About Equus Education

Equus Education (NZ) Ltd is a registered New Zealand company that was created in 1999 by Steve and Leigh Wills. We hold a license to teach the Monty Roberts Join-Up® & Follow-Up^TM Class and the Monty Roberts Introductory Certificate of Horsemanship through Leigh Wills and Sally King, and specialise in young horse education and individual presentations.

1. Monty Roberts Join-Up® & Follow-Up^TM Class - This fantastic Class has been running in NZ since 2000 and is based at St Peters School, Cambridge in New Zealand, Brookleigh Equestrian Estate in Perth and by appointment in the Eastern States of Australia.

2. Monty Roberts Introductory Certificate of Horsemanship - For students who wish to study further we provide this well rounded course in NZ. Upon completion you have the option of further training at Flag Is Up Farms in California.

3. Monty's Roberts Merchandise - We have a limited amount of merchandise available for sale and videos available for hire.

4. Young Horse Education - We provide an exclusive foal education service to Cambridge Stud and their clients.

“We here at Cambridge Stud absolutely endorse the foal education programme with Leigh Wills. Last year we had 70 foals educated, and it has been of enormous benefit to us. We highly recommend for anyone breeding a foal this year to take advantage of this great service.”

Sir Patrick Hogan – Cambridge Stud.

5. Specialised Presentations - These are planned and implemented on an individual basis dependant upon the clients needs.

2000, 2001, 2002 - Monty Roberts Tour in NZ - attendance 10,500 people.

Invitation speaker at the Pony Club NI Horse Management Workshops. Speaker NZ Institute of Animal Control Officers Annual Training Seminar and Conference.

Horse Whisperer on the Good Morning television show with Mary Lambie Pet Expo Hamilton.

Childrens Programmes - designed to complement the Pony Club system with an emphasis on Horse Psychology.

Development of two NZQA papers in Horse Behaviour.

Writing and Implementation of a horse training programme at a top NZ Thoroughbred Stud.

Monty Roberts Instructors Leigh Wills and Sally King

Leigh Wills

Hi I am Leigh Wills with a passion and huge love of horses. I had a varied background with and without horses before meeting up with Monty at a demonstration in the UK in 1996.

Equestrian wise, with a fantastic horse Cotillion we won two One Day National eventing titles, attained our A and H Ponyclub Certificates and was an Invitation Rider at the 1984 Eventing International in New Zealand. During this time I also gained a scholarship to the National Equestrian Centre and was the Equestrian Teacher for two years at Nga Tawa, a Private Girls School in New Zealand.

Although my life has always revolved around horses. I had a non-horse career, starting with a Bachelor of Business, working on the Eurobond market in London, and running a successful Branch for Minolta Office Equipment for seven years, while continuing to compete.

In 1995 I had a bad fall showjumping and spent the remainder of that year recuperating. Upon rehabilitation, together with Steve whom I married in 1995 embarked on a one year round the world trip to find what we really wanted to do with our lives.

It was a chance meeting when seeing Monty Roberts on his book launch Tour in the UK that I found it. Even though I had twenty five years competition experience, a whole new door was opened to me with horses. I continued to train completing the Monty Roberts Preliminary Certificate of Horsemanship at Witney, England. Touring with Monty in the UK and working with horses using Monty's concepts. It was during this time that I learnt it is not just about training the horses; it is the people that need to think differently as well.

It was then onto further training at Flag Is Up Farms, touring with Monty in the US and becoming part of the Monty Roberts International Learning Centre Development Team and gaining instructor status.

Upon returning to NZ in 1999, Steve and I set up Equus Education (NZ) Ltd in which we held three successful tours of NZ for Monty with over 10,500 people attending. We continue to hold Monty Roberts classes in the Waikato in NZ, and by appointment in Australia. In the thoroughbred breeding season, we provide an exclusive foal education programme to Sir Patrick Hogan and clients at Cambridge Stud. My specialised interest is in how horses process information, and turn instinctive behaviour into trained behaviour.

Achievements

• Invitation speaker at the Pony Club NI Horse Management Workshops.
• Speaker NZ Institute of Animal Control Officers Annual Training Seminar and Conference.
• NZ Certificate in Adult Teaching
• Monty Roberts Certified Instructor
• Monty Roberts International Learning Centre Development Team.
• Horse Whisperer on the Good Morning television show with Mary Lambie
• Pet Expo Hamilton.
• Development of two NZQA papers in Horse Behaviour
• Writing and Implementation of horse training programme at
  top NZ Stud.

For the future I will pursue my passion and love of horses and hope to further and share my knowledge.

Sally King

My name is Sally King, and having spent the last seven years practising Monty's methods overseas, I am hugely excited about being able to offer Monty's concepts with Leigh in my home country.

As a youngster in the Far North, I was lucky enough to be able to pursue my passion for all things horsey, and competed in all disciplines in the Pony Club, including PC Champs and travelling to Australia as the youngest member of the Trans-Tasman team. During this time I began to question why horses were so willing to work with people, but my amateur attempts at communication only resulted in more confusion, particularly for the horses!

This interest in communication led to a degree at Auckland in Communication Studies, where I focused on the human media skills of public relations and journalism, and attained a graduate position in a public relations consultancy.

My first contact with Monty came just as I was planning my OE to London - I was given his first book for Christmas. I read it and promptly rearranged my trip to take part in the Monty Roberts Preliminary Certificate of Horsemanship in Witney, England.

After passing the course in 1998 I was then offered the chance to help a friend set up her yard in South West England, where I was lucky enough to spend three years gaining experience in the practical application of all of Monty' s concepts. Our main business was the starting of young horses and the re-education of remedial horses. I also spent time in steeplechasing, hunting and polo yards to gain insight into the different disciplines.

During this time I spent periods at Flag Is Up Farms in California studying, and gained Instructor status in February 2002. Monty subsequently asked me to tour with them throughout the States, and I became the first Instructor to give public demonstrations with Monty on tour. This was a fantastic experience, which gave me the opportunity to perform with Monty at Equitana in Australia as well as during Monty's most recent NZ tour.

I am currently based at Flag Is Up Farms in California, where I help students and horses learn to communicate as well as travel the US with Monty, giving demonstrations and managing the corporate activities that surround such a public figure. I plan to continue commuting between both countries, and look forward to being able to offer a limited amount of courses and classes to the NZ public in the near future.

Sally King 021 5 EQUUS or sallyking@splurge.net.nz

Equus Education (NZ) Ltd. Email Us
PO Box 690, Cambridge Ph 027 437 8870 or 027QUUSO, Fax (07) 823 5688