Dressage Training To Support Your Equestrian Relationships

    Michelle Coad has been teaching horse riding lessons and training horses for over 30 years.

   As a child, Michelle's family moved to central Maine, and she was fortunate to take up her dedicated riding education just as Dressage Olympian Michael Poulin and his brother Thomas Poulin started their new “American School of Dressage.” She was a committed student of Michael’s wife, USDF Gold Medalist and S judge Sharon Poulin, a member of the local 4H club, and worked summers at Mike and Tom’s brother Bill Poulin’s Montsweag Bay Farm near Wiscasset, Maine.  As a youth, riding a wide variety of horses, she had opportunities to broadened her skills from dressage to road hack and trail riding, jumping and vaulting. 

As a young adult, Michelle continued to seek out equestrian educational experiences and bought her first horse, a Hanovarian cross, Docksider Dan, training him through the movements of 4th level dressage. Through the years, Michelle and Dan learned from some of Maine’s most prominent trainers, principally:

• USDF L judge and FEI competitor Christine Joost 
• Dressage Olympian Lendon Gray
• Brithish Horse Society Gymnastic, stadium and cross-country jumping instructor and international competitor Mary (Guenzel) O’Rourke
• USDF Gold Medalist and USET Driving Pairs Champion Larry Poulin 
• USDF Certified Instructor and FEI competitor Judy Westlake

    To further her equestrian education she attended USDF National Symposiums, Olympic Selection Trials, Instructor Certification Workshops and USDF Judging programs.   

Learning from accomplished masters of classical dressage, Michelle is convinced that the refinement and subtlety of the aids are paramount to clear communication and the development of a sensitive and responsive partner.    A highlight of her equestrian experiences was meeting Dr. Reiner Klimke in Cologne, Germany, where she audited his schooling and competing of young horses at a two-day M level show. 

   In 1998, Michelle attended a USDF Instructor Workshop led by USDF Certified Instructor Gina Krueger of Garland Farms, Dahlonega, Georgia.  Impressed with Gina’s clear and specific communication, focus on the rider’s seat aids, the balanced development of the horse, and the harmonious partnership between the two, Michelle sought out visits to Garland Farms and participated regularly in Gina’s Stay and Learn program.  In 2009, as she founded Downeast Dressage, Michelle had the opportunity to work and learn with Gina for several months.  Gina remains a strong influence and has come to Maine to teach many clinics sponsored by Downeast Dressage.    

   With a commitment to improving the experience for both rider and horse, Michelle has defined the concept of Relationship Riding, which incorporates the value of the horse-human partnership into the riding experience.  This is the pinnacle of the art of dressage.  While it is perhaps intuited in the dressage training scale, it is rarely specifically taught.  Michelle’s goal is to help students build this quality into every aspect of their equestrian experiences.