“WESTERN DRESSAGE IS MORE THAN A MOVEMENT. IT’S GOING TO BE A GRAND SUCCESS. I joined up with a good number of horse trainers this week to learn more about the sport, their mission and the steps they are suggesting that we as trainers take so that we can be a part of this new sport. “
The Train the Trainers™ clinics were established by the Western Dressage Association of America in early 2012. Intense national and international demand led Frances Carbonnel and Cliff Swanson, to begin the development of a training curriculum which addressed the needs of equine professionals who were interested in training their horses and clients about Western Dressage.
Western Dressage is a synthesis of two worlds; it is the need to understand this synthesis that drives the Train the Trainers™ program. All participants leave the clinic with volumes of materials supporting the training methods delivered during the clinic.
Professionals from a traditional dressage background leave the clinic understanding more about western horses, their movements and gaits and tack.
Western professionals are able to observe classical dressage principles demonstrated on a variety of western horses. The interface between both types of participants is one of most rewarding parts of the program.
The mission of the Western Dressage Association® is to honor the horse and to value the partnership it has provided us on our American journey. Its mission is to provide a model of training and horsemanship which optimizes this partnership for the benefit of both horse and rider. Its mission is to celebrate the American West where all these things came to pass.
“Congratulations are in order for Cliff Swanson and Frances Carbonnel for putting on a two day educational experience that for me gave me what I wanted and needed. Now as a classical and western dressage trainer I am a better all around teacher because of them. By being a participant in the TTT program, I have become a part of their foundation of the educational thrust of Western Dressage.” Karin Reid Offield