It all started Mike began riding when he was 12, when he saw a friend of his in riding breeches about to head off to the stables. He thought he looked very weird so, interested, he asked what he was doing. The result of this was that, not long after Mike went to the stables with his friend and joined him there for weekly lessons. He took an immediate liking to the sport and found that he had natural ability. At the stables there was a particular beautiful white horse which he longed to ride.

Trainers told him that he would have to be a lot better to afford the privilege to ride it. This being his fixed goal he gained skill and knowledge about the sport. By the age of 15 he was competing in his first classes at a low level, but it not take him long to progress to a professional standard. Mike fell in love with the sport and the lifestyle. He learnt an incredible amount in a short time in his teenage years. The dream of owning his own dealing yard was awoken in Mike. He wanted to take on horses and teach and improve them before selling them on.

I train my horses with one philosophy. What they want and need is paramount. There´s no set training regime that you can use on every horse. Training must be modeled around how you see they want to be handled, so an ability to understand your horses is crucial.”