I have known John and Shelley for many years and they are the most genuine people I have met in the horse industry. They are always happy to work with whatever horse you have and achieve improvements in both horse and rider.
John and Shelley helped me enormously in my early showjumping days, many years ago. Having regular lessons with Shelley enabled me to successfully train 2 off the track thoroughbreds to B grade. John and Shelley are always super supportive, providing encouragement and assistance at every event.
I am now based in Port Macquarie so am not able to have regular lessons, even though every day I wish I had John and Shelley close by the help me out with my horses and riding.
A few years ago I decided to breed my next showjumper, so when it came time to breaking-in I wouldn't go past sending my first born to John.
John is a true horseman and doesn't try to fit every horse into the same box. He treats every horse as an individual and ensures they are respectful and obedient. John was extremely patient with my slightly spoilt, impatient and stubborn Vivant filly. She was not allowed to come home until John said she was ready, which I am very grateful for.
John explained all of her idiosyncrasies and provided me with guidance so when she returned home I had a plan to work with. I am very pleased to say that she has only been home for 3 weeks but is going beautifully. I couldn't be happier with the work John has done with her.
I would not hesitate to recommend John and Shelley to anyone wanting to improve their horses and their riding.
~ Wendy Hofman
I highly recommend John and Shelley as complete horse and rider educators. I’ve been riding for about 25 years, mainly dressage, hacking and weekend riding (when my career was hectic and my children young). At the age of 37, as a mother of two young children, I decided that I’d like to learn showjumping. John and Shelley are extremely supportive – of both my occasional lack of time and my family commitments.
John and Shelley are always happy to work with whatever horse I have. My current two horses are a warmblood cross mare (originally purchased for dressage) and an off-the-track thoroughbred gelding. Both horses are completely different – the mare very bold and the gelding very spooky. Under Shelley’s skilful tuition and guidance they are both doing extremely well and showing great trainability. I am delighted with their progress.
Shelley is a rare combination of training personality – excellent at explaining, demanding of accuracy, encouraging, generous of her time, and as tough as needs be. She is able to challenge and extend my capabilities, and I have absolute trust in her – she challenges but does not overface. Shelley is also willing to ride my horses to iron out any problems; they are always better for me to ride after she has ridden them.
John’s horsemanship and understanding of equine psychology have meant that he is able to guide a horse to behave appropriately. My gelding is a nervous worrier and John has devised and implemented a plan to desensitize him to different environments. John always explains his actions and I have learnt a lot just by asking questions and watching him work. Furthermore, John explains his actions to my children if they are present, and he never “talks down” to them.
I cannot recommend John and Shelley highly enough to all riders who want to get the most out of their horse and who also want to improve their own horsemanship.
~ Frances Douglas
My daughter Lilly first climbed into a saddle when she was four. She did a bit of everything that gave her an adrenalin rush: pony club; campdrafting; fox hunting; junior polo; eventing. At the mature age of 12 she announced she was going to be a showjumper. So we bought her fairly green young warmblood with a lot of attitude and started to look for a trainer. Probably not the best way of starting out, but we wanted Lilly to really learn to show jump and not just be a passenger on a seasoned ‘schoolmaster’.
We trialled a few trainers, some well known, but didn’t settle on any one. Then someone suggested Shelley. Wow, this one was different. I couldn’t put a finger on it but Shelley and Lilly somehow chose each other. And there started a wonderful relationship.
Shelley is patient and intolerant; gentle and forceful; accommodating and demanding. She has all of these seemingly contradictory traits ... but she always uses them in the right balance to get the very best out of horse and rider. Lilly has achieved lots. Thanks Shelley, you’re a star!
~ Vivian Ashworth
I commenced training with John and Michelle Kelly at the age of 13 years and it was the start of a great relationship.
Michelle's skills, knowledge and expertise took me from success in showjumping at pony club level to winning in open classes at a very young age, and she became my mentor.
Michelle always demonstrates a positive attitude and continues to be a great role model for me. She guided by example to challenge myself intellectually and value education. I am now completing my third year of veterinary science at Queensland University.
While studying I have bred and broken in 3 purpose bred showjumpers, training them through to graded competition. The oldest two are looking impressive at the Queensland shows. This has been achievable because of the knowledge I gained from John's amazing horsemanship.
