REASONS I LOVE MY JOB! …

“ Tracey, thank you so much for today.  I think you have just changed my life, along with the length of my stirrups!” Carri

“We had such a wonderful time as always. Thank you! Xx” Charlotte 

“Thank you for always bringing 100% enthusiasm to every lesson Tracey 😘 I might not have been the one in the saddle today but you never fail to inspire us all to be the best we can be and to help our horses be the same. We love you Xxx” Lauren 

“Fantastic lesson as always Tracey, you never fail me!❤️” Kathy

“Tracey, You are medicine for the soul !!!! Thank you so much for today’s lesson xxxx” Elin 

“I learnt so much today and I wasn’t even riding, so interesting, Elenor said her left thigh is killing her now!! Thank you so much!! Picture of the boy by the lorry at the end!! Xx” Charlotte

Thank you so much for showing me how wonderful my little Max is, I felt quite emotional ❤️ I’m very proud of him and you are one incredible lady 😘 Karen xxx

“ Hiya, just wanted to say how much I am loving my lessons. I come away feeling so positive and excited to get practising. We did abit today in the school while it was fresh in my head and the tweaks you told me really worked. Baby steps but we are making them. You have such a lovely way about you where you make people feel they can actually succeed ☺️. Just felt i needed to tell you. Have a lovely weekend,  Nikki and Addie ❤️”

“All of the wonderful knowledge I’ve learnt from you ❤️❤️❤️ you are the only person on this planet that has ever (and could ever) make me feel excited about dressage 😊😊 Sally”

“ Can I completely blame you for my current predicament........ we somehow won the novice test at the NPS dressage champs  and now have to do the ride off to music in 2hrs with zero music or floor plan prepared because you know.....why would I think to prepare that 🙈🙈🤣🤣. Without your amazing lesson last week we would have been our usual last and be home now with a cup of tea ❤️❤️ (thankyou so much xxx) Sam”

-“ Tracey, this is a message of appreciation! Having schooled a couple of times after our lesson, I have come to the conclusion that I have never before truly ridden from the leg into the hand. I may have been fairly coordinated with those two aids, but I’ve never put them together in such a way that has allowed me to change the horse’s going to that extent. It suddenly improves all the other issues such as transitions, losing connection in the corner, halting, the lot. A real lightbulb moment. Thank you for your help! Now I’ve got to get round an event on Sunday 🫣😅 Gudrun xxx”

- “Thank you so much, amazing to see the progress yesterday⭐️🙏⭐️ Kerry”

- “Hey T, hugely grateful for you finding my swing and giving it back to me!! ❤️

Also well done for timing the lessons to finish with the start of the rain! 

So glad we’ve got you, look forward to next time! Gudrun Xxx”

- “Ok so I’ve provided the calm answer for the composed birds in group chat . Now the honest reply 

Nothing short of  🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆Frankly I’m so happy I’m an annoying git today with my inner smugness and outer glow which made me jump out of bed this morning to get on with the day. I think you are positively  gifted with stuff inside you we have never seen the likes of! 

Conor is obviously now not just a secret my little pony champ but an actual cooperating potential dressage pony 

And Cosmo well he showed us all up didn’t he ? I thought we did ok long lining but you two just showed us up. Grace and I were nudging each other with happiness watching you work Knocked it out of  the park. 

Anyway you are brilliant for teaching us all and standing there all day and physically working your butt off to get as all where we need to be. Thanks 🤩 Kerry ”

- “ Such awesome lessons tonight - thank you Tracey!!! Got my motivation back 😘😘 Emily”

- “🥰 I told the physio earlier that me and you pretty much produced him together, couldn’t have got anywhere without you !! 🙏🏻 xx Faith”

- “Hi! You should have seen Louisa and Tango yesterday practice their first ever prelim test - they were amazing, so proud of them & all credit to your excellent teaching!!!!! Will have to take a video next so I can show you. Thank you for being the best instructor/coach/mentor to them 🥰 Linda”

BOOKING & CANCELLATION POLICY

BOOKING POLICY - Payment is required in advance via bank transfer to confirm your booking. 

SAFETY - Your safety is very important to me. I will postpone if the venue, surface or the weather means that it is not safe for us to meet. If postponing is not possible, a full refund will be made. I will contact you if we need to postpone. If you have not heard from me, then the lesson is OK to go ahead. 

If you are not well enough or not wanting to ride, then I/we can train your horse with extremely valuable work ‘in hand’. 

I can also ride select horses that are not likely to injure me (as if I can’t go to work, I have no income)

If you do not want to be out in, or travelling your horse in whatever our crazy varied UK weather throws at us, I completely understand, but please do not make a booking. 

TIMES - Times are sent out the week before the lesson. 

