About Us

Astwood Livery is owned by Andrew & Melanie Marling.

Many of you already know Andrew from Astwood Equine Osteopaths, where he treats many horses and riders that are injured, stiff or just simply not performing at their best. Andrew has a lot of experience with performance horses, treating Grand Prix dressage horses and horses that attend Premier Leagues (BD); the BD Nationals; Big Tour and showjumpers at the British Open, HOYS and Nations Cup team members, Advanced Eventers competing at Badminton, Gatcombe & Burleigh as well as top show horses at HOYS.   Astwood Equine Osteopaths is based at our yard and we offer discounted rates to the horses kept with us. 

 Melanie was 'born in the saddle' on her parents stud and grew up around thoroughbred stallions and youngstock.  Melanie's parents have bred hundreds of foals and broken and produced countless sport horses.  Melanie enjoyed great success with ponies during her Pony Club years; with her homebred 14.2hh winning or placing second in every Pony Club Horse Trails entered and representing PC dressage and eventing teams.

On leaving school Melanie gained the BHSAI under Islay Auty and Becky Johnston and then set up her own Event yard on her parents stud.  Further success was enjoyed with home produced youngsters and 'problem' horses; placing at Novice and Intermediate Horse Trails at each outing.  Culminating in the Intermediate Championships where she scored the best dressage score of the day, beating many proffessionals including Mark Todd and Ginny Leng.

 When Melanie moved on to pure Dressage she spent a season as head girl to a Belgian Olympic Team member, and was also lucky enough to spend a summer at the Eilbergs where she was honoured to be allowed to watch many of Ferdi's lessons and gained a real understanding of the correct way to work a horse!  On home produced youngsters Melanie qualified for the regionals at every level up to Medium.  Circumstance forced Melanie to stop competing but she continued training with David Pincus and schooled her own horse up to PSG at home.

Melanie has a huge passion for young horses and horses that have 'lost their way' believing that optimum performance in the dressage arena begins in the stable; with individual care and understanding for each and every horse.

A little selection of some of Melanie's past horses

Melanie's current horse, 'Ali'.  She is now working in a double and is extablished in half pass etc.  We have limited spaces for 'Schoolmistress' lessons.

We only have limited photo's as my glory days were before digital cameras!!  We will attempt to get some video of a lesson with David Pincus; when Ferdi was working at Advanced Medium.

'Ferdi' at the Welsh Festival of Dressage

'Ferdi' at Talland

'Ferdi' when he first arrived - yes he had pulled a tendon just before we collected him!

'Henry' at the Intermediate Championships

'Henry' when he first arrived - just clipped as coat was awful!

'Arthur' at an Intermediate Event (I forget where)!

'Arthur' (not sure why I'm sat so badly)!

'George' when he first arrived

'George' looking much better at his first Novice Event

'Cameo' - homebread 14.2hh  her first Hunter Trials at 4yrs old, Melanie 10 yrs old. 

'Cameo' more grown up (and Melanie much taller too)!

Cameo repesenting North Warks

'Fizz' 12.2hh and he was rather 'fizzy' to say the least!

'Merrylegs' 11.2hh  studying the form with Daddy!  

'Merrylegs' Melanie about 4yrs!