John and Michelle welcomed me into their lives. Their support with my training as a showjumper and guidance for me as a rider was invaluable. At that time one of my horses was a difficult young mare and with their guidance I took her from a very spooky 4 year old to success in B grade EFA. My time with them also opened up opportunities for me, the most notable one being my leading role in the main arena performance. 'Jemma, Spirit of the Outback', at Sydney's Royal Easter Show.
John and Michelle Kelly were instrumental in my development as a rider and competitor, with their expertise I gained valuable experience in horsemanship and management and I take this opportunity to recommend them.
~ Gemma Coleman
After a 10 year break from riding, I decided to get back in to showjumping, which is when I purchased my warmblood mare. Gabby was far from an easy horse to handle, along with having problems with her feet, loading on the float, and general bad manners, I was also having some difficulties with her under saddle. After spending a few weeks with John, it was like I had a new happy horse! She still has her little idiosyncrasies, but I now have the tools and the confidence to keep her moving in the right direction. Now we are able to concentrate on our showjumping, and Shelley has given me the confidence and skills I need to manage a young horse starting her career. I always enjoy my lessons with Shelley, and learn something new every time. Gabby and I are now competing, and in our last couple of outings have been in the ribbons. I cannot thank John and Shelley enough for giving me the support and skills I need to ensure that I get the most out of my horse and myself.
~ Rhiannon Foster
We would highly recommend John and Shelley for all stages of a horse's education and training. They are very professional and a pleasure to deal with. Both have an exceptional ability to understand each very different horse and to provide effective solutions to their problems throughout the training process.
Shelley has been training me and our horses for a number of years now and has been a fantastic help with the turning over of our off-the-track/rescue projects and is now assisting with the training of our purpose bred show jumper. Shelley helped me immensely with my own riding and confidence and is quite often my 'rock' at the practice fence on competition day!
When we bred two Vivants it was only natural that we turned to John for their breaking in and we are absolutely thrilled with the confident, relaxed and well behaved individuals he has produced.
~ Rebecca Stephenson (rider) and Russell Page (owner)
I have been training with John and Michelle Kelly for the past 15 years, in this time I have progressed from competing on ponies in the junior classes through to Mini Prix level on several horses all with varying strengths and weaknesses. John and Michelle have complementary skillsets that enable them to provide a uniquely comphehensive training program. John is fascinated by equine psychology: his highly analytical, strategic mindset makes high performance management his forte. Michelle's background is in exercise science and she uses this knowledge to tailor training programs for the physiological development of the equine athlete in order to acheive maximum strength and performance whilst minimising sport injury risk.
~ Emma Smith
The equine industry is very, very, fortunate to have two people like John and Michelle Kelly involved in the industry. John and Michelle Kelly - the most fair, honest and truly amazing people.
As a mother of children who have a passion and interest in horses (showjumping) you want only the best for your children. I now know that my children have had the best instruction and advice in relation to showjumping and working with young horses that you can get.
Samantha started with lessons from Shelley at a young age and was assisted with her horse Ruperts Little Brother (Gadget). He was a very spooky, careful horse and it was a huge ask for Sam to train him. With Shelley's knowledge, experience and guidance, Gadget went on to win two National Titles in 2009 with my son Craig riding him.
Craig spent 12 months at CK Equestrian working and training with John and Shelley, completing his Certificate III in Agriculture (specialising in Performance Horses). Craig took over the ride on Gadget when Sam went to Uni and continued his training with the help of John and Shelley as instructors. Craig and Gadget went on to win the Most Successful Young Rider at Sydney Royal 2009. They won the 15 and under 17 yrs National Pony Club Championship 2009 and Craig also made the final selections for the Youth Olympics 2010.
During Craig's time at CK Equestrian he has obtained a young ex-racehorse and taken him from the racetrack to now competing successfully in 1.20m classes, with instruction, guidance and advice from John and Shelley.
John and Shelley are very considerate trainers and are happy to work with what you have. They create a great team environment and have taught my children horsemanship, management, technique and sportsmanship.
I know that we as a family are very fortunate to be involved and associated with such talented people.
~ Julie Matthews