JUDGING

Hello, I’m Claire Marie Senior, the founder of EQUITEST®  I am delighted to offer this online platform to you, which really does bring horse, rider and coach together, working as a team!  

 

For over 25 years I have dedicated my life to Dressage as Rider, Coach and Judge and I have studied the importance of bringing all 3 elements together in my approach to my riding, coaching and judging.  This triangle is crucial to everything we do to help improve the understanding of what is required from ‘The rider’, ‘The horse’ and ‘The coach’.  

 

I’ve ridden horses for all my life, starting out in the family riding school, to Pony Club and dabbling in SJ & eventing, until finding my love for dressage in the early 1990’s.  Starting out in the British Yong Riders Dressage System (which is now known as BD Youth) I went on to have the most amazing time representing Great Britain at FEI Junior & Young Rider level competing in the UK & Europe several times. 

 

Having been trained by many top class rider/coaches who all had different styles in the their approach to get the ‘Best from me and my horses’.  This was really interesting for me to analyse which has been a great learning curve for me as a rider over the years, which I have implemented into my own coaching techniques. 

 

I’m constantly working on being the ‘Best I can be’ completing my UKCC Level 2 and then Level 3 programme to become a British Dressage Accredited Coach in 2017.  Most recently being selected for the BEF National Development Programme of Coaching Excellence and very proudly in 2020 becoming a Centre 10 Advanced Coach of Applied Psychology for Equestrian Coaches. Coming from a a Junior and Young Rider background myself it made sense for to become a British Dressage Youth Coach and Assessor which is so nice to work with the under 25’s riders influencing them on their dressage journey. 

 

Since 1998, I have worked my way up the British Dressage Judging levels and currently upgraded to BD List 1 Panel Judge so now can judge all levels including Grand Prix.

 

I do enjoy working with all riders of ages and abilities, and no matter how small or big their goals have been able to use my well-rounded knowledge and experience to help guide them to achieve those goals.  Being a full time Coach, Judge and running the family Equestrian Competition Centre, Manor Grange Stud in West Yorkshire, I live, eat, sleep and breathe Dressage!