Who is Ellen

Ellen’s connection with horses first began when she was just three years old. She had a unique childhood, travelling and living with her parents throughout Scotland, North America, and Europe. In each place they lived and visited, she would spend most of her days at local stables. Riding, working, teaching, and learning different ways that horses are handled in different parts of the world, and by different trainers and schools. She learned dressage, equitation, games, hunter-jumper, show jumping, eventing, and more. She competed everywhere she lived, from England to Virginia. In her early twenties she moved to New Zealand and her work evolved into owning riding schools, trekking operations, running clinics, buying, selling, and breeding horses. During that time her journey with natural horsemanship began.

She attended her first natural horsemanship clinic 25 years ago with Merv Kildy, who was taught by Tom Dorrance. After attending her first clinic she went straight home, closed her riding school and worked intensely with all of the horses, to help change the way they thought, felt, and connected with people. When she reopened, she taught the students to communicate more clearly and compassionately with the horses. She soon realised that the horses could understand much more than she had been giving them credit for, benefitting everyone as both animals and humans grew in confidence. She went on to participate in many clinics with other practitioners in this new and growing field. She met with Tom Dorrance, and went to visit him in California and learned more in those few days than in an entire lifetime with horses. Realising the true significance of integrity and empathy not just in her personal journey, but also in the practice of horsemanship.

Ellen's signature Freework style developed during a clinic she ran more than 15 years ago remains the basis of her work with horses today. Striving to help individuals and their horses to maintain happier, healthier relationships, always emphasising that emotional connection is far more important than technique. Today she runs The Farm together with her family, a 1000 acre coastal dairy farm offering school camps, horse treks, agricultural training, animal handling, motorbiking and accommodation. When not at The Farm, she travels and works with horses and people in New Zealand and Europe.

Recently, she went on tour with the Wilson sisters and had the opportunity to work with over 300 horse and person combinations. That combined with a recent trip to Europe has renewed her understanding of the importance of creating a true connection with your horse. Both for the riders sake and the horses well being. The positive effect that it has on any discipline you are involved in, and your personal and professional life with horses, is a happy byproduct of a happy horse.