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As far as Lionel Dunning is concerned, training is the backbone to winning! Lionel will work with his client and try to produce a top class rider. With Lionel’s talent he can always spot a good rider and he will work on the rider to, hopefully, try to produce the next John Whittaker or Liz Edgar. Lionel also has an eye for a good quality horse and always has horses on offer. Please read the statements below to understand how talented Lionel Dunning was as a rider and is now as a trainer.

Sir Malcolm Barr, Former Chairman of the BSJA

I have worked with and respected Mr Lionel Dunning for 20 years. I have competed with Lionel for many years and have always found him to be very knowledgeable about horses and riders. Lionel has completed many training schemes and has the ability to adjust his vast knowledge to cater for all levels of horses and riders.

Lionel has competed with myself on many successful national cup teams. I have always found Lionel to be a dedicated team member.

Lionel is now concentrating on training riders and is using his course building skills to implement training sessions relevant to the riders’ needs.

Graham Fletcher

Lionel rode for the British Show Jumping Team on numerous occasions. He represented his country at some of the most prestigious CSIOs in the world.

Lionel was the number 1 rider on the team and was successful on many occasions riding Jungle Bunny. He rode many clear rounds for the British Team and we gained 1st place in many of these competitions. He also won a mumber of Grand Prix and other classes throughout Europe and the U.K.

Ronnie Masseralla, Chief de Equipe

As an international selector for the BSJA, I have been in contact with many professional riders world-wide and have regular contact with Mr Lionel Dunning. I have found him to be knowledgeable and helpful whenever I have called upon his expertise.

During the last 25 years we competed on many winning British teams and I consider that Lionel would be of great benefit to any training regime.

Malcolm J Pyrah

I would like to confirm that I know and respect Mr Lionel Dunning to be a gentleman and a man of honour. I have competed and worked with Lionel over many years and have always found him to have the highest level of knowledge in horse and rider training.

Lionel also has the gift to pass his knowledge to pupils of any age group. This, along with his course building technique would make him a benefit to any training system that I am aware of.

Harvey Smith

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s I rode with Mr Lionel Dunning on many teams. Lionel was always the first to compete with the team with myself going last. Both of these placings were the most demanding for horse and rider.

During Lionel’s career, he not only produced horses for himself but also produced grand prix horses for his very talented wife. For 15 years Lionel and his wife were the most successful couple in Europe (maybe in the world).

Lionel was always very hard to beat in any class whether at home or abroad. He had a gift to put the rider with the right horse and with his knowledge and experience he developed into a top trainer.

One of Lionel’s many talents was to be appositive thinker and a good friend to anyone he came in contact with. Lionel is held in great respect by all his pupils and discipline is at the top of Lionel’s agenda, this is why his pupils are so successful and win so many classes.

David Broome CBE

Lionel was persuaded to come to our country in September 1998 by Adi Leibowitz of the Liron Stables, where they had many horses and riders with a poor success rate. Within eight weeks the horses and riders under Lionel’s professional and intensive training started to reap the rewards of success. They won every class that season in the country.

In 1999 I persuaded Lionel to go freelance and train other stables. Now Lionel trains at fourteen stables in our country and last year his riders won every major class bar one. In that class Lionel’s riders were placed 2nd and 3rd having only been beaten by half a time fault.

R Lilach- Leiser

Recent activities and results, 2004-2008

2004 - 2006 – Lo Wu Saddle Club (LWSC)

In spring 2004, Lionel was offered the position of Manager and Trainer of LWSC, and he quickly built a successful team of new competition riders and horses. The results of LWSC riders in the 2005 – 2006 season speak for themselves (competitions at Beas River, Sept 2005 – April 2006). Dressage: 12 firsts, 11 seconds and 3 thirds; Show jumping: 56 firsts, 31 seconds and 22 thirds. His relatively small team of riders and horses had a total of 68 wins, 42 second places and 25 thirds!

The winner of the 2007 Good Luck Beijing Olympic test event, Tara Delaney on Gagnant (whose photo has been promoting the Olympics across Hong Kong), was trained by Lionel for two years at LWSC. Other LWSC riders include Julie Robb, Michelle Law, Hannah McDonald, Iman Gaehweiler, Nico Festl, and Annabel Lee.

Also, Magali Tong, Gaelle Tong and Jose Remedios all trained with Lionel at LWSC; they hacked their horses from Beas River to LWSC for lessons several times a week.

2006 – 2007 Hong Kong Equestrian Centre (HKEC)

Upon leaving LWSC after his two-year contract ended, a group of riders and parents asked Lionel to help set up a new riding establishment. They started the HKEC at Shek Kong, together with a restaurant partner that already owned a riding facility there.

The horses already at HKEC had only been used for pony rides during barbeque evenings, and had not done any jumping. After less than a year of training, two novice riders and horses (Patricia Chen/Cornwall Chiefs, Emily Blakey/Survey King) had their debut at the HK international horse shows, and was placed in almost every class (1.00m-1.10m) that they entered.

May 2007 – present (July 2008) – Bilture, China

In May 2007, Lionel was invited to train at Bilture Stables in Southern China (www.en.b-horse.cn). Its riders had previously not competed in show jumping. Within two months, a team was formed of four riders, riding natively bred young horses and retired race horses. The team started competing extensively and has won over 50% of the competitions that they entered. In team competitions at 1.10m-1.20m, Lionel’s team won every class in the last 6 months. At one show, his riders won the top 3 prizes in every class they entered. One of his riders is now competing, and being placed, in 1.30m-1.40m classes. At every show so far in 2008, Lionel’s riders have won first prize, as well as at least another two prizes, making Lionel a leading team trainer in China

Summer 2008 - England

Returning to England for a holiday in June 2008, Lionel has been re-establishing himself as a top trainer of horse and jockey alike.

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