Testimonials
"I am so happy I followed up a chance comment Apryl made on someone's post.
I have a quirky mare and was looking for local help from someone who was open to a holistic answer. Exploring how much was 'just a training issue' and how much was possibly pain, or a memory of pain.
I loved the answer Apryl gave this other person so got in touch and she came out for a 'trial run' with my mare. Which meant me delving into her history and which trainers she admired or followed.
I may be no where near the trainer Apryl is, but I have firm ideas about what I don't want in a trainer.
What a joy it was to find someone to work closely with whose ethos so closely resembles mine. Putting the horse, the living breathing creature, at the centre of things, then working with the owner and their set of challenges ( in my case ageing, nervous rider with inexperienced horses who gets cranky with herself because she wasn't half as nervous 20 years ago).
Apryl is not just my horses trainer, and not just my trainer. She is our friend."
Lynn Jenkin
~HORSEANITY~
~TASHKENT FRIESIANS~
"I highly recommend Apryl to anyone having behavioural issues with their horse.
I recently purchased a 12 year old horse that had become traumatised loading onto a horse float. The Previous owners had tried everything and it took them hours to get him on; they had pretty much given up on him.
I sought out Apryl for help and haven’t looked back. With her patience and kindness towards my boy, he has overcome these issues and willingly loads himself now.
As a novice rider I look to Apryl for sound advice. Sometimes I have what seems like a thousand questions to ask her but Apryl is always very patient with me too and will answer them no matter how silly they may seem."
Janet S.
Clarencetown NSW
"Apryl has such a refreshing view on training horses. She looks not only at the horse but also seeks to understand the intricacies of the relationship between horse and owner and how this impacts horse behaviour and performance. Apryl has a wealth of knowledge and experience that she generously shares with patience and kindness to bring out the best in every horse that she works with. I highly recommend Apryl to anyone seeking a highly skilled, personable and ethical horse trainer."
Fiona, Port Stephens
"I would definitely recommend Apryl from AJ Equine-Ethical Horsemanship.
From the first message I felt confident this was the trainer for us.
She came out to my house, so with me having a small child and an injury it made the process easier and being able to watch Apryl working with Slim and how he reacts and has performed I can honestly say it has given me more confidence knowing he has had the proper time, trainer and care."
Sam, Dungog
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"For a long time I was looking to find a trainer that I could work with, I tried calling larger horse trainers who explained to me that it wasn’t possible to train a horse without a bit, I had tried sending my horse away but it ended up leading to more issues. I wanted to see the process and connect with my horse myself, I had a understanding of horsemanship though research and putting it into practice with my own horses but sometimes you need someone there to guide you when you encounter an issue something that no amount of research can help.
When I met Apryl, she understood what I was trying to achieve, at that point I was stuck on forward movement from the saddle, we went though the ground work, tried a few techniques and then she gave me homework to work on. It was sometimes hard as I was being too soft and for a horse to give softly to pressure sometimes you have to ask with increasing pressure to get a soft response.
Apryl travels to the paddock which is so great as I don’t have a float or a car and the horse isn’t worried about being in a new location. Me and Sunny have also attended a clinic where we went though ground work and obstacles building trust though working to try new things, Apryl was there when you were stuck to guide you along the way.
Now me and Sunny have great forward motion, we trail ride with a bitless bridle though the bush and as always, there is something to work on on the ground or under saddle and I know if I am stuck Apryl will always be there to guide me though it."
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Mahalia, Maitland.
