Alex Harrison

Alex Harrison is an International Grand Prix Dressage rider, Coach and BD List 1 Judge, Based at his own and Jonathan Clarke-Wests’ “Collective Equestrian” just outside the small village of Chew Magna, Somerset.
 
Alex started riding at the age of 11 when he convinced his parents to buy him a 3-year-old 16.2 TB … Needless to say, this may not have been an ideal first horse for a rider yet to learn how to rise to the trot! Combined with the absence of a saddle for the first two years Alex fell off, a lot. Undeterred; before the horse was 5 and without any formal education, the partnership went from strength to strength. They could often be spotted cantering around bridle-less around local fields and performing circus tricks to curious passers-by.
 
Fast forward 10 years, after spending time working at various Natural Horsemanship yards both in the UK and abroad, Alex has honed his understanding of the horse and channelled it into the sport of Dressage.
 

In 2017 Alex burst onto the scene winning all 3 Young Rider classes at Hickstead International aboard his then Small Tour horse, Ruben IV. Alex represented Team GB on his own “Diamond Hill” at two European Championships in the Young Riders and U25 Grand Prix during his time on youth teams.

Alex has a love for the whole sport of dressage which prompted him to take up judging alongside his competitive riding. Using his in-depth knowledge as a rider Alex quickly became the UK’s youngest ever list 1 judge at the age of 26. 

With the progression of his riding career, Alex also felt passionate about giving back to the sport and subsequently trained to be the UK’s youngest ever list 1 judge at the age of 26. Drawing on his own experience of the youth system and applying his knowledge as a top judge, Alex has successfully trained combinations to European Championship level, winning the team bronze in 2023 at Junior level.

Alex has also developed a niche helping senior riders with piaffe and passage training inhand and ridden. 

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