A conversation with David Shoobridge about his training philosophy for horses and riders centres around the concept of mutual respect and his strongly held belief that respect is something that needs to be earned, no matter who you are, from both horses and riders.
When it comes to training and coaching riders, David’s commitment is to help each person to develop as an independent, thinking rider capable of identifying what’s good and what’s not and confident enough to go ahead and find their own solutions.
David works to help each rider to identify the ‘feel’ and timing of each movement and then to develop consistency of that feeling. He can often be heard asking students ‘how does that feel’?; helping them to identify the moment at which the movement is correct and to lock on to the feeling so that they can repeat it in future.
David is extremely passionate about the endeavours and education of his riders and actively encourages each rider to take responsibility for their own development. He immerses himself completely in each lesson and inspires riders to strive for brilliance, discipline and control whilst maintaining a highly positive energy. Each lesson is clear and focussed and David’s strength as a communicator helps each person to develop a vision, belief and very clear strategy to achieve their personal targets.
This focus on individual goals and targets means that David is equally at home teaching riders of all levels of experience, from those beginning the dressage journey to those competing at Grand Prix. His relaxed manner and his ability to connect with each person means that his lessons, no matter how focused and intense, are encouraging, constructive and enjoyable.
