Hey! I just moved to the Raleigh area and am in search of some personal experience about the dressage trainers in the area. Anybody have any insight?
Which area in Raleigh? It is a big city. Dawn Weniger is about 30 minutes from NC State at Firstview Farm. You can check out her website at firstviewfarm.com
On the same vein - are there good trainers in Durham?
[QUOTE=EaglesWings;8355372]
On the same vein - are there good trainers in Durham?[/QUOTE]
For both questions, I suggest starting with a perusal of NCDCTA on Facebook and online. There are trainer listings on the website. For this forum, it will be helpful to describe what you are looking for (level, needs, full training or not, etc.).
You have good options in the area and towards Southern Pines.
Leslie Bean with August Dressage is wonderful!
Agree with Piedmontfields - check out the NCDCTA trainer listing on their website.
RE: Leslie Bean and August Dressage, who was recommended in a post above - I disagree and wouldn’t recommend her as either an instructor or a trainer. As a PSA, you could talk with the many former clients who have left her, and the barn owners who have asked her to leave their stable. You can also check her most recent scores at the Regionals (50s on the first day for her and her student) and Centerline Scores to get an idea of how she does in the competitive arena.
RE: her character and integrity: After many attempts to collect money owed to me by LB for a 2014 clinic, I sued her in Small Claims Court this year and won. She ignored the court’s order to pay and now has an unpaid judgment against her; she still owes me and a Bereiter from the Spanish Riding School money.
In addition, she recently pled guilty to a reduced Assault with a Deadly Weapon Charge - it was reduced from a felony to a misdemeanor Assault Causing Serious Injury.
Good luck finding a trainer!
Speedy Alice - Her student got 2nd place yesterday at Regionals unless the pic with the red ribbon and a big smile was a lie.
Try Buckhorn Farm if your looking for lessons and don’t have your own horse. They host the NC State Dressage team. Don’t know tons about them, but horses look well kept and happy when I’ve seen them at various local shows. It’s hard to find dressage farms with lesson horses around unless you head down to Aberdeen/Southern Pines area.
Listing your requirements might be useful.
[QUOTE=EaglesWings;8355372]
On the same vein - are there good trainers in Durham?[/QUOTE]
Interestingly, there are not alot of dressage trainers in the area, but there are some. What are you looking for in a dressage trainer and how much are you willing to spend?
I board at Buckhorn and you won’t find a more wonderful person, trainer than Bridget MacNair.
Would be helpful to know if you have a horse/looking for someone to travel to you/etc. I’m in Durham but ride with Nanci Lindroth (who comes to the area) and Diane Isenhour (Hillsborough, and sometimes can provide lesson horses). I’m happy with my (and my horse’s) progress with both, and wish I had the $$$$ to afford more frequent lessons!
I haven’t ridden with her but have been stabled near Brooke Doss at several shows and been impressed with her handling/riding of young horses and she was very nice in the stabling area and at future shows, no idea what she’s like as an instructor though.
[QUOTE=hopashore1;8362745]
Would be helpful to know if you have a horse/looking for someone to travel to you/etc. I’m in Durham but ride with Nanci Lindroth (who comes to the area) and Diane Isenhour (Hillsborough, and sometimes can provide lesson horses). I’m happy with my (and my horse’s) progress with both, and wish I had the $$$$ to afford more frequent lessons!
I haven’t ridden with her but have been stabled near Brooke Doss at several shows and been impressed with her handling/riding of young horses and she was very nice in the stabling area and at future shows, no idea what she’s like as an instructor though.[/QUOTE]
Where do you board?
Maybe more of a drive than you’re interested in but going to recommend Tami Batts and the team at Fellowship Farm. There are more than a few clients who haul in from Raleigh, SoPines, including someone who makes the drive almost daily from Durham. Tami has clients competing at FEI, pros who ride w/her, AAs, and YR. I’ve been doing this horse thing a million years it seems sometimes and in several different disciplines at big deal barns & more local stuff. Very happy with Tami & her crew.
