"I bought a lovely 14.2, just broken 4 year old for my 10 year old daughter, Alicia, in April 2005. Alicia worked steadily on her and whilst she was improving greatly, more help was needed with the quality of her balance and paces both on the flat and jumping. In February 2007 I decided it was time to find some professional help.

I was concerned that a strong adult with long legs may well get the pony going beautifully but they had to be aware that a much smaller pilot would ultimately be riding her.

I searched the internet and discovered the Atmosphere site. Being really fussy I questioned Mat endlessly and made lots of enquiries via my daughters riding instructors. The feed back was excellent. I visited the yard with a friend and we were both impressed with Mat's complete understanding of my requirements and his impressive comittment to hard work!

Ruby was loaded up and sent for 6 weeks. Mat rode with extremely short stirrups and kept me informed with regular emails and phone calls!

When we collected her, Mat gave Alicia a brilliant lesson and lots of advice on the areas we needed to keep working on. He was aware that she competes regularly and told us not to hesitate to contact him for help and to keep him informed of progress!

Upon her return Ruby was due to compete in some Dressage Championships. We were delighted when she not only won, but gained 9 for her free walk. The judge commented that she had never awarded a 9 for free walk in all her years of judging!

Since then Ruby has gone from strength to strength. She was 2nd in her third One Day Event, Has won and been placed in numerous show jumping and dressage competitions. She won her first 3'3" working Hunter class and the subsequent Championship and shortly runs in her first British Eventing Intro.

Mat has discussed every subject from bitting advice to Ruby's calorie intake! He is always willing to help. I cannot recommend him highly enough and would not have a moments hesitation to send any of my ponies or horses to Mat again."

Ann and Alicia Hawker

"This picture says it all!! We have only known Mat for six months and in that time he has been giving my daughter Emily riding lessons on her pony Benji. Emily had had her confidence knocked and Mat has been brilliant with her. He instinctively knows how to handle Benji. He is very patient and kind and quietly encourages all the time, he has transformed Emily into a brave little rider who comes away from her lessons grinning from ear to ear! Benji enjoys them too!

Mat has also helped me to find my horse, Freddie. Again his patience knew no bounds as I constantly emailed him about potential horses and he tirelessly phoned seller after seller. He also travelled miles to try horses out and without his skill as a rider and expert knowledge I dread to think what I might have ended up with! Freddie is great and was definitely worth waiting for. So for me this picture does say it all, Emily and I can now ride out together and have lots of fun.

I would not hesitate to highly recommend Mat to anyone who needs help or advice, whatever it may be."

Nicky and Emily, Freddie and Benji

"Dear Mat,
I wanted to express my gratitude for the wonderful transformation you have performed on my horse Minstrall. I saw the advert you had for Waterstock Rose, popped up to try her and realised she was far too good for me - but was impressed with Helen's honesty and integrity regarding her description of Rose; and with Mat's riding skills. When I bought Minnie... and realised the basic groundwork to be done was beyond my... riding skills - I knew just where I wanted to send Minnie. I was confident that Mat's quiet, kind confidence and riding would be what I was looking for. I was not wrong.

I was amazed with how much you managed to accomplish in the first 10 days. Coming up to see how you were getting on - it did not look like the same horse! Having come up last week after Minnie only being with your for 5 weeks - and collected my now wonderful horse, I have again been impressed by the change in him.

The biggest bonus for me is having jumped Minnie with Mat's tuition - giving me confidence I have not felt before. Not only have you increased the financial value of my horse drastically; but I have the beginnings of an inspiring partnership with him.

I would not hesitate to recommend you to anyone interested in improving their horse's and their own riding skills.

Many many thanks",

Claire Battle & Minnie

"I have known Mat for over 3 years. He is a talented rider who is sensitive with horses, and is professional and committed. He is extremely good at adjusting his approach to suit different horses and their individual needs. I have seen him train a variety of different horses (dressage, show jumping, youngstock and stallions). I have always been very impressed with his riding, and he has a promising career ahead of him".

Adam Kemp, FBHS

"I've known Mat for 6 months and in that short time I've been impressed with his commitment and dedication to his career. He always has a professional attitude and approaches each horse as an individual. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend him to ride young horses, either to start them or to retrain if required".

Sarah Hawkins, British Dressage National Level Trainer, BHS Int.T

"I bought my horse Ariel's Gift (Charity) having seen her being re-schooled by Mat. He worked through a problem with her caused by her having a very sensitive mouth and having been strapped down in draw reins by her previous owner. When I bought her she had almost stopped panicking in transitions but could not be ridden into a contact. He taught me how to ride her appropriately for her stage in development and has continued to support me as Charity and I have encountered various issues in building our partnership for example confidence of horse and rider jumping. He has always been quick to spot any potential difficulties developing and to use these as a catalyst for progress in Charity's schooling and in my development as a rider. Six months on Charity now works beautifully forward into a proper contact and jumps calmly and sensibly, she has put on weight, muscled up and is unrecognisable as the horse I bought last summer. I moved Charity to Waterstock Schooling Liveries when Mat set up his yard in October 2005. He has done an excellent job of establishing an appropriate exercise, feed and supplement regime for her and smartening her up to the point where she is regularly admired (and often coveted!) by visitors to Waterstock".

Helen Kempster, Business Development Manager for Leadchange

"Late in 2005, we were looking for a small horse for our daughter to ride. She had a couple of falls off a young horse and needed her confidence building up. We were looking for a kind and sensible horse that she could use for hacking out. After touring the countryside we had a phone call from Helen, saying that she had a horse that seemed ideal for Jess, so we went along to try him.

We arrived on a cold and windy night, met Helen and Mat and we brought Woody in from the field, tacked him up and rode him in the indoor school. We were not expecting a ex-racehorse to be like Woody. He was everything that Helen had described and more! They had excellent facilities and were honest with their description and capabilities of the horse.

At Waterstock they obviously get to know their horses very well and seem to know if they will suit you or not. I would not hesitate to recommend Helen and Mat for either buying a horse or schooling, they even delivered Woody for us. Woody has now made great partner for Jess, and she wouldn't part with him, so thanks Helen and Mat we`ll be in touch soon to keep you updated on Woody and Jess`s progress".

Tina and Jess Goodenough, Goring, Oxfordshire

"My daughter and I met Mat when we were looking for a 1st pony for her.

I had no experience whatsoever and had heard enough stories of people buying unsuitable ponies so when we heard that Mat offered a service which involved coming to see the prospective pony and rider together I was really pleased.

Mat rode Bertie himself first and then gave Megan instruction as she rode. He was able to ask the seller all the questions we wouldn't have thought of and advise on the suitability of the tack which was being sold separately.

Since bringing Bertie home Mat has continued giving Megan regular lessons - she very much enjoys his method of teaching and smiles throughout! As Bertie is quite young this has also been good as Mat is able to keep a close eye on him, nipping any potential problems in the bud!

Mat's ongoing support is invaluable - any questions and we know he is only a phone call away.

He's certainly making our first experience of pony ownership a happy one!"

Valerie, Megan & Bertie