The Centre
Glen Oak

Situated 2.5hrs north of SYDNEY and 40min north of NEWCASTLE.

The Centre is set on a beautiful undulating 18 acres, under the shade of big gum trees.
It provides the perfect setting for workshops and courses in a natural environment.
Facilities include an 18 m round yard, 30 m roundyard, 60 m x 20 m grass arena, 40 m x 20 m sand arena.

Branxton

HNHC now operates a part-time branch at Branxton.
Located on the New England Highway on the outskirts of Branxton

The Branxton facility provides a central learning centre for workshops and group lessons.
The centre has large open riding areas combined with a series of round yards for more specific training.

Fran Griffen (resident instructor)  
NCAS EFA level one coach and 3 star NH instructor.

Fran has been involved in the equestrian industry for the past 30 years. She has worked in the thoroughbred industry and has been a very successful competitor in the sport of eventing as a junior and young rider. Fran studied with the EFA to become a coach in dressage and jumping and in 1986 became an accredited EFA coach.

In 1995, while still working as an EFA coach, Fran discovered the study of Natural Horsemanship through the teachings of Pat Parelli. She has been a student of natural horsemanship from that day. The improvement in her own horses was extraordinary and she found her students were also obtaining excellent results.

In 1997, Fran became an endorsed natural horsemanship coach with the Parelli organisation and reached the level of 3 star instructor. She also personally graduted level 3 in the Parelli program and the part of level 4.

In 2002 Fran elected to break off from the Parelli organisation to pursue her natural horsemanship goals further. She opened Hunter Natural Horsemanship Centre and began developing a simple and effective program for her students.

The Centre has now expanded to open a new part-time branch at Branxton.

Fran now studies with Phillip Nye, one of Australia's most experienced and talented natural horsemen, whilst incorporating knowledge from her EFA training and work as an accredited dressage judge.

Fran continues to upgrade her own skills and is particularly interested in the application of natural horsemanship for performance horses, confidence building for riders and safe trail riding.Fran continues to study the fields of adult learning and personal development, to enhance her teaching skills.