Annemarie Irwin is an experienced horse-riding instructor and equestrian competitor in a range of disciplines, with her favourites being eventing and dressage. 

The daughter of a riding instructor, Annemarie began riding at age 2, started riding independently at pony club aged 4, and went through to Grade 1, then successfully competed her homebred mare and a rescue horse in EA up to 1.15m. She also showed at Royals, drove horses in harness, competed in novelties, barrel-racing, reining, cutting, cowhorse, Western halter, pleasure, and trail classes.

Annemarie instructed at her family’s riding school as a teenager, was also the trail boss leading rides through the Yarra Ranges, and she broke-in and reschooled many horses, developing a knack for sensitive types and those labeled as ‘difficult’ horses.

Having studied Arts and Psychology, Annemarie then became a secondary school teacher for nearly twenty years, while continuing to successfully train and compete her own four horses in dressage, showing, show jumping and eventing as a sponsored rider with a leading equestrian retailer.

Recently, Annemarie has competed in show jumping to 1.05m, tried her first endurance event, and has been bringing her Friesian Warmblood through the levels of dressage, eventing and show jumping, along with preparing other horses at Winsley Park Equestrian for riding school life and to compete in dressage. She’s also a HRCAV Level Assessor and HRCAV helmet-tagging official, became a qualified equine myotherapist and equine sports massage therapist, has also completed a Diploma of Equine Psychology and a Diploma of Zoopharmacognosy, as well as a Certificate in Red Light Therapy and is a Bit Bank Australia Certified Coach. 

In 2022, Annemarie and her husband, Paul, moved to Cathcart, near Ararat, to expand her business, Winsley Park Equestrian, and undertake her mission of helping form happy, healthy, and harmonious horse and rider partnerships.

Since moving, Annemarie has instructed at pony clubs and adult riding clubs in the district, developing a reputation for building rider confidence and improving performance through her focus on classical principles, modern equine science, and horse and rider psychology and biomechanics.

She has also been instructing for private riding lessons, doing HRCAV level assessments, and massaging horses. Facilities for hire are available at Winsley Park Equestrian, also hosting competitions, clinics and training days.

Annemarie is currently studying to become a qualified equine osteopath to add to her extensive list of qualifications and accreditations. She also trains under coaches of the highest calibre, believing that her lifelong journey with horses is also one of continuous learning and improvement.
Some of the coaches/instructors Annemarie has trained with:
Belinda Bolsenbroek
Kassie Southwell
Lucinda Green MBE
Paul Williams
Manolo Mendez
Will Enzinger
Murray Lamperd
Delwyn Ogilvy
Nina Clarke
Jamie Murray
Scottie Barclay
Sue Coman
Jamie Coman
Emily Anker
Yona Lloyd
Nina Lloyd Simons
Jo Murphy
 Jessica Cocks
Allan Mitchell
Simon Tainsh


Annemarie is also an author of ‘Heart of the Horse’ and she regularly writes feature articles for ‘Chaff Chat’ magazine and blogs about her horses at
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php/?id=100063660634458

The Winsley Park horses are proven winners in a range of disciplines, and consist of:

• Bundy, a bay Standardbred gelding, with successes in showing, dressage, show jumping & super cross
• Marlon, a brown Thoroughbred x Riding Pony gelding, with success in dressage
• Memphy, a black Friesian Warmblood gelding, with success in showing, show jumping and now concentrating on eventing
• Chelly (Chelkar), an ex-racehorse from France, whose former owners had hoped (after early success overseas) that he would run in the Melbourne Cup
• Xanny, a former endurance horse, with a number of Tom Quilty Gold Cup (National Endurance Championship) experiences under his belt.

Currently, Chelly, Bundy, and Marlon are available for Starter Rides and Private Lessons at Winsley Park Equestrian.