Linda Barnes Dressage

🔊 Calling all event riders 🔊

🐎 Not long until Kirriemuir & Penrith! 🐎

Test and teach Friday 10th and Sat 11th April outdoors at my yard in Stewarton. Practice your accuracy and gain test riding tips to improve your scores and achieve sub 30!! PM to book 😃

(Proof that I did once leave the ground and gallop!)

So very sad to hear of Jill Grants fatal car crash yesterday. 💔 I met Jill 20 years ago and remember my first lesson at Ingliston as if it were yesterday. What an incredible horsewoman, hugely knowledgeable, talented, patient and kind. I was very lucky to buy schoolmistress Solitaire from Jill, which was such a privilege, and they both taught me so so much. Jill also helped me train Vergil and Merrie, and I would never have achieved so much without her valuable input. What a sad loss to all that knew her, my thoughts are with all her friends and sister. X

📣 Awesome April Diary Dates! 💐🌻🌷

Mon 6th - Kilmacolm and Kilallan Riding Club at Wardhouse, Kilbarchan, private outdoor, book via Horse Monkey

Wed 8th - Greenfields enc. Drumclog Horse Trials, Drumclog, private indoor, book via Horse Monkey

Sat 11th - Test & Teach, Stewarton, outdoor private, PM to book. Overnight stabling available if you want to do polework or more flatwork following day ⬇️

Sun 12th - Gymnastix polework, Stewarton. Outdoor private or pairs, PM to book.

Mon 13th - North Ayrshire Riding Club at East Middlebank, Dalry. Pairs lessons outdoors.

Tues 14th - Gryffeside, Kilmacolm. Indoors, private lessons.

Sun 19th - Clarkston Farm Livery, Lanarkshire. Indoors, private lessons.

Open to all 😎 All ages and stages welcome 😊
Welcome for lessons at my yard outside Stewarton outwith above dates. 🐎

Wee BD post to share 😌

🌟Meet Linda Barnes, a BD Recognised Coach, UKCC Level 2 coach, BD List 4 judge, BD Para Coach and BA (Hons) Equine Studies graduate. Linda Barnes Dressage

Linda feels lucky to do the best job in the world, developing the skills and confidence of both horses and riders and supporting each client on their journey. Inspired by her love of dressage, she finds coaching both enjoyable and therapeutic.

Linda describes her coaching style as approachable, empathetic and encouraging. Her top training tips focus on correct posture, balance and aids, getting rid of dodgy body patterns and training by reward to create confident, harmonious partnerships. She believes riders often overlook the importance of all the scales of training, miss them out and they come back to haunt you.

Linda believes a great partnership is built on trust, harmony, confidence, skill, enjoyment, praise and plenty of treats. She finds every level rewarding, from first correct canter leads to first tests and tempi changes.

For competition nerves, Linda swears by breathing, meticulous planning and for riders feeling stuck she encourages kindness to yourself and reaching out to others, such as coaches and sports psychologists — reminding riders they’re never alone in the dressage community.

Search 'Flexi Training Scotland' on HorseMonkey to find Linda's contact details and further information.

📣 Magnificent March Diary Dates 📣
With Spring around the corner it’s time to get dancing! 💃

Sat 7th & Sun 8th - Test & Teach, Freestyle or Flatwork outdoors Stewarton, PM to book

Sat 14th - Gymnastix, polework, outdoors Stewarton, PM to book

Tues 17th - North Ayrshire Riding Club pairs outdoor flatwork, East Middlebank, Dalry

Weds 18th - Greenfields enc. Drumclog Horse Trials indoors private flatwork, book via Horsemonkey

Sun 22nd - British Dressage Para Test & Teach, Sandyflats, book via Horsemonkey

Sat 28th - Renfrewshire Riding Club Test & Teach, outdoors Lawmarnock, Johnstone

Sun 29th - Polnoon Castle Riders Association indoor group flatwork West Kype, Strathaven

Open to all! All ages and levels catered for 😃 Will travel to teach at other yards, and welcome at my peaceful stables outwith above times.

Here’s another great stretch for your horses - keep the carrots flowing! 😉🥕🥕🥕

Carrot low to the side stretch creates back flexion as well as lateral flexion. This makes it great for stimulating and strengthening the abdominal muscles, improving posture and increasing back strength and mobility.

How to do it
This is best done up against a stable wall, so your horse reaches round to the side for the carrot rather than moving backwards.

Stand with your back against your horse roughly in line with the girth area.

Hold the carrot in the hand closest to the tail, encourage your horse to bring his head across your body.

Bring the carrot down to just below your knee, keep the movement smooth by keeping the carrot close to your horse's lips.

Hold the stretch for 5 to 10 seconds. Repeat this 2-3 times on each side.

