Sylvia Loch - About the Author

Sylvia Loch grew up with ponies and hunters in Scotland before discovering classical High School riding and the Lusitano Horse in Portugal where she lived for 10 years. With her late husband, Henry, the Lord Loch, she ran a dressage academy both in Portugal and in the UK until 1982. The same year they founded the Lusitano Breed Society of Great Britain and their daughter Allegra, now a keen horsewoman, was born. Now remarried to Richard Hawkins an environmental lawyer, Sylvia and family have returned to Scotland and she continues to train from their peaceful home in the Borders. As a writer, judge and lecturer, she is a frequent visitor to the USA where her latest book The Classical Rider, Being at One with Your Horse is an equestrian best seller (published by J.A. Allen, London, and Trafalgar House, Vermont). Her other books include Dressage, The Art of Classical Riding now available in French and German and The Royal Horse of Europe. The Classical Seat now in its seventh edition is the companion book to the video.

Today Sylvia is considered a world authority on classical riding and her link with the Spanish Riding School of Vienna stems from a friendship with former director Brigadier Kurt Albrecht as well as the late Eva Podhajsky both of whom have shown their appreciation for her work by writing Forewards to her books. Inspired by the time honored traditions of the School, Sylvia's desire to protect the horse, is reflected in her training methods which concentrate on good balanced riding and quiet aiding. She abhors the use of force and gadgetry in the schooling of horses and believes that classical riding is the only way forward for all the disciplines. For this reason in 1995 she founded The Classical Riding Club an international networking forum for classical riders world-wide.

More information on dressage and Sylvia Loch

Dressage

Sylvia's books are available from Trafalgar Publishing or Amazon.com
Classical Dressage (Sylvia's site)

The Lusitano Breed Society of Great Britain

53 Swallow Street
Iver
Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom
Telephone: +44 (0)1753 740615