction it has proven to be anything but the case.

This work is hugely rewarding but as the exchange of e-mails, telephone calls or watching video evidence is time-consuming, this work needs to be chargeable. This is a good option for people who perhaps don't need a visit but feel they need some advice, or for those a long way from me. If you e-mail with the nature of the problem you will receive a series of questions to help get a fuller understanding of what is going on. Video footage, if available, can be useful. A telephone appointment will then be arranged. This service is charged at £25.

Clinics

Clinics can be organised at your yard and will be tailor-made to your requirements.

Talks

Talks to schools, colleges or riding clubs can be arranged - price on application.

Prices

Initial assessment sessions (approximately two hours): £125; follow-up sessions are charged at £60 per hour;

Loading sessions: £180 (two to three hours); follow-up sessions are charged at £90 (up to 90 minutes);

Ridden training: initial assessment £90 (one and a half hours); follow-up sessions are charged at £60 per hour;

Mileage zones are based on 45p per mile from base - for example, up to fifteen miles is £6. There is an additional mileage charge if I am bringing my trailer.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What are your Terms and Conditions?

Clients accept that there are risks involved when handling horses and ponies.

Clients cannot hold Bridget Colston Complete Horsemanship responsible for any damage or injury that may occur to the client, their horse or their property.

Clients have read and understood other items on this FAQ page (in particular items 10, 11 and 12) in relation to payment terms and cancellation policy.

Clients accept that any data supplied is stored in our client database in line with the Privacy Policy.

2. What is the best way to make contact?

Email is by far the most reliable way to make contact with me. I work long hours so it can be tricky to get hold of me on the phone. However, emails often seem to go into people's spam folders, so please make sure that our address and/or domain are added to your Safe Senders list. If you haven't received a reply within 7 days, do call or text. Between 6 and 9pm weekday evenings is the best time to catch me on the phone.

Please include a mobile or landline number in your email, so that we have another way of getting in touch.

3. What equipment/facilities do I need for my initial assessment session?

You really don't need much. All we need to work in, is a safely enclosed area on a good footing. A manege is ideal but a small paddock is fine too.

If you have four trotting poles (or something similar) to hand these are sometimes useful.

You will need your hard hat and gloves and some sensible footwear.

Your horse just needs his ordinary headcollar and a long lead rope (but I will bring these too). It is unusual in a first session to get as far as ridden work but you may want to have your tack to hand.

4. Should I have my horse in and ready or would you like to see him/her in the field?

Ordinarily, I recommend having your horse in ready for your session to maximise the available time. However, if bringing your horse in is an area you would like to work on, it may be useful for me to see this.

Likewise, because of the nature of my work and the distances I travel my timings are a little approximate - if your horse is likely to get upset waiting around then by all means leave him or her out. I would much rather greet a happy relaxed horse than a stressed one.

5. Why are initial assessment sessions two hours long? This seems like a lot.

You will be amazed how quickly two hours will fly by! We won't be working with the horse solidly for this time, as there will be a certain amount of discussion - it's likely you will want to tell me about yourself and your horse and the issues you are facing, and I will need to explain the psychology behind the way I work. I feel this is really important as if I only teach tools and techniques you will need tools and techniques for every problem that arises, whereas if I can teach the psychology behind what we do it's likely you can become your own problem-solver. We may also need to look at tack and feed and so on.

6. Do you guarantee success in a single visit?

Absolutely not! An initial assessment session is just that – an assessment of the situation and an opportunity to create a plan to move forward. Sometimes before real ‘behaviour training’ can begin it may be necessary to make some other changes – for instance diet, management, saddle fitting, veterinary or physiotherapist intervention may be among the things that I feel need to be considered before we embark on training.

Some behaviours have developed over many years and are deeply ingrained and may take a period of time to gradually re-train. Modifying behaviour should never be about quick fixes and truthfully quick fixes are unlikely to be long term solutions.

All that said, there are times when one session is all it takes to make quite profound changes.

7. What equipment/facilities do I need for my loading session?

We need a safely enclosed area where we can park the trailer or lorry, and have room to do some groundwork near the vehicle. Concrete or other hard surfaces are not suitable, and knee deep mud isn’t ideal! If you can park in a manege that is ideal, but otherwise a paddock (preferably with shortish grass!) is fine.

If you can have four trotting poles to hand, or something similar – old fencing rails for instance – these are useful.

If using a trailer this will need to be hitched up to a suitable towing vehicle, and ideally have the central partitions removed. You will need a haynet ready filled and some other food with two buckets. Chaff is the ideal food but sometimes something a little more interesting is necessary. The food is not used as a bribe but in order to create a pleasant association.

It can be useful to have a third person around to help with things like lifting ramps - as long as this is someone quiet who is happy to be given direction, that you feel comfortable to have around.

You and any helpers will need hard hats and sensible footwear. You may wish to have protective boots on your horse but I do not recommend travel boots.

8. Can my friends come and watch?

Yes, as long as you are happy for them to.

9. Do I need to buy a Dually headcollar?

No. If we decide to use on one the day I will provide it. But you may find yourself wanting one!

10. Do you share travel costs between people in similar areas?

I have standardized travel costs by area. This means that you will pay the same amount each time regardless of how many people I see in your area. There will be a minimum number of people to make visits viable when I am travelling long distances.

11. How do I make payment?

To secure your appointment full payment must be paid, in advance, by bank transfer.

12. Cancellation

In the event of cancellation by Bridget Colston Complete Horsemanship, a full refund will be given.

In the event of cancellation by yourself, your session fee, minus the travel cost, can be rolled over to a new date, PROVIDED another client can be found for the original date.

Cancellations made with less than 24 hours notice will be charged in full regardless of reason.

13. What happens if the weather is bad?

I try to keep going regardless of the weather. The exception to this is where to continue would be unsafe. When working with loading problems, for example, high wind and heavy rain which make conditions slippery under foot are just not safe and I will not continue to the detriment of the horse. This is the case also when backing youngsters.

There are times that I can help with certain issues by talking things through, so it may be possible to do a 'theory session' in extreme bad weather – maybe over a cup of coffee in the tack room?!

14. How long are follow up sessions?

Follow up sessions are usually an hour, but sometimes two hours may be more appropriate, and may well be more economical for you.