If you need a particular time of day, please let me know when booking. It can be very difficult to change once times have been sent out, as people make plans based on the time that they have been given.

CANCELLATION POLICY - Once times have been sent out, if you make a late cancellation (whatever your reason) a refund can only be made if you or I can fill your space. 

I cannot afford to accept future bookings from someone who makes a late cancellation and does not pay for the time that they booked (if the cancellation is too late notice for you or I to fill the space). 

I am so lucky that I have more people wanting lessons than I have time to do and the people that I can’t fit in, all go onto a wait list. I deliberately keep the numbers of lessons I do each day/week down to a level that ensures all are quality not quantity. If you make a late cancellation that is too late notice for me to fill, you have prevented someone else from having a lesson with me. 

Financially it is no longer sustainable for me to have all of my own bad luck that prevents me from earning an income, and to also take on all of my clients bad luck too. 

Please only make a booking if you are happy with the cancellation policy. 

Thankyou and now let’s get on with enjoying our dancing journey! 

Diary Dates

All the dates of lovely yards that welcome outsiders are pinned on the top of Tracey Lawson Dressage Facebook page (as my diary fills up quicker than I have time to edit and update this page.)

If you are unable to access Facebook, please contact me on 07968 013613 and we can talk!

APRIL 2022 QT Novice and Elementary National Champion!!!

At Hartpury Winter National Dressage Championships, my gorgeous QT and I won not one, but two National Titles! 

My clever boy won the BD Silver Elementary National Championship with 73.39% and BD Silver Novice National Championship with 77.16% (4% ahead of his nearest competitor). 

OCTOBER/NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

4 year old QT growing up so nicely. Such a gorgeous baby horse, I love riding him so much. I only sit on him for 10 minutes every now and again as I'm a bit heavy for him really until he has developed a bit more back muscle. And I'm not brave anymore. He has not put a foot wrong but I don't want my old lady nerves to make him nervous when he is currently a brave boy. And if he is ever scared he needs someone up top to reassure him, not me pooing my Bridget Jones pants. In his 5 year old summer next year we will crack on a bit more. Cant wait! Fortunately I'm so busy with teaching and Alfie, it means QT has time to just grow and strengthen slowly. No rush, he is so talented and so trainable but we are in it for the long term, no quick fixes or rushing.
Take time but don't waste time.
He goes hacking around the hills a few times a week, a stretchy lunge, some pole work and so many kisses and cuddles I'm surprised I have time to do anything else!

Alfie!!!

Well you all know how much I love a before and after photo!

Here is a very talented young lady Annabelle Howie and her lovely young event horse Herbie. Annabelle has worked so hard to develop her position so that it becomes functional i.e. having a direct influence over her horses posture and engagement.
The first job of the riders seat is to balance.
Then to harmonise with the horse.
Then to influence the horse.
As the photo shows, young Annabelle is having a huge improvement over Herbie's posture and therefore he is now developing and building his beautiful top line. 

Ella Phillips January 2017....

Ella Phillips August 2017..... No words needed!

I was over the bloody moon to see Claire Edwards getting an 8 for both her Novice long side canter give and retakes recently from a listed judge. Not just because this means Bugsy was in self carriage, but because it means Bugsy was STRAIGHT! Its been a long time coming, but its arrived!!! Lots and lots and lots of exercises like shoulder in, counter canter, canter leg yields, counter positioning. Haaaaaaaaa. We did it. The horse who thought canter across the diagonal meant half pass across the diagonal......is now straight. Super job Claire. So very pleased for you.

 Clever Alfie won his first Advanced Medium and got himself another mention in H&H.