This is normally an exercise I prescribe for horses recovering from kissing spine but not in the initial period immediately after surgery where the focus needs to be reducing inflammation and gently mobilising to give the body confidence. In the early phases of rehab it is best to stick your simple movements.

📣 Fabulous February Frolicking 🐎📣

Sunday 8th - Gryffeside, Kilmacolm, private lessons indoors, book via Horse Monkey

Sunday 15th - Pet Plan Preparation, test and teach in 20x60m arena, outdoors, Stewarton, PM to book

Wednesday 18th - Greenfields, Drumclog, indoors, book via Horse Monkey

Sunday 22nd - Gymnastix polework, private or pairs, outdoors, Stewarton, PM to book

Friday 27th - Muirmill Equestrian Centre indoors, private or shared flatwork, PM to book

Sunday 1st March - Gryffeside, Kilmacolm, indoors, book via Horse Monkey

All levels catered for, from confidence boosting flatwork lessons, gymnastic polework to advanced level dressage.

Will travel to other yards and folk welcome for lessons at my peaceful Stewarton stables. Marvellous Merrie might pull this look for you too 😉

Volunteers keep our sport running. 🐎If you have a couple of hours spare to steward, score or write for judges please get in touch with show organisers. I’m happy to answer any questions if you would like to give it a go but unsure of what’s required. Writing is a great way to learn directly from judges and watch all the action from the judges box. 👀😃

📣 British Dressage Scotland – Volunteer Opportunities! 🇬🇧🐴
We’re always looking for enthusiastic volunteers to support our events, and there are plenty of ways to get involved! Opportunities include:
✨ Writing for judges
✨ Scoring sheets
✨ Arena stewarding (please note this is not the same as official stewarding)
✨ Sheet collecting

If you are a trainee judge, volunteering as a writer is a fantastic way to gain experience, especially during our larger classes.

With the Winter Area Festivals and Winter Regionals fast approaching, it’s the perfect time to get involved. Local venues also regularly need volunteers for their day-to-day shows too!

Interested in helping out?
📧 Contact us at [email protected], or feel free to reach out to venues directly to offer your support.
Thank you to everyone who gives their time—you help make our sport possible! 🤍🐴

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Any clients interested in BD Scotland Teams 2026? As a recognised BD Coach any training sessions with myself count towards team training eligibility. Great opportunity to join like minded riders, perform for your region and have a lot of fun. Have a read and go for it! 💪🏆🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Battling the snow and ice can feel a little testing, and in some areas in Scotland, it has been an extremely tough couple of weeks! We hope everyone is staying safe. But as the days slowly start to lengthen and we look ahead to brighter weather, it’s the perfect time to start getting excited about new goals and opportunities for the year ahead!

Join us for our Zoom information evenings to chat about team events, championships, and what’s coming up for 2026.

Our regional teams give you the chance to represent your region across a variety of competitions - and it’s about so much more than just results.

Team events are about:
• Incredible team spirit and unforgettable memories
• Learning, improving, and stepping outside your comfort zone
• Becoming part of a supportive, uplifting regional family

Para Teams Talk – 20 January
https://horsemonkey.com/uk/equestrian_event/83056/BD+Scotland+Para+Zoom+Talk

Youth Teams Talk – 21 January
https://horsemonkey.com/uk/equestrian_event/82900/BD+Scotland+Youth+Teams+Zoom+Talk

Senior Teams Talk – 22 January
https://horsemonkey.com/uk/equestrian_event/82899/BD+Scotland+Senior+Teams+Zoom+Talk

Further information about team events can be found at the link below, including dates and selection policies:
https://www.britishdressage.co.uk/competing/championships-and-qualifiers/represent-your-region/

Attending one of our information talks can be the first step on the teams pathway, as they count for one of our training requirements. We can't wait to see you all there!

📣 January dates! New Year, New Skills! 😃📣

Friday 9th - Muirmill Equestrian Centre indoors, private or shared flatwork, PM to book

Saturday 17th - Gryffeside, Kilmacolm, indoors, book via Horse Monkey

Saturday 24th - Gymnastix polework, outdoors, Stewarton, PM to book

Sunday 25th - West Kype, Strathaven, indoors, pairs lessons, book via Polnoon Castle Riders Association

Wednesday 28th - New venue! Greenfields enc. Drumclog Horse Trials, indoors, book via Horse Monkey

Friday 30th - Muirmill Equestrian Centre indoors, private or shared flatwork, PM to book

All levels catered for, from confidence boosting riding lessons, polework to advanced level dressage.

Will travel to other yards and folk welcome for lessons at my peaceful Stewarton stables. Test and teach sessions a favourite with qualified BD judge.