LUBY could be difficult. The seven year old 16.3hh Dutch Warmblood was basically, an awkward, moody mare, prone to spooking, stubborn at times and had thrown everyone that had ever ridden her - even freelance dressage tutor Mat Turner.

Not that any of the 50 or so people at Craven College equine school's first masterclass open to the public thought she looked anything but very well mannered - and all of us would have taken her home in the blink of an eye.

The very splendid looking bay mare being put through her paces by her owner, Claire, under Mat's watchful eye, was supposed to be one half of the evening. Currently being ridden at elementary level, she was to be followed by a more experienced horse, being ridden at advanced level, to give people an idea of the differences between dressage horses being ridden at different levels. On the day, however, there was a problem with the other horse, so it was down to just Luby and Claire. Luby ran out of steam after an hour and a half too, which was probably half an hour longer than most people would have expected. Joanna Baxter, the college's head of animal and equine studies , waived the expected £5 entrance fee - which went down very well with everyone there, carefully perched on bales of straw, and must have assured good will for future open events - of which Joanna promised many more. Mat explained that Luby was a very well bred KWPN Warmblood and had been owned by Claire since she was four years old.

Luby came from a long line of successful show jumpers, and Claire had competed on her in both eventing and dressage. Mat had been working with Claire and Luby for two years, and they were now doing less jumping, and more dressage. The pair were competing at elementary level and at their first competition, had won the class. They were now working to get Luby to advanced level and had qualified for the regional championships - but it was taking a lot of time and patience - as with every horse, and not just moody mares. Mat explained that Luby had a powerful neck, which gave her the appearance of a stallion. She was very well put together and nothing was out of place - very much what you look for in a dressage horse, he said. Mat asked Claire to take Luby through some basic paces, showing how to get the correct contact, by keeping the hands low and wide, until Luby clicked. It was very interesting to watch as the mare did eventually concentrate and come together with her rider. Mat went on to explain how the rider should aim to be as relaxed a possible, and how if their horse took fright at something while being schooled, not to grab at the reins, but to try and relax. A grab at the reins would just spook the horse further and make it do the same thing, again and again, when it reached the same spot in the school. True to form, Luby did dash off to one side after being startled by something, and once again on the next time round - it was something clearly easier said than done, and one that everyone watching would have experienced. We all know it is best not to jump when your horse spooks at something - but not always easy. Mat also talked about the importance of looking ahead, and not down - another common mistake, and how horses needed time to stretch out at the start of a session and before being asked to carry out any complicated manoeuvres, much like their riders.

It was all about the core, he said - those tricksy muscles in the stomach that hold everything together. He demonstrated how having a good, tense core, would make all the difference when your horse did snatch at the reins. A tense core and straight back kept you n place, while flabby core meant you ending up on the horse's neck and out of control, and no one wanted that. Rider fitness is something we all need to work on - one only has to look at top dressage riders, such as Charlotte Dujardin, a reported keen follower of pilates, to see how steady she remains in the saddle. Which took us neatly onto the extended trot - carried out sitting firmly in the saddle. Now, sitting trot is not the favourite of paces for most riders, and Mat had some pointers on how to achieve that steady, unmoving seat. In the old days, riding schools would teach youngsters balance and a steady seat by making them ride without stirrups, or with extra long, or extra short stirrups - the idea being that without the safety of stirrups, the rider would bed down into the saddle and develop a deep seat. Mat said how he, when training in Germany, he would spend some time at the start of every session without stirrups.

All in all, the ultimate aim was to relax, he said. A rider and horse looking serene and relaxed, should be our goal - that was the key to everything.

The equine department, based at Skipton Auction Mart, is a little bit of a hidden gem. There are 50 further education students, and 15 higher education students, all destined for careers in the equestrian world, from teaching to running stables. None of the horses are owned by the college - all are on a variety of loan arrangements from their owners, who may be temporarily unable to look after them, or want a break for a while. It is a situation that suits both parties very well and insures a ready and different supply of mounts. There is also a very fine indoor school, which lends itself very well to the sort of masterclasses, which will go down very well with the large number of horse riders in the area.