Fortissimo Freestyles, Dressage Freestyles, Pony Dressage Freestyles and any other equestrian discipline that can be performed to music

When I was nine years old, my brother, my mother and I moved from the city to the country. It was at this age, my mother asked me if I wanted a piano or a horse. Being a city girl herself and terrified of horses, I am still puzzled as to why I was even consulted on the matter. For me the choice was obvious as my love affair with horses began before I can remember. Needless to say she bought me a piano!

My musical career began at the age of nine when I began learning the Piano and later playing the flute at the age of 12. I have been doing both ever since which means I have been musical for over 20 years.

I am classically trained and sat my exams through the Trinity College of Music, London. Each year an examiner would be sent out from England to our little country town to listen to a bunch of country kids play the music they had been practicing all year. I’m sure it was a culture shock for them. But my mind was elsewhere. I found learning music relatively easy and therefore I was easily bored, especially with regard to practice. It cut into my valuable riding time!! My mother was baffled by this obsession and I would ride anything as long as it had four legs and smelt like a horse. You can imagine my mother’s frustration but to her credit, she persisted and nagged me constantly (sorry Mum) to practice and stick with my music, for which I am now eternally grateful.

I began playing the Flute in the school band and played piano/keyboard for school musicals as well as accompanying vocalists for their HSC Exams.

After school I went to an Agricultural College for two years where I forgot about music as my social life took priority. I didn’t go back to my music for a time, but it is something that cannot be avoided if that is your path in life.

I began teaching Piano over 15 years ago and teaching flute soon followed. I have been involved in our local Youth Band during that time, so my musical tastes are many and varied. I have had my fair share of accompanying students for Exams and Eisteddfods as well as preparing my own students for them. I have thoroughly enjoyed my teaching career and it has paid for my true obsession……..my horses. Mum was right. It has taken me places and now I can think of no better place to be than designing music for equestrian freestyles.

My music has taught me self-discipline, dedication, perseverance and perfection, which have spilled over into my training of dressage horses.

I have been riding since the age of nine and it is fair to say that I have only ever wanted to get of a horse for long enough to eat, sleep or earn a living. I even used to ride at night if the moon was full.

I have ridden a lot of different disciplines of equestrian sport but my real love has always been dressage. I am currently competing on the black horse Aria, a gelding I bred from my first horse, together with Empress, a mare I started riding and fell in love with in 2003. She was bred by a very dear friend and my husband later purchased her for me for our wedding anniversary.

Two new babies were born in 2005, the 1st being Bryce Timothy who arrived safe and sound on the 3rd May, and has delighted his parents ever since with his easy going nature, sense of humour and well developed love of animals. The 2nd new baby, we are thrilled to announce, arrived Boxing Day morning to the beautiful Empress who gave birth to a bay filly we have named Cleopatra. She is a beauty and up to all sorts of mischief, already living up to her names sake!

Since then there have been 2 other babies join our family. Gabrielle Julia who appeared on the 3^rd July 2007 and is already horse mad and so seriously cute you could eat her! And the other baby is a filly I purchased from Sally Evans. She is an A’Seduction filly [pictured opposite] and is now a 3 year old. I love this stallion and have always wanted one of his babies so I look forward to spending time getting to know her better.

I started designing freestyles for myself and for my friends in 2002 and have found it surprisingly easy because I have the advantage of being musical and a dedicated perfectionist equestrian. I decided this was the direction I wanted my career to take, so my incredibly tolerant and generous husband helped me to research and finance this new venture. The financial and moral support he has provided has fast tracked this business considerably.

I live with my husband, son and daughter on our property in North West NSW, Australia, with our two Blue Heelers, cat and six very contented equine friends.