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Trainers who are considered, by forum members of by themselves, 'Natural Dressage' trainers. The trainers may or may not be aware of the forum. If you are listed here and do not wish to be, notify us and we will take you off. The list is provided by members, for members. If you have a trainer to add, post about the them on the forum and share your experience with them! The mods will check it out and put them here. If you'd rather not post on the forum, you're welcome to e-mail us too. Listed in alphabetical order: *=out of state clinics on a regular basis Terry Church www.naturalsporthorse.com California, US* From her site: "Terry Church works with horses and riders in every discipline and at all levels of Dressage. She helps riders become aware of the kind of relationship needed to gain full responsiveness and cooperation with their horses without force, extra equipment or manipulative devices. Terry's approach to training utilizes her work with Tom Dorrance which is integrated into her classical Dressage background as she continually strives to attain "true unity" with her horses. This approach is carried over into her supportive and non-judgmental coaching of riders and horse owners to show how an individual's better understanding of themselves allows for a more successful communication with the horse. In addition, Terry's web site provides a list of trainers who have studied under her. Natural Sporthorse Trainer Page. Madeleine Debure www.laisserfairedressage.com New York, US In a time where we are all busy and used to fast answer, there is a tendency to expect a horse to look round, under control, as soon as possible. A lot of people are scared to give too much freedom to their horses, as much with beginner amateurs as with international competitors. We want strength, power, supple movements, and often forget about expression. Expression is the grace of the moving horse, the spark in his eyes while performing demanding exercises. Madeleine training put the emphasize on this aspect of dressage: the "happy athlete" of the FEI rulebook. Ginger Gaffney www.gingergaffney.com New Mexico, US* Ginger uses what she calls the French Natural Approach. She traveled teaching and learning natural horsemanship for awhile, but soon began wondering what else was out there that she could help with the physical problems that were causing a lot of mental stress in the horses she worked with. Upon returning home, she was intrigued by what she saw of Nuno Oliveira and his students. Through studying with his students, her training program began to take on a new shape. She began using exercises rooted in the old classical French school for building a 'dynamic horse'. These exercises were used to relieve the horse of any physical tension or restriction in its body, thus allowing the horse the horse to become light in the hand, free and foreword and supple beyond any previous measure. She says: "Studying the French classical approach redefined lightness for me. Lightness is something that flows through the entire body of the horse, reaching a potential I could have hardly dreamed before. Through the early work with young horses, starting them without stress and with a great deal of understanding, I introduce the classical exercises taught to me by a few great horse men and women, who were former students of Mr. Oliveira. In this early work, I blend together both my natural understanding of the horse with the understanding of how to prepare a horse to polish its natural balance through classical exercises. This is now the basis for my entire program and how I advance horses both mentally and physically." Luis Lucio www.luislucio.com Barcelona, Spain A member of the Spanish Olympic dressage team who is also a Parelli Natural Horsemanship enthusiast. He answers any questions via his web site free of charge and several forum members have been in correspondence with him and very impressed with the time he takes to answer questions. Matt McLaughlin www.matt-mclaughlin.com Florida, US* From his web site: "His dedication to the training of horse and rider is based on his system of horsemanship that integrates classical principles of dressage and Natural Horsemanship techniques with a focus on controllability of the mount....Matt is currently training and showing horses for competitive dressage and in 2006 was awarded the USDF bronze and silver medals for rider achievement. Although he trains and teaches all levels, his passion is training piaffe, passage and haute ecole." Kristen Nelsen www.wexfordfarm.com Florida, US * From her web site: "Kirsten Nelsen, a former Parelli 3-Star instructor, has spent the past 10 years learning about natural horsemanship from Pat Parelli, Linda Parelli, John Strong, Ronnie Willis, Ray Hunt and Buck Brannaman. For the past 3 years she has been focused on classical training, more specifically, correctness of movement from a purely bio-mechanical point of view thanks to mentors such as Carol Brett and Lesley Ann Taylor of Balance Saddles, equine osteopath Gavin Scofield and 4-Star event rider, Annabelle Scofield." Sarah Sheehy www.sarahsheehy.com Sarah Sheehy is a long-time trainer and instructor with a hunter/jumper background influenced by natural horsemanship. She specializes in giving green horses a solid foundation and in retraining horses from the racetrack as well as performance horses who have been unable to fit into traditional roles. Her primary concerns are for the physical and mental well-being of the horse. Whether training a horse for the hunter or dressage ring, or for pleasure, she aims for supple, willing, and happy horses. Sarah is the brain child for PlaceMyHorse.com, a terrific service for horse buyers and sellers, nationwide. Karen Rohlf www.dressagenaturally.net Florida, US * From her site: "Dressage, Naturally is a name to describe my training philosophy, which puts equal importance on the Mental, Emotional and Physical aspects of the horse. My goal is to achieve the most noble results in dressage while actively preserving and improving my partnership with the horse. My priority is to be an excellent horseman...who is also excellent at dressage." Karen has answered a number of questions from out forum members collectively in the past, check out the Trainer Connections page above. She is also a level 3 graduate of the Parelli program. Danee Rudy www.rudyhorsemanship.2freedom.com Pennsylvania, US Danee and her husband, Larry Davin Rudy, train in Grantville PA. Danee teaches natural horsemanship and dressage in equal doses, while also combining imagery and rider biomechanics like is taught by Mary Wanless and Sally Swift. Her particular passion as a trainer is in starting young horses on the ground and their first year under saddle in a way that makes them calm and confident yet very responsive to the lightest aids. Her specialty as an instructor is in teaching intermediate riders how to use their seat and torso so that hand and leg can be used for refinement and not control. Larry specializes in difficult horses. Together they give regular clinics and offer a range of training and lesson options. Danee contributes regularly to the general chat section of this forum, so we won't bother posting links to each discussion, but if you want a specific question answered, or have general feedback, you can certainly start a thread on our forum. Mark Russell www.naturaldressage.com Author of Lessons in Lightness: The Art of Educating the Horse, trainer, and clinician, Mark Russell, believes that development of lightness and freedom of movement in the horse hinges on the confluence of many factors including a continuous awareness of self, maintaining connection with the horse, supporting relaxation of the horse, and removing blocks to create the free flow of energy throughout the horse. These principles can be found in the teachings of Artistic Dressage and in Natural Horsemanship; two concepts which Mark Russell has seamlessly woven together. Mark wishes to be clear however, that in practice there is distinction between the two; notably in the gymnasticizing process with the alignment of the spine, impulsion, engagement, balance, and the effortless self carriage that Artistic Dressage creates. In pursuing the Art of riding, the two cannot truly be separated; thoughtfully intertwined together they are responsible for both developing the horse and developing the rider's relationship with the horse. Mark has 40 years of equine experience in riding and training horses. After following the teachings of the masters of Classical Dressage, Mark truly transformed after traveling to Portugal in 1984 to study under world renowned Portugese classical horse trainer and rider Nuno Oliveira. He began to study and practice Natural Horsemanship techniques nearly twenty years ago; bringing him full circle to the Art of riding. By blending these philosophies and with the infusion of his quiet, connected energy, Mark is remarkable to watch. Mark passes on his depth of knowledge to all his students; talking to them from the horse's point of view and by helping them the find the path to the lightness and artistry that eludes so many riders today. Walter Zettl www.walterzettl.net A well known master of classical dressage, Walter Zettl is now linked to "natural horsemanship" through his multiple visits to teach Pat and Linda Parelli and their instructors what dressage is. We expect to see some interesting things come out of this (Zettl himself has announced a book and/or coming out of the collaboration) , so stay tuned! :) |