Danielle Pooles is a qualified EA NCAS Riding Coach, Life Coach and a NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) Practitioner.
Danielle has over 23 years of riding and competing experience and over 18 years of coaching experience. Training and competing horses through from Prelim level to FEI.
Danielle’s passion has always been towards Dressage training and competing and a fascination with rider’s mindset lead her to include not just the mechanical, practical side of training a rider and horse but also focusing on assisting riders to improve and understand the mindset and the body language side of training and competing.
Through her own riding and competition challenges, Danielle has learnt how to control performance nerves and overcome fears in her own riding and loves working with like-minded riders to help them achieve this for themselves as well.
Danielle riding Ashleigh Rondo
GET TO KNOW A BIT MORE ABOUT DANIELLE AND WHY SHE CREATED DRESSAGE PLUS!
Hello Riders!
I wanted to share with you the real reasons that led to me being where I am today; creating Dressage Plus so I can help riders build more confidence, relaxation, focus and enjoyment in their riding.
I got my first pony when I was 9 years old, after begging my non-horsey parents for ages. I then started Pony Club and as I got older moved onto a larger pony and then for my 13th birthday I received a 6-year-old Clydie cross gelding, called Pretzel.
Pretzel was my best friend as I grew up, and over the 12 years that I rode him we grew from Grade 4 Pony Club combination to competing Prix St. George.
We had many highs together, however the journey wasn’t smooth sailing and it was my time with Pretzel, and his cheeky and challenging temperament, that lead to me hating the warm up arenas, tensing up when I heard the bell ring and creating the limiting belief that I was ‘nervous rider’.
After I retired Pretzel, I was working with some lovely young Warmbloods, and I really enjoyed the training at home but was not looking forward to getting back out competing.
I was worried that I would start the same old negative patterns with them, that I had in the past on Pretzel, and turn them into ‘naughty’ or ‘nervous’ horses too.
Luckily, for me and my horses, this worry was such a big one for me, that it pushed me to seek out extra help and guidance to work through the issues I was experiencing in my riding.
Working with some amazing Coaches, I learnt the tools to be able to control my mindset and body language, which enables me to now stay far more relaxed, confident and focused than I ever thought possible when out competing!
I’ve successfully been competing my beautiful mare, Ashleigh Rondo, for the past five years up through the EA levels, with our first Prix St. George start just around the corner!
I can easily say the tools and exercises I have learnt through my studies over the last five years has changed not just my enjoyment and success in my riding, but in my life in general.
As a qualified Life Coach, NLP Practitioner (Neuro Linguistic Programming), EA NCAS Riding Coach, and passionate rider, I am inspired and dedicated to share my knowledge and experiences with other likeminded riders.
Riders that are ready to step up and break free from old fears and limiting beliefs that are not serving them anymore.
Riders that are ready to push themselves out of their comfort zone and create a new level of confidence and relaxation within themselves and their horses.
This is what excites me when I wake up in the morning, the opportunities I get working with riders, that like me, want to become the best version of themselves that they can be.
So, I hope this has motivated you to step up and take some action today that will get you a stride closer to becoming the best rider you can be!
I look forward to supporting you on your journey!
Danielle