Trainers
The Irish Horsemanship approved trainers have specific skills in various areas including solving problems, young stock, general horses, riding, advanced ridden and liberty work and competition work. Just as importantly they are natural teachers, very easy to approach and talk to, and teach because they love horses. You will find feel, timing, empathy, understanding, good humour and patience when you meet them all. The Irish Horsemanship trainers have years of experience training horses.
Irish Horsemanship approved trainers use what is described as ‘good horsemanship’. With good horsemanship, does not matter what tools or equipment is used. What matters that the trainer uses a thorough understanding of how a horse works – physically, emotionally and mentally, and can use this knowledge to work fairly and empathetically with the horse in the horse’s time.
Below is a short list of approved trainers, where they are located & contact details. Further down is more information about their backgrounds & skills.
Ireland
Elaine Heney: Tipperary & Dublin, private lessons in general handling & riding. Elaine also runs the Irishhorsemanship.com website. Email: office@irishhorsemanship.com, tel 087 2877605.
Sean Fitzgibbon: Limerick based, teaches nationwide. Private lessons at his yard in Limerick. These are arranged weather permitting. One lesson with Sean would on average give you about three to four weeks worth of homework, so you will learn heaps. Please contact Sean directly or email the office for more info. Suitable for those over 18, who can walk/trot/canter/jump already and who have their own horse. Sean also teaches western riding. Also does group clinics nationwide, for those who can already walk/trot/canter. Email drifter6@mac.com, tel: 087 2468827.
Donal Halligan: Meath. Private lessons & problem solving help. Email donal@naturalhorseireland.com, tel 086 0405885.
Dave Kavanagh: Dublin. Takes in young horses at his yard for starting / breaking and schooling. Also sells horses he has trained. Email dave@ecklandssportshorses.com, tel 086 3145773.
Patrick Farrell: Tipperary. Takes in young horses for starting / breaking and schooling at his yard.
Olivia Johnson: Killmallock, Limerick. Takes in young horses for starting / breaking and also horses for schooling at her yard, and also sells horses she has trained. Olivia also offers riding lessons at her yard and is particularly good with novice riders wishing to learn more, and those wishing to improve their confidence. Email 8aivilo@gmail.com, tel 086 0602949.
Steve Halfpenny: Tipp & Dublin. Superb natural horsemanship trainer from Australia. Teaches clinics in Ireland each summer.
Tom & Sarah Widdicombe: Tipperary. Brilliant UK trainers. Tom & Sarah teach clinics in Ireland every summer.
UK, Australia & New Zealand.
Brad Weeks: Australia. A great Australian trainer.
Cathy Johns & Kate Tapley: New Zealand. Ride around the Southern Alps and learn horsemanship with two of the nicest and more talented teachers around 
Brian McVicar: New Zealand. Excellent Kiwi trainer. Has a lovely way with horses.
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Name: Elaine Heney
Areas taught: From Dublin to Tipperary, and areas around Tipp and Dublin.
Contact: office@irishhorsemanship.com, tel 087 2877605
Specialities: General horsemanship.
Website: This one.
Elaine is an Equestrian Federation of Ireland coach from Tipperary and currently living in Dublin. She holds the Queensland Natural Horsemanship level 2 Certificate, Australian Natural Horsemanship Level 1, Pony Club B, Teagasc green cert, First aid, Equine Touch L1 and heads over to the UK to watch and learn when any good trainers are about, and has been known to dash over to New Zealand as well. She is looking forward to the day when horses can read certificates. She is an experienced teacher (horses, piano, composition and choir surprisingly, though don’t ask her to sing!) and has taught privately in Ireland and at Tumpy Green Equestrian Centre in England and at Mt. Lyford Equestrian Centre in New Zealand.
Name: Olivia Johnson
Areas taught: Limerick.
Contact: 8aivilo@gmail.com, tel 086 0602949
Specialities: Starting/breaking young horses, schooling, and training horses at her yard in Limerick, horses for sale, riding lessons for those who wish to learn to ride nicely, rather than going down the kick & pull route.
Website: http://www.ojshorses.com/
Olivia runs a livery, young horse starting, horse training and sales yard in Limerick. All her young horses are started on a specially designed program based on years of research study and hands on experience, using the principals of the ‘traditional technique’ that was developed by older civilisations who depended on the horse for survival. The system utilises horse psychology and understanding rather than fear, mechanics and intimidation. Using this system leads the horse and rider to think laterally making it easier to proceed with further training and circumvent problems in a positive manner. Olivia is extremely talented and has a lovely way with horses
Olivia also offers riding lessons and is particularly good with novice riders wishing to learn more, and those wishing to improve their confidence. Name: Dave Kavanagh
Areas taught: Dublin.
Contact: dave@ecklandssportshorses.com, tel 086 3145773
Specialities: Foal handling, youngsters and young horse starting. Also has horses for sale.
