Carol’s equestrian career has included competing in dressage, eventing and show jumping.  However, her greatest achievements were in show jumping where she was fortunate to train with the renowned instructor Dick Stillwell and win show jumping classes at major venues such as Hickstead and Royal Windsor Horse Show.  

Both Carol and her sister-in-law, Caroline Stevenson (Chief Instructor), are very committed to charitable works.  They organise three main fund raising events in the year, the Charity Ball in March, the Summer Show in June and the Sponsored Horse Ride in October.  They have raised over half a million pounds for charity over the last 28 years.  “it is very satisfying organising events that people really enjoy taking part in and we are constantly amazed by people’s generosity which is not just limited to financial donations or sponsorship, but also includes clients contributing their time to help us organise and run these events.

I love the sense of community at the stables, and am very proud that the Member’s Club has played such a huge part in advancing this feeling of team spirit.  It is wonderful to see how much enjoyment riding can bring to people and also the friendships that develop between people sharing a common interest."    > Back to top

 The Instructors 

"The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains.
The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires."

No stables can be successful without a well organised team behind it. In Carol’s words: 

“We could not achieve this without the invaluable help from our staff. Since we opened Wimbledon Village Stables in 1980, we have strived to provide the best environment for our horses and the best tuition for our clients.  We have been very fortunate over the years to be assisted by many excellent instructors and our current team is no exception.  They are a very talented and diverse bunch as you will see from their details below.”

To ensure their personal development the Instructors regularly receive training both from Caroline, our Chief Instructor and also external experts such as Patrick Print FBHS and to widen their experience they are given the opportunity to school the horses and take them to competitions. All the Instructors are kept up to date on their First Aid Certificates and Child Protection Courses and our Health and Safety procedures are very comprehensive   > Back to top

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Caroline Stevenson
BHSI
Chief Instructor

Caroline is a very talented instructress who holds her BHSI exam.  She has chosen to dedicate herself to teaching riders of all levels to become confident horsemen and women and has been at Wimbledon Village Stables since 1980. She is a much sought after and popular instructor, who is equally happy teaching beginners as she is helping to train riders develop more advanced dressage skills. Regular private slots with Caroline, whether in the ring on the tracks, are much in demand.

Not only has Caroline been involved in riding and road safety issues for many years, she is also the BHS Assistant Regional Road Safety Officer for South West London, sits on the BHS Riding School and Livery Yards Advisory Group and is Assistant District Commissioner of Wimbledon Pony Club.  Hers is an impressive CV, and Caroline is a valuable leader within the WVS team.

“I bring sports psychology into my teaching along with Ride with your Mind techniques learnt from Mary Wanless.  I enjoy breaking down my teaching into bite-size essentials and I hope to encourage riders at all levels.”   > Back to top

Jennifer Hesketh, BHS Int. SM
Yard Manager
Jennifer trained at the prestigious Foxes Equestrian Centre where she gained her BHSAI. Since joining WVS she continued her training and recently passed her BHS Stage IV. Jennifer is a very accomplished horsewoman and has competed successfully in dressage, showing and eventing. She particularly enjoys dressage and won the Veteran Horse Society Dressage Champion in 2008.   She studied at Liverpool University achieving a 2.1 in English and Communication Studies. She has a passion for journalism so who knows we may get her writing in our Gossip Column soon! 

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Fernanda Zuniga, BHSPTT
Riding Instructor
Fernanda is the newest member of the team. She grew up in Mexico where she competed in numerous show jumping competitions before moving to the UK five years ago. Since moving to England, she began training towards her BHS exams, and she has recently gained her
BHS PTT so she will soon be a BHS AI. > Back to top

Jessica Crowe, BHSAI
Riding Instructor
Coming from Ireland, Jessica was brought up in real 'horse country'.  She trained at Kill International Equestrian Centre in Kildare and after a spell working as a show jumping groom for Irish  Rider Jack Doyle she went on to work in Andalusia in Spain, teaching and training riders for BHS Examinations.   > Back to top

Lisa Harris
Riding Instructor
Lisa comes from an equestrian family with both parents, Johnny and Jackie Harris, being accredited trainers.  She competed in affiliated show jumping competitions throughout her childhood and went to work as a show jumping groom for international competition riders before going to study Equine Science in Bristol.  She was top student in 2006-7 and we are delighted that she is  a member of our team here at WVS.

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Natalija Drobysevskaja
Riding Instructor
Twice Lithuanian national dressage champion, Natalija has most recently been a manager at a prestigious 40 horse stable in her home country. Her considerable skills in horse training, instructing and competing have brought her to England where we are extremely lucky to have her at WVS. Among her many successes she won several gold medals at FEI World Dressage Challenge, St George Level.  We are very fortunate to have our own Russian speaking Horse Riding Instructor here at Wimbledon.

"I enjoy helping riders to get the most out of their horses, it is very rewarding to see them come together to work in harmony."  > Back to top

Jenny Rudall BHS Int. SM
Riding Instructor

A zoologist by education, Jenny trained for her BHSAI in Ireland and was extremely fortunate to be instructed by Ann Marie Dumfrey, the acclaimed Olympic Dressage Rider. She competed in show jumping in Ireland before setting off to Spain to work as Chief Instructor at an expatriate riding school and training Andalusian horses. Although the Spanish sun must have been difficult to leave, we are lucky Jenny decided to return to England to join us at WVS and teach on Saturdays.

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Claire Mallett
Office Manager
Hailing all the way from Zimbabwe, Claire grew up on a prestigious stud farm where she helped her parents break and school young thoroughbreds. An expert polo-crosse player, she has been at WVS for seven years and knows the Stables inside and out!  Claire has passed her BHS Exams and enjoys taking part in show jumping and cross country competitions. When she is not on duty in the office she enjoys riding her favourite horse Bamboo and in the Summer months Claire's BBQs are legendary!

"It's great that there is always something to look forward to - whether it is a musical ride,  a show or one of the many events organised by the stables. "> Back to top

Benji Head Dog Benji has a very important role to play at the stables.  He meets and greets everyone who comes into the yard  but don't worry he absolutely loves children and can often be found with a small child hanging on to his neck cuddling him.  He also keeps an eye on everything that the horses get up to and he's quick to let us know if any of the horses manage to open their doors.  He also makes sure that absolutely no pussy cats trespass on his yard!

We have only been able to give a flavour of the different backgrounds and specialities of our staff but hope that you will have a chance to meet them in person if you visit the yard or benefit from their expertise if you come in for a lesson.  

Want to join the WVS team? 

If you think you have got what it takes to join the WVS team and are interested in a Riding Instructor Vacancy, please e-mail your CV to Claire (admin@wvstables.com) and she will get back to you. 
 

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