Testimonials

"Susy has been teaching my teenage daughter and her mare several months now and the progress has been amazing! They have built up an excellent rapport which has been instrumental in moulding, refining and developing techniques and the partnership is going from strength to strength. Every lesson positive and well planned with clear goals, and we always go home feeling glad we contacted Susy for lessons. Very highly recommended." - Catherine

"At a time when it is increasingly difficult to find professional and skilled individuals, I wanted to highly recommend an equestrian professional called Susy Stark (Butler). Susy has worked through BHS exam training with me and has been worth every penny. If anyone is after a capable, knowledgeable, proven and professional person for your equestrian needs then Susy is for the lady for you." - Rachel

"Susy has helped give me back my confidence in the saddle. Taking me back to basics, working on my position and communication aids. I can now go in the arena without worrying." - Juliette

"Susy has taught Fran since she started learning to ride. She has helped Fran so much - with her first share pony, and now with her second Boris she has been fantastic, it is hard to believe he is the same pony. He had a difficult reputation at the farm, and the first ride was quite an experience !! but now he is such a star - an absolute joy, thanks in a massive way to Susy`s guidance . Couldn't have done it without her." - Sue

"Thank you Susy for all your help over the last fourteen months. From the first cross country clinic in an arena, through to cross country training over fences on a wide open course. Teaching two teenagers of different levels, with very different horses, can be a challenge but your patience, persistence and putting up with situations where things went wrong, has given them confidence in themselves, their horses and realised their own ability which has improved so much in that time. You have been incredibly patient when things have changed, like an extra child and pony in the lesson, a lame horse at the last minute cancelling a lesson, and adapting times for lessons during holidays, half terms or inset days. I look forward to the next phase of our journey with horses, and with your help to continue with the progress and confidence that is so precious. I am thrilled that both of my teenagers came home with 1st and 2nd rosettes from show jumping this year! A mention also of how grateful I am for the help with GCSE riding which I submitted and it was a well earned full marks! Thank you!" - Victoria

"Susy is one of the best instructors I've had so far; she will always challenge you to push yourself in lessons but will never push you too far. She is very friendly and welcoming, making her very easy to talk to about anything. Concerns and problems are listened to and taken into account and Susy will always make sure that her clients are fully comfortable and safe. I cannot recommend Susy enough! Her knowledge and ability to teach are outstanding and she will always proactively challenge and educate both horse and rider within her lessons." - Becky

"Susy is a patient and caring instructor who is both calm and encouraging when trying to reach any goals. She is particularly great with a nervous rider, taking time to explain things thoroughly without being judgemental. Susy is always happy to answer any questions I have, even when they are completely irrelevant to what we are doing at the time and takes the extra time to give you any help or advice you might be looking for. I love my lessons with Susy on both flat work and the occasional jumping; she has even helped me build the confidence to jump the highest I ever have. I especially love the regular hacks that Susy escorts for myself and my friend where she always calms me down and eases my nerves whatever happens." - Sam

"After our pony Magic had his third SI injection in a year, I decided to seek professional help with rehabbing him. I have to say that Susy has been nothing short of AMAZING. Magic is not the calmest of ponies, but Susy’s patient and persistent approach has meant that he is now working beautifully in a more consistent outline and is developing core muscle strength. She is extremely knowledgeable and whether teaching my daughter, or schooling Magic herself, she is always happy to explain everything in detail. Her positive reassurance has been invaluable, particularly to myself, who at times had wondered if we would come out the other side. I would 100% recommend! Fantastic service in every way!" - Vicki

"Susy has been so helpful to me and Wilma over the years. Wilma can be over picky and it took us a very long time to settle together and Susy helped massively with this. She has been patient and understanding through my health issues and has even taken to riding Wilma for me in our lessons until I am able to get back on board full time. Honestly couldn’t recommend Susy enough." - Sheryl

"My daughter has been having lessons with Susy for about 4 months and wow, what a massive improvement in her and her new pony. Susy is a wonderfully adept, knowledgeable and empathic teacher who pitches her teaching so that it is both challenging but encouraging. Susy has really “clicked” with my daughter and built up her confidence and I can honestly say that she loves every minute of her lesson – even the stirrup-less trot." - Claire

