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Tracey Duncan Taking Care of Training

tracey duncan taking care of training

Developing a blended approach to training As a child I dreamed of having a relationship as you saw in the films, galloping along a beach, tackless, with the wind in my hair in complete harmony with my horse. As I grew up I followed many horsemen/whisperers and played with the riding school horses in my own way. I fell in love with a new arrival that was on trial; he was proving way too much for riding school customers and was going to be sent back. I pleaded with the owner of the school and she said "I’ll give you a chance to turn him around". He was about 6 years old and I was about 13 years old at the time, and he’s only just retired from the riding school at the grand old age of 30. He was one of her best ponies. From this I went on to riding the neighbour’s horses, and this is where I caught the eventing bug. I went to an Agricultural College and gained a First Diploma, National Diploma, Higher National Diploma and BSC in Equine Sports Performance, as well as gaining my BHS Stage 3 and PTT. Alongside my degree I was working for top international Eventer Francis Whittington. I have always been interested in good horsemanship, but my current horse, Woo, is the reason that I now believe in it being the most effective way of communicating with horses. Woo was bought from a dealer’s yard – chosen in part for her undeniable jumping talent, but also because I couldn’t bear to see how unhappy she was on that yard. She had a look in her eye that said “Don't leave me here”. The nerves of the dealer’s groom when asked to show her and her skittish manner should have been the warning signs that this was not an 'easy' horse, not to mention that the dealer had said I would be her 5th home this month! After I got Woo home, it was very apparent as to why the groom had dreaded riding her so much. Not only was she 'crazy' to ride, she was just as dangerous on the ground, both when led and in her stable. All of my trainers at the time advised me to have her put down or to sell her (if I could!) because she was so dangerous, but something inside me knew that she was misunderstood. I could sense that she didn't want to react in the way she did all the time. I found a form of horsemanship that helped micro manage her, but I wanted more. After attending a Horsemanship event in 2009, I haven't looked back. It gave me the direction and tools to build a meaningful relationship with Woo. She is now the best partner I could have ever dreamed of. She has gone from a horse that I was advised to put to sleep due to her being so dangerous, to my best friend and soulmate; she has toured the UK with me demonstrating our partnership. She's gone from physically shaking in a show jumping arena and stopping at fences to loving show jumping and being a great team member for the local riding club, and is successful at British Eventing. For me good horsemanship has become more than something to turn to in order to resolve problem. I have found it a more effective foundation for any horse’s training. I believe good horsemanship is the best way to start and to develop any horse's training. It can help whether you want to learn how to understand your horse better, enjoy your horse more (and that could mean having a horse that loads easily), stands still to mount, jump whatever you ask, being calmer at shows, or if you want to ride bareback and bridleless. I am passionate about good horsemanship and competition and enjoy the two becoming one. I have spent the best part of a year over in the USA, learning and developing myself as a horseman and teacher. I continue to strive to be better each day as a horseman and instructor My approach starts with listening and reading your horse, identifying what are they trying to tell you, and what do they need from us for the partnership to grow. How can we adapt the way we are with them so they are happy and you can have a harmonious relationship.

Kinver High School And Sixth Form

kinver high school and sixth form

West Midlands

Welcome to the Kinver High School website my name is Nikki Clifton, proud headteacher of Kinver High School. I joined Kinver High in December 2019 as head and was pleased to find a team and community that had ambitions that match mine, to create a world class environment for our students to learn. During my headship I aim to lean on not only the experience gained from my 25 years in education, first as a teacher of Modern Foreign Languages and secondly as a School Leader for the past decade; but also, being a parent of three teenagers allows me to perfectly understand the challenges that face our students, parents and carers. I know that the relationship between home and school is crucial to the development of our students. At Kinver, we believe that every child really matters and that every child is an individual with an array of talents, perhaps yet to be discovered. It is our belief that every child can be successful and we are committed to ensuring that all students are prepared for their future and are able to go on to lead successful lives. Our goal is simple, we want all students to develop into well-rounded confident, independent, resilient and high achieving outward thinking individuals, who are proud of their school, its values and reputation. We will equip all students with the knowledge, skills, characteristics and learning behaviours to enable them to set aspirational and challenging goals. We always seek to work with pupils, parents and our wider school community to provide a happy, supportive and stimulating environment where all students thrive, feel safe, respected and are recognised. We want our students to be happy, successful young adults who contribute to their communities, seek out opportunities and continue to always aim, to be the best that they can be. Kinver High School and Sixth Form is widely recognised as a friendly and welcoming school community where all are valued. We aim to support and challenge all our students to work hard and have high aspirations for academic success and personal development. The attainment of students at Kinver is consistently above the national average and their ‘behaviour in lessons and at social times is good’ (Ofsted 2018). Our curriculum is broad and balanced and designed to ensure that all students develop the wide range of skills and attributes required to be a successful member of society as well as gaining the best possible recognised qualifications. ‘16 to 19 study programmes are effective. Teaching is strong, and students make good progress.’ Ofsted, 2018 Kinver is a small 11 – 18 secondary school providing for about 600 students. Being relatively small for a secondary school is seen by parents and students as highly beneficial because we know all of our students well, so that we can help them to learn and develop in a close knit environment. Our positive learning environment, promotes, recognises and rewards all student’s achievements and positive contributions to wider school life. Together with our comprehensive student support structure we ensure that all students can access help, guidance and the support to succeed. As a result, our students are the best advertisement the school could have. We are located in the beautiful, rural village setting of Kinver and serve a wide area also comprising the South Staffordshire villages of Stourton, Swindon, Bobbington and Trysull. Over recent years a substantial number of children have travelled in from Dudley and the southern and western parts of Stourbridge including Norton, Wollaston, Wordsley, Cookley in Worcestershire. Our coaches pick up from all of these locations. Kinver is also conveniently located for travel to and from Bridgnorth and Kidderminster. Academic work at all stages at Kinver High is important, but our idea of education goes beyond the classroom. We have an exceptional range of extra-curricular activities, through involvement in sports teams, musical performances and a variety of lunchtime and after-school clubs designed to engage and inspire students to pursue their own interests and develop their talents. There is also a house system to add a positive, competitive edge to many of the team activities that take place. ‘The curriculum is well balanced, and extra-curricular activities make a strong contribution to pupils’ learning’ Ofsted 2018 Our simple message to students is that ‘hard work and high aspirations make you successful’. I hope that you will want to discover more of what Kinver High can offer you or your child and would encourage you to further explore our website to get to know us better. Through the website you will also be able to access a wide range of important and useful information about the school and stay up to date with school life here at Kinver.