But I agree with what others have posted…maybe be a little more specific about exactly what you are looking for. There’s stuff in all shapes and sizes near & far.
[QUOTE=hopashore1;8362745]
Would be helpful to know if you have a horse/looking for someone to travel to you/etc. I’m in Durham but ride with Nanci Lindroth (who comes to the area) and Diane Isenhour (Hillsborough, and sometimes can provide lesson horses). I’m happy with my (and my horse’s) progress with both, and wish I had the $$$$ to afford more frequent lessons!
I haven’t ridden with her but have been stabled near Brooke Doss at several shows and been impressed with her handling/riding of young horses and she was very nice in the stabling area and at future shows, no idea what she’s like as an instructor though.[/QUOTE]
COTH is a small world, indeed! I was at a departmental lunch today when a colleague asked me how my dressage horse was doing. The head of the Histology core was sitting at the adjoining table and said “hey, we have a new member, and she rides dressage, too!”. I asked her where she kept her horse…and who she worked with… and it rang a bell. I said “Did you just post that on COTH?” It was hopashore1!
What a small world! So great to meet you, hopashore1! We must keep in touch!
Susan Wiedman and Encore Sporthorse is in Sanford, about 30 min south of Raleigh. She’s got a good group of AA’s and a nice farm. I’ve also heard good things about Brooke Daas but have no personal stories to share. Lynn Leath is near Chapel Hill and has a beautiful training center as well. Patrick Marley is a little further out near Burlington and he trains the Elon dressage team.
[QUOTE=Finzean;8363877]
Maybe more of a drive than you’re interested in but going to recommend Tami Batts and the team at Fellowship Farm. There are more than a few clients who haul in from Raleigh, SoPines, including someone who makes the drive almost daily from Durham. Tami has clients competing at FEI, pros who ride w/her, AAs, and YR. I’ve been doing this horse thing a million years it seems sometimes and in several different disciplines at big deal barns & more local stuff. Very happy with Tami & her crew.
But I agree with what others have posted…maybe be a little more specific about exactly what you are looking for. There’s stuff in all shapes and sizes near & far.[/QUOTE]
I second this! I lived in High Point for just a short time in 2012-13 and had planned to start taking lessons with Tami. Because I was traveling so much & then my husband and I ultimately moved back to MI, I never did take a lesson with Tami - just watched her teach and talked with her while doing my research on where I’d eventually take lessons. I did take a longe lesson w one of her asst trainers.
Really lovely atmosphere at that barn, and I liked what I saw in the lessons Tami taught - in what she was saying, how her students looked & what they did, and how the horses were going. I was looking forward to riding with her. And not that scores are everything, but she does very well at all levels, and it looks like she’s brought horses all the way up the levels.
Thank you for the input! I was hoping to stay closer to the Raleigh area because my horse and I are living in North Raleigh. I am open to some travel but it’s certainly easier on me if my trainer could travel to my farm. I was hoping to hear some good things about Leslie Bean because she is close by but I was worried about the drama associated with her… I simply need a good classical dressage trainer who will focus on relaxation and the happiness of the horse. A few blue ribbons at shows wouldn’t hurt anything either however
Rebecca Vick is in Fuquay, not far from Raleigh. Only taken a couple a lessons from her, but she seems to fit what you’re seeking.
I have been watching my friends young horse being brought along and ridden by Brooke Doss and I have to say I have been most impressed at her progress. This was a horse that had a bad rep only because she was being ridden poorly.
I have to say I am a picky bitch when it comes to dressage and quite honestly have not been very impressed by the methods used by others.
I have seen Brooke ride before and always liked the way she can get through to a horse by just riding and showing them what she wants with zero drama.
An added bonus is she is very classical (which I love). Others around like to crank and spank or think they know how to work a horse classically but fall very short.
