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"Where do I start... I have known Kristen for a few years, but it was only when hearing some friends experiences which made me think we need to give this a go. Kristen has such a natural eye in identifying what needs to be worked on at each stage in training, and to push you and your horse to your limits but never over them. She brings a vibrant energy and worldly knowledge to everyday training and her background in competitive and classical dressage, ensures that you receive all the fundamental classical basics of dressage which I have found hard to find in the modern equestrian world.
Kristen has helped me and my horse tremendously, not only in riding but in hand work, liberty, behaviours, biomechanics etc. I didn’t know that training your horse could be so interesting and both our minds have been challenged and excited by this. |
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"A special thank you to Kristen Closson for my most fantastic equestrian journey, so far! I started lessons with Kristen in March this year after riding and training for over 30 years in hacking and dressage. I consider myself a fairly competent rider but the training with Kristen has taken my riding to whole new level. She saw something in my little Barbie pony that many couldn't. She is thorough, attentive and caring with a soft and understanding approach for both rider and horse. Taking us back to the fundamentals. I had to learn patience and believe in Kristen and the "process".
This new approach took some getting used to but is now paying off in a happy, healthy and eager pony who is loving his training. His temperament has settled whilst still keeping his cheeky expression. |
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"Kristen is so rare in that she is the complete package. First and foremost she is unique in her generosity in that she gives so much of herself and her knowledge to her students. She doesn’t turn off when the lesson finishes. She’s there for us and invests so much of herself. She also gives so much back to the sport in general.
In addition she also has amazing biomechanical knowledge, together with her ability as a rider and trainer means she’s able to very quickly identify the root cause of any issue. As well Kristen has an equally impressive eye together with the vocabulary and ability to deliver a message to suit the rider. I’ve seen her many a time change the message to ensure every rider walks away understanding the lesson. My level of understanding as well as my riding ability has grown exponentially since I met and started lessons with Kristen for these reasons. I routinely tell Kristen “I am fortunate to have found you!” Which I sincerely mean as I find her unequalled as an instructor." - Monique Batterham |
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"I began getting lessons from Kristen 5 years ago and have had the pleasure of working under her as a groom since March 2020. In that time, I have progressed from a nervous, clueless 14 year old to a growing in confidence rider with a countless opportunities at my fingertips thanks to Kristen. She has helped me smash my riding goals, is guiding me along the path to become a coach, and at the centre of it all, has helped me to achieve a harmonious partnership with my horse. Kristen is calm, assertive, insanely knowledgeable and has an eye for detail that many of us can only dream of! She has changed the trajectory of not only my riding career but my whole life immeasurably. I really owe it all to her!"
- Gabi Read |
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“Kristen Closson is someone everyone needs in their life when you own a horse. All I wanted, when we bought our first horse Gemima in October 2023, was for someone to guide us through this experience in a gentle, open minded, loving way. And then Kristen came into our lives!
After she coached Maya for 6 months at the Agistment place we were at, we decided to send Gemima up to Closson Dressage for what was meant to initially be 4 weeks while we were overseas. At that point Gemima was fairly difficult to ride and we struggled to understand what was happening and why she was so unhappy. Maya became really unsure and wasn’t enjoying riding her. |
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fter the 4 weeks we went up to see Gemima and she looked like a different horse. Her whole body and mind seemed to have relaxed and she looked so healthy. We decided to keep Gemima with Kristen for longer and what followed was weeks of going back to basics, trusting Gemima and gaining her trust, doing beautiful groundwork, working on listening and communicating respectfully with one another. Maya learned to step up for Gemima when she needed to and show her love and confidence wherever they were. Maya learned to breathe, to sit and move to the rhythm of Gemima’s body and learned cues and tiny tweaks to strengthen their communication. We learned how to look after her gear, how to clean and wash her properly, we had endless advice on rugs, bits, halters, saddles, blankets, feed and Kristen was always up for another question!
It has truly been an incredible journey and I feel honoured to have worked with Kristen. Watching her around her own horses, she is so respectful, so intuitive, so honest and truly beautiful. And not just with her own horses but our horse too. We could not have hoped for a better guide for our daughter and her journey with Gemima. Kristen’s approach is holistic, down to earth, incredibly honest and comes with so much love and respect and always professional. Her knowledge is endless and she has a beautiful way of sharing it. No matter where someone is at in their horse journey, you can count meeting Kristen as a true blessing. We will forever be thankful for her help in setting Maya up with so many tools and so much knowledge and confidence.” -Julia Henty |
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"Kristen Closson is truly an outstanding instructor, clinician, judge and person. Her extensive knowledge of horse and rider biomechanics, care and management is second to none. Kristen is incredibly eloquent in the way she teaches. She has pushed me out of my comfort zone, and I have become a kinder, more attentive rider because of her.
I’m so thankful for her guidance and expertise. For anyone who is interested in improving their riding and horsemanship I cannot recommend Kristen enough." - Emmy Nomikos |