As an Alexander Technique teacher with an extensive background in dressage, I am interested in collaborating with dressage trainers who want to give their students extra help with their seat. My workshops use the principles of the Alexander Technique to teach effective practices that lessen tension and increase balance and resilience in a rider’s seat.  

My background in competitive dressage stretches back to the early 1980’s, when I rode in southern California with Hilda Gurney. I then went to Germany and Austria where I studied, worked and competed for four years. I rode with several different trainers who ran small barns, all of whom studied extensively with George Wahl in Switzerland. In Europe every rider is expected to work on their seat in a serious and committed way.

In a Well-Carried Rider workshop, riders practice on the ground how to work from the inside-out, how to balance their head/neck relationship while moving through the back, letting the limbs work freely with the least possible interference of excess movement or tension. Through these exercises, riders can save hours of struggle by bringing these experiential insights to the usual dressage work.

Workshops take place both on the ground and on the longe. Riders come away with a new understanding of how their own body movement and suppleness affects the horse’s movement and a set of skills to practice both on and off the horse. 

Please feel free to contact me so that I can answer any questions you may have either about the Alexander Technique, my dressage background or my workshops. My intention is to support dressage trainers by helping their students improve the use of their body both in understanding and experientially.