About Dan Bizzarro
International Event Rider & Professional Coach
More About Me
My name is Daniele Bizzarro and I've spent more than 20 years riding, training and coaching horses and riders across dressage, show jumping and cross-country. I grew up just outside Turin (Italy), started riding when I was nine, and very quickly discovered that I loved the process of training horses just as much as I loved competing them.
Over the years I've had the privilege of producing a large number of horses working with some of the best riders and coaches in the world, including William Fox-Pitt, Caroline Moore and Ian Woodhead. Their influence shaped how I ride, how I think, and how I teach — always with clarity, fairness and a genuine desire to help horses understand their job.
I've represented Italy in Nations Cup competitions, I was in the short-list for the 2024 Paris Olympics and I competed at the 2025 European Championships, and I've ridden every type of horse along the way: sharp ones, strong ones, lazy ones, spooky ones, young ones, talented ones, complicated ones. The variety taught me more than any book ever could.
Career Highlights
My Training Philosophy
I believe every horse can go better, and every rider can feel more confident when the communication between them is clear.
The Dan Bizzarro Method is based on a few simple principles that stay the same whether you're doing dressage, show jumping or cross-country:
- •Clear reactions to the aids — the horse knows what you're asking
- •Balance and self-carriage — a horse that can carry itself feels lighter, softer and easier
- •Straightness and accuracy — the foundation of every good transition and every good jump
- •A soft, consistent contact — not forced, not restrictive, but genuinely connected
- •Small corrections at the right time — before bad habits grow
- •Confidence for horse and rider — without tension, pressure or confusion
My teaching style is direct, calm and practical. I don't overcomplicate things. I show you what matters, and I explain why it matters, so you can train your horse even on the days when I'm not there.
Riders often tell me they feel "relieved" after a lesson — not because it was easy, but because everything finally made sense.
Where I Coach
I'm based in Oxfordshire and teach riders of all levels — from amateurs building confidence to riders preparing for eventing competitions. I offer:
- •Private riding lessons
- •Show jumping and cross-country coaching
- •Clinics across the UK
- •Virtual riding lessons for riders anywhere in the world
No matter the location, the goal is the same: clear communication, better balance and a more confident partnership.
Why I Created the Dan Bizzarro Method
After years of coaching, I kept seeing the same patterns:
- •Riders were working hard but feeling stuck.
- •Horses were trying their best but becoming tense, unbalanced or confused.
- •Most people weren't struggling because they lacked talent — they simply didn't have a system that made the work clear and consistent.
So I created the Dan Bizzarro Method to give riders a structure they can follow at home, at clinics, in competition warm-ups and even out hacking. It's designed to be simple, effective and genuinely useful for the horses people ride every day — not just elite athletes.
My aim is always the same: to make horse riding easier to understand, more enjoyable, and more rewarding for both horse and rider.