Contemporary Dressage Trainers
It is very helpful to find a more contemporary example to refer to in trying to make sense of what the masters wrote and how to apply that knowledge to your every day practice of riding. The trainers listed below are from the current era, are well read, and we think are a fantastic resource. All of them have some kind of reading material (books, magazine articles) or video that you could obtain. Some of them are currently giving clinics around the world. Some who have passed on have left behind students that you could seek out. The summaries below are concise compilations taken from the trainers' books and/or from their websites with minimal commentary from us.
Francois Lemaire de Ruffieu grew up in France and was first trained by Maitre Jean Couillaud. He graduated from the Cadre Noir and spent six years in the cavalry at Saumur and Fontainbleau, studying and showing in dressage, stadium jumping, three day eventing, and steeplechase. He came to the US in 1971 and he teaches clinics all over the US and Europe. He has written two books, “The Handbook of Riding Essentials” and “The Handbook of Jumping Essentials”. He has written for several magazines and is a talented artist.
Nuno Oliveira began learning his chosen profession under Master Joaquin Gonzales de Miranda. He learned the principles of de la Gueriniere and Marialva and never deviated from these principles in training horses throughout his life. He taught and trained in Lisbon and later Avessada, Portugal. He traveled and gave clinics and demonstrations all over the world until his death in 1989. Some books by Nuno include, “Reflections on Equestrian Art”, “Horses and Their Riders”, “Horse and Rider: Annotated Sketches”, “From an Old Master Trainer to Young Trainers”, and “Liberetto for the Horseman”. Eleanor Russell published a book about Nuno’s work titled, “The Truth in the Teaching of Nuno Oliveira” and two DVD’s of him training his horses.
Jean Claude Racinet a graduate of St. Cyr, he completed the Superior Equitation Course at Saumur. He became a teacher, trainer and writer in civilian life. In 1983 he moved to the US and taught until his death in 2009. His books include, “Another Horsemanship”, “Total Horsemanship”, “Racinet Explains Baucher”, and “Fallling for Fallicies”. His work was very influenced by Baucher and his work was branded, “Riding in Lightness”.
Philippe Karl dropped his medical studies in 1968 to dedicate himself to working with horses. He obtained his national riding instructor certificate and went on to head the riding department at the Centre d´Enseignement Zootechnique in Rambouillet. After several years, he ran his own stable and competed in show jumping and eventing. In 1985 he became an Ecuyer at the Cadre Noir, where he trained and performed for 13 years. In 1998 he left the Cadre Noir and now devotes his time to writing and training instructors through his Teachers Course.
Philippe Karl is an ardent advocate for the horse. He has written books, articles, and letters refuting the validity of modern competitive riding practices that are detrimental to the horse. He has petitioned the FEI, written and entire book on the subject, and created a DVD contrasting the classical school with the modern school. His books: “The Twisted Truths of Modern Dressage”; "The Art of Riding: Classical Dressage to High School: Odin at Saumur"; and “Long Reining, The Saumur Method” are available in English as well as his DVD’s, “Classical Dressage, Volumes 1-4” , “Classical vs. Classique”, "Modern Equestrianism", "Teaching a Language", and "Philippe Karl School of Legerete 1&2".
Anja Beran at the age of 15 began her official equestrian studies with Luis Valencia in Portugal. One year later she met Manuel Jorge de Oliveira, the man who was to become her equestrian mentor.
Portugal subsequently became Anja Beran’s second equestrian home. From the age of 16 onwards, she rode with Marc de Broissia, who had trained in France before moving to Portugal in order to perfect his skills as a master of classical dressage.Marc de Broissia’s yard became Anja Beran’s first “workplace”. At the age of 19, immediately after passing her higher school leaving certificate, she became a member of his training team and rode under his auspices for the next 14 years. Anja has her own farm at Gut Rosenhof in Barvaria where she trains many high level stallions. She teaches and gives clinics as well. She has a very beautiful and comprehensive book, “Classical Schooling with the Horse in Mind” and several DVDs.
Craig Stevens Craig worked with the best of the 20th century classical trainers, studying with such master horsemen as Joao Oliveira of Portugal, the French masters Michel Henriquet and François Lemaire de Ruffieu, members of the Cadre Noir, as well as with Katherine Durand. And, most importantly, he learned to read French in order to research equitation history. He read everything he could get his hands on, and he's not done yet. Craig is constantly engaged in a relentlessly joyful pursuit of an equestrian education, and he loves finding treatises by master horsemen whose works are not well known.
Craig teaches at his farm in Snohomish, WA and travels extensively in Europe and the US giving clinics. He has 3 DVDs covering equestrian cultural history and theory as well as seat training. He also has translated many books, some of which are available for purchase.
Bartabas is difficult to describe. He is the founder of Zingaro, an equestrian performance art group he founded in 1998. In 2002, he founded the Académie du Spectacle Équestre (Academy of Equestrian Arts) in the Grand Ecurie of the Palace of Versailles. Like many performers who are known only by one name, he seems to like to keep an air of mystery about him so it is difficult to learn his background and training. Nonetheless, it is worth getting a copy of any or all of his performances as the training in them is quite good.