"We would not be in the place we are now with our mare Connie if it weren’t for Susy’s help. Susy has been a massive support to us in Connie’s rehab with both lessons and with Susy also riding once a week. Not only that, but Susy has always been at the end of the phone should we need any other help or advice (Connie is our first horse). We are always doing different exercises in our lessons which makes it fun and interesting – 45 minutes goes very quickly! Susy is clear and patient with her lesson instruction and a huge confidence-giver. She gets to know you and your horse and adapts her lesson style accordingly. Thank you Susy!" - Flo & Jemima

"I only started working with Susy at the end of April 2021 and, as my horse can be tricky and I have lots of bad habits and can get nervous, we started slowly with some ground work sessions. I found these sessions hugely beneficial with clear instructions and reasoning for what we were trying to achieve and, even after sessions where my horse was adding some extra (unrequested) moves to the exercises we were doing, I always went away with a positive mind set and lots of ideas and homework to practice. Ridden sessions have followed and everything again is done in a calm, logical and fun way. Susy always has exercises planned and structured and, even if things don’t go as anticipated, Susy will always try and understand why and spot things that I hadn’t. The feedback is given in a way I can understand and, if I don’t or I have any questions, Susy is so approachable it is never a problem to ask." - Heidi

"Susy has been my instructor for around two years now and I feel I have improved massively. She has always been very helpful and has given me lots of advice and encouragement! Her lessons are always educational and enjoyable. I love the fact that she takes videos to help me see how I have improved and what I need to improve on. I always look forward to my next lesson, she is an amazing coach!" - Emma

"After the first lockdown I began to re evaluate both mine and my horse’s performance, and decided it would be best to start from pretty much scratch with our training. Susy has worked with us from here and I saw improvements in me and my horse from the very first lesson. I feel that we have come such a long way and I couldn’t be happier with how we are progressing. I recommend Starks Equitation to anyone looking for kind and knowledgeable instructor to help them progress with their riding." - Ania

"Susy has done a wonderful job building our daughter's confidence. She's been patient while still challenging her and encouraging - lots of fun along the way!" - Ann-Marie

"I have known Susy for about 10 years. Susy started off teaching my children when my youngest was 6 and up until they both reached mid-teens before I eventually stole her for myself!

Susy is an extremely knowledgeable and professional trainer, whilst maintaining an approachable and down-to-earth attitude. I find it refreshing and reassuring that Susy continually strives to further her own knowledge and education reading, researching and undertaking additional study. I love Susy's analytical approach, and particularly her adaptable nature and ability to communicate in a language that each rider uniquely understands.

Unlike many other trainers, I have always felt that Susy is totally invested in your equine journey. There is structure and planning to lessons, that are linked and progressive in their goals, and this extra time and effort spent has been the major contributory factor in building confidence and skills for both myself and my horse. I was in no doubt, and had total confidence about asking Susy to take over riding my horse for me when I underwent surgery and was unable to ride for 6 months.

I would not hesitate to recommend Susy, and I personally, would be lost without her!" - Jo

"I love my lessons with Susy. She's very easy to get along with and truly cares about both you and your horse. Cameo and I have improved considerably since lessons with Susy going from 60cm to 90cm and from Prelim to Elementary as well as my first ODEs, which she was really supportive with. Susy even checked the online scores and messaged me throughout which was outside of her working hours. She has a vast range of knowledge and Cameo and I never get bored of her elaborate exercises whether they're poles, jumps or flatwork. Susy clearly explains it all and always highlights improvements that can be made and helps me to achieve "lightbulb moments"." - Louisa

"Susy is a wonderful instructor with the ability to push you and encourage you all at the same time. Buzz is an older horse and Susy is always considerate of his age and capabilities before putting us through exercises whether that's flatwork or polework. I thoroughly enjoy my lessons with Susy and have seen and felt improvements from both Buzz and myself since the very first lesson I had with her. Susy has an incredible way of explaining how an exercise will help you and your horse along with it's desired outcome which really helps me when I am riding by myself as I can refer back to exercises that Susy has taught me. I highly recommend Susy to anyone and everyone!" - Tara

If you would like to submit your own testimonial then please email Susy directly; all testimonials are greatly appreciated.