I started riding relatively late for a youngster, only discovering the fun that could be had on horseback at the age of 14. As is so often the case though, I was immediately hooked, and soon started doing the typical teenage 'work for rides' arrangement at the local riding school, as well as of course sneeking in any bareback rides I could leading horses out to the paddocks! It didn't take long for me to decide that I wanted horses in my life not only as a leisure-time passion, but also that I wanted to work with horses as an instructor.

So, alongside studying sixth form, I also trained for the BHS instructor qualifications. Around the time I completed these, natural horsemanship was starting to reach the UK in force - every magazine you looked in would features with great photos of the amazing things people were achieving with there horses. These, coupled with a sense that things could be better, led me to begin exploring the 'natural' pathway, initially via the Parelli home study programme as well as taking part in and spectating at lessons with various instructors.

A couple of years in, I'd learnt a lot and come a long way, but had also become quite stuck, without the support to move me on. It was around this time that my sister dragged me off(!) to see a Leslie Desmond clinic, and I was struck by how much lighter the results she was achieving and her way of working was. Equally, I could see that having a clear programme to follow would make it a lot easier to progress, so set out to find those two things - softer horsemanship, but still with a clear programme behind it.

I watched a good deal of videos and spent a lot of time researching, and the programme that stood out for me was Quantum Savvy, that of Shane and Meredith Ransley. I enrolled, and even headed off to Australia to study as a working student with them. Over the two years I studied with Quantum Savvy, I spent 6 months out in Australia studying, as well as achieving my levels one, two and three in their programme and instructor status. Under Shane and Merediths supervision, I had the opportunity to work with many different horses and people, and really gain a wide breadth of experience across a range of different skills.

The horsemanship I learnt with Quantum Savvy was excellent - light, soft results, time and time again. However, with a burning desire to help and support people to also achieve these results, I found that the constraints of working in a programme often prevented me doing all that I could, so in October 2006 I decided to head my own way and work as a freelance instructor teaching the Quantum Savvy programme.

Now that I have taken this step, I am also looking forward to taking as many opportunities as I can to study with different horsemen and sportspeople to widen my experience further.

Would you like to find out more about Dan's beliefs and principals? You'll find the Library a good place to start! Click here to read our selection of natural horsemanship articles.