Deborah is a British trained Riding Therapist, British Horse Society certified Intermediate Instructor and UK RDA Instructor of forty years’ experience, across almost all domains of Riding Therapy, coaching and equine training. Her training and work roles have been diverse – within the sporting arena, private and non – government organisations and special school systems, in the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zealand.
She is very focussed on individual learning plans and contexts and the facilitation of best practice programs for her human and equine trainees alike. She is currently registered with the New Zealand Coaching certification body and Equine ITO.
Additionally she has had 30 years Riding Centre and Equine Industry facility management experience, both in the United Kingdom and New Zealand. She has a very good understanding of the international Equine training sector and the NZ equine sports sector and well established linkages and networks worldwide.
Deborah has participated in a number of New Zealand Equine ITO and coaching service steering groups for Standards development, coached and mentored a number of successful competitive and Pony Club certified riders, participated in Riding Therapy research initiatives and facilitated the development of best practice Riding Therapy within the New Zealand Riding for Disabled movement over her career to date. In addition she has become a Careerforce Assessor and workplace verifier for the New Zealand Management Academy and Open Polytechnic for Health and Wellbeing qualifications.
Deborah was born in the United Kingdom and is of European descent. She lived, was educated and worked in the United Kingdom until 1989, when she was seconded from the Fortune Centre of Riding Therapy in Hampshire on a 12 month position as a Riding Therapist at Ambury Park Centre for Riding Therapy in Mangere, South Auckland. She never went back and became a New Zealand resident in 1990. She was the Equine Services Manager at the Centre in Mangere for 25 years and joined the Real World Living team fulltime in 2017. She is passionate about horses and the human-equine relationship. She is equally passionate about coaching in both the equine and people industries and about the New Zealand lifestyle and the great many opportunities that are available for all New Zealanders.