Claire Fitzmaurice
Claire has always loved horses. As a child she competed many ponies for anybody and everybody that would let her. Following a brief spell eventing in her late teens, she moved to Belgium to train and compete. After consuming her own body weight in beer and chocolate, she cut loose and groomed on the international 3-day circuit, which included the Europeans at Achelswang.
Although she enjoyed all the travelling and 3-day parties, Claire decided it was time to settle down and focus on her riding. She moved to Germany, which became her home for the next four years. She was very honoured to train with some of the best event riders and gained unbelievable experience, including two years as rider for Peter Thomsen (team gold medallist Beijing 2008). Some of her many highlights were riding two horses at the Bundeschampionat (German national young horse finals) and grooming at the Atlanta Olympics.
Claire was itching to get back to England and its enviable eventing scene. Over the following five years she had the support of an enthusiastic owner and rode up to advanced level. Many successes followed on several different horses. In 2002 Claire branched out, set up her own yard and started her career as a trainer. It was at this time she also trained as a saddle fitter and this was when she became concerned with the issue of ill-fitting saddles. After many years of head-scratching, this dilemma became the inspiration for All Saddle Solutions.
Claire continues to enjoy her work as a trainer and believes that this gives her extra insight into the challenges of saddle fitting. Her fantastic yard near Skipton, North Yorkshire, has an enormous rubber arena with a full set of show jumps and access to cross-country training facilities. If you would like to come to Claire for help with your flatwork or jumping, give her a call on 07970 558437.
In early 2011 Claire was lucky enough to be given a young horse, Rooney, by a client. Rooney, a Warmblood cross Thoroughbred by Romeo, had been having trouble settling down to work with his previous owner but he has formed a fantastic bond with Claire and is working well in his A.S.S. saddles. Claire and Rooney won on their first affiliated British dressage outing – follow their progress on our news page.
Claire is a true horsey person and her passion for training riders and horses is integral to the ethos of All Saddle Solutions. Claire sees the saddle as a crucial part of a horse’s training and routine care, and she applies her vast experience to the design of saddles that allow the horse freedom to move whilst helping the rider achieve a secure independent seat. She is passionate about helping riders achieve their goals and enjoys working with clients as both trainer and saddle-fitter. Give her a call today to talk through your requirements.