Michaela Doberman and Ratino have recently made some seriously huge breakthroughs. The use of Shoulder In and Travers (to help equally supple, straighten and strengthen)both horse and rider, for me, are invaluable tools. All humans load one leg/seat bone more, have a strong/weak side and strong/weak parts of their body, have some bits of the body that are too far forward, too up, too down, too far back.
Its not until your trainer identifies these that you can start to improve them and become more ambidextrous throughout your whole body.
The shoulder in, shoulder out, haunches in, haunches out highlights many many many strengths and weaknesses in both horse and rider. When you have all four of these movements you will have a more equally supple and engaged horse.
When I start a lesson I will ask my rider if there is anything particularly they want my help with today. 
Michaela wont mind me telling you that the most common sentence she says to me is 'Please can you help me get him in front of the leg.'.
What is that?
A horse willingly taking your forwards.....
Can a horse take you forwards if its crooked? Could I push a wheelbarrow very forward with one arm?
A horse pushing itself forwards instead of the rider having to continuously push the horse forwards.... 
If a horses hind legs are out behind, how can it push itself forwards?
That's like being in a swimming pool with your feet a few inches away from the edge. There is nothing to push off from. All you can do is doggy paddle at the front end. Or sink ha ha.
Of course a horse MUST react to the leg. Of course. But if it was just a simple as making the horse GO, wouldn't we all be regional champions? Of course a horse must go, of course a horse must react.
But it does often go an awful lot deeper as to WHY is the horse not going for free. WHY is the horse not in front of the leg. WHY is the horse not able to maintain that forward momentum. WHY. If its because the horse isn't reacting then you will have that sorted tomorrow yes? And if you cant sort it tomorrow, once and for all, then you need to find out WHY.
That's what clever Michaela has done.
Ratino now reacts beautifully in the In Hand lateral work. He is now supple and strong and obedient and willing and engaged in his core and both his hind legs. His engine is now plugged in. Cant turn a light on unless its plugged in eh.
Michaela and Ratino are now following the In Hand work with the ridden work.
They are becoming more engaged, more beautiful, more connected.
Oh yes and therefore Ratino is also taking Michaela forwards with impulsion from behind through the back to the bit with hind legs forward under. That's  'in front of the leg'. 
Michaela has worked incredibly hard on her dressage position, her core, her weaker parts and her symmetry. She is now a much easier rucksack for her beautiful horse to carry as well as a much more effective dressage rider.
Well done Michaela.

JULY/AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2017

Alfie looking bloody lovely if I say so myself! xx

April/May/June 2017

Gorgeous Alfie learning how to sit down behind a bit more in his piaffe on a fantastic two days training with International Olympic judge Stephen Clarke at the TTT (Training the Teachers of Tomorrow) in Guildford.

Jo Billing and Trafalger had an amazing (and intense!) time at their first ever NAF Five Star BD Winter champs at Hartpury for the Novice Silver Freestyle. They have both worked really hard after their second place at the Regionals. A new walk trot and canter have evolved. Only problem is -  due to the extra ground cover in the walk, more suspension and reach in the trot and more straightness and jump in the canter, will the paces still fit the music?!. Thankfully yes as I love the music Jo put together.
Jo said afterwards "That arena is the spookiest and scariest I have ever ridden in and despite two arena walks to acclimatise him, Rhubarb just couldn't cope. Apologies to the poor people I span, leaped at and jumped on during that time... the stewards were having kittens and telling people to avoid the girl on the grey! Never known nerves like it, I seriously thought I wouldn't even get in the arena and almost withdrew. But I got in there with Tracey May Dressage's words of wisdom in my ears (yes they included a few expletives!!!) and only bloody did it. It was tense with a few blips but finished with a score of 67.3%. So proud of this little horse who thought he should have been a Lipizzaner!"
Well done Jo!!!

I am so so so happy. Sophie Watkins and Inca Spirit won the Under 18 Elementary Class at Wellington Area Festival with a fabulous 68.14%!!! They are now qualified for the Area Festival Final in September. It can take a good year to get to know a new young horse and this combination are now working together beautifully as 'one'. There are so many things to work through in that first year. Every season it could be like getting to know a new horse, what do you feed them in spring compared to winter. Do you need to lunge at home before taking a young horse out in winter weather or can you just hop straight on. How long do you warm up for depending on the venue/weather. So much to learn for the rest of our lives together but especially in your first year together. So if your ever struggling, just look at these beautiful photos of Inca and Sophie. Good guidance and perseverance and you will get there too.

A very clever Donna Lockhart and Barney were Reserve Champions in the Wellington Area Festival Prelim Class. I still remember my first lesson with Donna and Barney. What a super job they have done improving to get such a super BD record. And they both still have many tricks up their sleeve to be shown yet. Barney will now happily play in the walk and trot work at Elementary/Medium level and Donna is gently nibbling away at bringing the canter up to this level too. 

Alfie bear is going so well at the moment. I'm a very very lucky girl to have such a willing enthusiastic dance partner.

I had many happy years training Eilean Appleton before she moved out of the area so she could have the ponies in the back garden. Miss her and Spotty so much as we had great fun as well as seriously on a BD mission. I love it when old clients keep in touch when they move as I only train riders that I love/like/respect/enjoy. This is Eilean and Shakira looking fab at the Elementary Area Festival Championships at Hartpury.

Nicky Reynolds and Indi came 3rd in the Novice at the Wellington Championships! And 2nd in the Music! I don't get to see Nicky as often as I would like to as I struggle with time to get out to yards if there is only one person there having a lesson. Gemma Litchfield trains Nicky on a regular basis and I just pop in whenever I can when I'm in the area. Nicky won my heart many years ago and I will always somehow find the time for this very special, beautiful 'inside and out' young lady. I'm seeing her this week to dance her way round an Elementary. Have your Weetabix Indi!

This is me on my very gorgeous baby pony QT!