Para coach

Anna Miller on the buzz of coaching and the challenge of finding “self-assured but polite” horses to star on the para scene

- Georgia Guerin

I never had ponies of my own as a child, but I was fortunate to have some fantastic loans whom I rode at Pony Club. My dream was to ride around Badminton and I went to be a working pupil for event rider Frances Hooper Smith.

I had a series of major lifechanging events and I had to make some decisions about what was best for me and my family. At one point when I was working in London and riding part-time, I felt I had to choose between doing horses full time or not at all. I chose full time, set up my own yard and I haven’t looked back.

I found my way into the dressage world because people would send me young or tricky dressage horses because I was brave and good at giving them confidence. Adonis B, my grand prix prospect, was the one who really converted me to dressage – I realised I got as much excitement out of riding a horse of his calibre as I did going cross-country. Although I miss the eventing parties, I wish I’d got into dressage earlier.