Website: www.ecklandssportshorses.com
Dave is a very talented and experienced North Dublin young horse & competition horse (showjumping) trainer. He is the Irish Horsemanship young horse specialist. Every young horse is treated as an individual, and he focuses on working with the green horse using common sense horsemanship, behaviour and body language studied from his horses for many years. Every horse is brought on in his own time, and the results speak for themselves. Happy, balanced, confident young ridden horses who like people and are a pleasure to be around. He breeds horses, handles foals and youngsters, and runs a livery, young horse starting, sales and competition yard in Loughshinny.
Name: Sean Fitzgibbon.
Areas taught: Limerick.
Contact: drifter6@mac.com, tel: 087 2468827
Specialities: Ridden work, competition work. Advanced liberty & ridden work.
Website: none
Sean is a phenominal horse trainer, and totally blew me away when I saw him work with his horses. He is one the of best horse trainers -- and just as importantly -- teachers -- I have ever met. He has had a lifetime of working with and learning from horses. If you ever want to meet a true Irish horseman, you will not have the oppertunity to meet a nicer, more talented, natural (for use of a better word!), down to earth person. He is among a handful of the best horse producers and truely gifted horsepeople in Ireland. As well as the knowledge, skills and experience, he has got the feel, the timing and the heart.
Name: Donal Halligan
Areas taught: Meath and surroundings.
Contact: donal@naturalhorseireland.com, tel 086 0405885
Specialities: Stud work, young horse work, problem horse work.
Website: www.naturalhorseireland.com
Donal Halligan is a talented horse trainer, who came through the UK Monty system a few years back. Very experienced, especially in racehorses, young stock, and also in transporting horses. A very nice guy.
Name: Patrick Farrell
Areas taught: Yard in west Tipperary/South Limerick area
Contact: Emly House, Emly, Co. Tipperary.
Specialities: Starting/breaking horses and schooling.
Website: none
Patrick Farrell. A very experienced & talented horse trainer. A superb guy to preparing a young horse (or any horse) for hunting. Has helped train some of the best horses hunting in Ireland.
International Irish Horsemanship Approved Trainers
Name: Tom & Sarah Widdicombe
Areas taught: Devon and clinics around England.
Contact: visit www.bewithyourhorse.com
Specialities: Pretty much everything. Riding stuff especially.
Website: www.bewithyourhorse.com
Tom & Sarah are excellent teachers and horse trainers. I spent most of last summer on Ryanar flying over to see them teach, and all the clinics were very educational, enjoyable and would thoroughly recommend them to all. Even if you can’t bring a horse, just go & watch, you will always pick up new ideas. Watch out for the buses (ask Tom about them!). Very enjoyable clinics, definitely go!
Name: Steve Halfpenny
Areas taught:
Contact: visit www.silversand.com.au
Specialities: Steve can literally do pretty much anything with a horse. Hugely talented. Great teacher. Just incredible to watch.
Website: www.silversand.com.au
So talented I can’t really describe here. Notes from his UK clinics I was at are written up in the clinics section. Suitable for all, and his work with advanced riders is a joy to watch.
Name: Brad Weeks
Areas taught: Australia.
Contact: qnhc@bigpond.com
Specialities: Chief instructor and examiner of QNH, groundwork & riding, young horse starting and problem horse specialist.
Website: www.queenslandnaturalhorsemanship.com
Brad Weeks is a renouned Australian Horseman who hails from Bellmere in South/East Queensland and hold Level 4 in both Parelli & ANH. With his wife Leanne, they operate the Queensland Natural Horsemanship Centre in Australia and hold Horsemanship clinics, workshops, demonstrations, and deal with training horses, riders, starting young horses and dealing with problem horses in Queensland and through out Australia. Brad possesses an uncanny ability to communicate with a horse to overcome resistance and gain respect & trust from the horse and is an excellent & highly recommended teacher. I’ve trained with Brad and the amount I learn each time is so much my head gets totally full and I come back with tons and tons of new skills and ideas. My offical teacher
Name: Cathy Johns & Kate Tapley
Areas taught: New Zealand, south Island.
Contact: visit www.lyfordtreks.co.nz
Specialities: Groundwork & riding, horse help, horsemanship coaching and problem solving.
Website: www.lyfordtreks.co.nz
Cathy Johns is the Chief Trek Guide & horsemanship instructor at Mt. Lyford Treks in the South Island, New Zealand. Cathy has spent her life with horses, and has twelve years experience with Kowhai Equestrian Centre. She has competed to intermediate level in eventing, holds ANH L2 and is currently working towards her ANH level 3. Guests at Mt. Lyford regularly do not want to return home and fall in love with the horses, the people and have incredible experiences learning about horses. Kate runs Otahuna Horse Treks in Christchurch, and is the person I blame for starting me down this road of learning more about horses!
Name: Brian McVicar
Areas taught: New Zealand, South Island & Norway.
Contact: visit www.equineexcellence.com
Specialities: Pretty much everything. From problems to basic to advanced. Specialises in dressage and competition work.
Website: www.equinexcellence.com
I met Brian in Amberly in Jan 2009. His lesson is written up in the clinics section. A great horseman with an ability to work with the horse, and get great results this way. A really good trainer.
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