A Grand Prix dressage rider, Heather Robertson has competed successfully across Europe, North America and Canada. Heather and her home-bred Swedish Warmblood stallion Maguin were Short Listed for the Canadian Equestrian Team every year from 2001 to 2005. After winning Maguin's first Prix St Georges at the Golden State Dressage Show, Heather and Maguin flew to Holland to study under Edward Gal. In four years Heather became Gal's top assistant rider, and showed horses in both the VSN and the Pavo Cup Finals. She also enjoyed great success with Maguin at Prix St Georges and Intermediare 1 at CDI's in Austria, Italy and the Netherlands. In their first Grand Prix in Holland, Heather and Maguin placed second.
Working with many talented, spirited horses from birth gave her great insight into the equine mind and effective communication. "The horse must understand his training, and you do this by being unfailingly clear and consistent, and by using positive rewards instead of punishment. A horse should enjoy being trained and a well-trained horse is a pleasure to ride. " Heather trains in the classical way using the training scale, with strong emphasis on correct basics. This enhances the horse's confidence and makes it easier for him to understand the rider's aids.
Adoring horses from before she can remember, Heather had her first pony at 6 and convinced her parents to move to a small farm when she was ten. As Heather moved up though the ranks of Canadian Pony Club, she completed in Combined Training, Steeple chasing, Jumpers and "A" circuit Hunters. But the beauty of dressage and the challenge of training athletic horses has always been her focus. Heather trained with Olympian Leslie Reid, and competed successfully at Young Riders.
Having trained Maguin from birth to successful Grand Prix horse. Heather enjoys the journey to Grand Prix as much as the end result. " I enjoy having a balance of talented young horses and advanced level horses in my barn."
