TESTIMONIALS
“I began riding with Teresa in April of 2019 and immediately felt a wonderful connection with her. I was pushing to finish my bronze medal requirements on an unconventional horse and wanted the help and keen eye of a judge. Teresa was the perfect fit. She gave us the pointers we needed to finesse our ride and she boosted my confidence. With her help, my goal was achieved at our first show of the season.
Since then I have been riding a different horse with Teresa. This new horse is very quirky, but again, Teresa has been able to dial-us-in very quickly. Pushing us, while simultaneously building my confidence and that of my horse.
My favorite thing about Teresa is her ability to push you when you need a push, praise you when you do well, encourage you when you are down and make you laugh when you need it.”
–DIERDRA DONG
“Like many riders, I have had my ups and downs with horse ownership and learning the art of Dressage. At 63 years of age, I have felt that many instructors viewed me as a rider who was unable to advance and therefore unimportant to their program. As much as I wanted to continue riding, I struggled with a lack of confidence, never seeming to find the right horse and having a few accidents that left me fearful and tentative.
About 2 years ago, I began to look for a new dressage instructor with a clear list of requirements in mind. This list started with finding an instructor that could teach me the basics with a level respect, regardless of the type of horse I had or my age. Additionally, I was not interested in working with an instructor who was seeking attention and needed me to become another member in their “fan-club” of students. I was not interested in immature behavior and drama!
I called Teresa after discovering her website. During our first call, it was immediately clear to me that Teresa was a direct communicator, deeply knowledgeable and highly professional. She demonstrated that she was the no-nonsense type of person I like.
I arrived for my first lesson sporting my Hit Air Vest and a horse I still was not able to canter after 6 months of instruction. My confidence was at a low point.
One year after entering Teresa’s program and riding under her direction, my riding had changed dramatically. The Hit Air Vest was no longer part of my ensemble and I had earned the required 1st level scores I needed, working towards my goal of achieving a bronze medal.
My experience working with Teresa has changed my riding. Whether you are interested in learning and having fun with Dressage or looking to train and compete through the levels, Teresa can help you set and achieve your goals while treating you with the utmost respect along the journey.”
–BECKY HARRISON
“Working with Teresa Stewart has been the most inspiring, educational, and invigorating training experience in my 25 years as an equestrian. Patience, genuine dedication, and a keen eye to detail set Teresa apart from other trainers. She quickly identified my training weaknesses and helped me understand the building blocks for riding competently, correctly and effectively. She has helped me build the foundation required to move through the levels of dressage.
As an accomplished professional (instructor, licensed judge and classically trained FEI rider), not only does Teresa have tremendous knowledge, but she is very effective at transferring that knowledge directly to her students during each and every lesson.
Teresa also has the uncanny ability to match horse and rider. Over the past 2 years, Teresa brought me together with two phenomenal FEI horses that she personally trained and developed, making my dreams a reality.
Teresa Stewart is a true, first-class professional on every level. I feel blessed to be working with her and look forward to each and every lesson.”
–annemarie Schweiger
Our daughter has been training with Teresa for the last year and we feel fortunate that she has this opportunity. We appreciate Teresa’s knowledge and perspective as an accomplished equestrian, trainer, and judge.
Teresa’s curriculum for young riders starts with fundamentals in horsemanship, including proper horse care, personal training, nutrition and caring for equipment. Teresa emphasizes the correct mastery of the basics as the foundation for improvement. She keeps the training interesting and challenging by introducing new concepts in each lesson. Teresa also has the unique ability to simplify and explain the theory behind various dressage movements. She systematically breaks down challenging movements and translates them back to the rider in a manner that is understandable and executable. Furthermore, she emphasizes and explains how the most basic movements and techniques are compulsory in building the foundation for more advanced dressage.
Our daughter loves training with Teresa because the lessons are always fun, interesting, and challenging. Teresa encourages her to be the very best she can be during each training session. With Teresa’s instruction, in less than one year, our daughter has progressed from basic walk, trot, and canter to schooling first and second level movements.
Teresa is helping our daughter achieve her dream of becoming a competitive dressage rider.
–anne fox
When transitioning our older Arabian/Saddlebred from “main-ring” breed shows to dressage, it was clear we needed a lot of education.
Throughout the past two years, we have transformed under Teresa’s thoughtful guidance. She helped our horse become relaxed and consistent and further established a happy horse and rider dressage partnership.
Teresa excels in improving the performance, comfort, and health of the horses in her training program. She pays tremendous attention to detail and has been able to detect and solve many issues our other trainers missed.
We admire Teresa’s willingness to take on riders of any level and horses of all breeds, no matter how unique their needs or challenges may be. Regardless of where you or your horse are in your training and development, Teresa can help you set and achieve your most ambitious goals.
–Shelby & luana lubchuk
I was truly fortunate to meet Teresa when I moved to Whidbey Island for the winter in 2017.
I have had my time in the show-ring and have reached a point in my life where my current priority is to become a better rider and to enjoy the wonderful horse that I have.
When I started working with Teresa, I had just purchased Night Wings, a former Grand Prix Arabian horse with extremely high credentials. I had only ridden him once, for about 10 minutes, and I knew he was going to be a project for me (I did warn Teresa of this!).
It soon became clear that his training in Grand Prix movements was based on learning “tricks” rather than through the establishment of a correct dressage foundation. Teresa quickly diagnosed important training issues that required a shift in focus, working on fundamentals and a “back to the basics” approach.
Being 78 years old, I have certain physical limitations and many “replacement parts”. Teresa was extremely sensitive to my physical limitations and helped me work through many fears and challenges. She employed methods of training that were correct and absolute while being forgiving and innovative in terms of working through our shortcomings.
When my 6-month stay in Washington concluded, I had developed a renewed confidence and had made tremendous improvements as a rider. My experience working with Teresa in 2017 was so positive that I returned to Whidbey Island for the winter of 2019, specifically to work with her for an additional 6 months.
–JULIE LAWSON
“I wanted to get back into riding after a 4-year hiatus. To summarize my previous 16 years in the hunter jumper world, I can only highlight the many tears, a loss of the joy that a horse should provide, and the feeling that my money was poorly spent.
When I expressed to a friend that I would only get “back-in-the-saddle” if I could return to the fun and the love that the horse relationship should bring, she suggested that I reach out to Teresa.
When we met, Teresa listened carefully to my goals.
After finding me a temporary ride and beginning my training, Teresa developed an understanding of me as a rider. She then re-established my basic foundation and taught me how to ride correctly. When it was time to find my long-term partner, Teresa knew exactly what I needed and found a horse, within budget, that perfectly suited me; unlike the many other trainers who too often look for horses that are suited for them personally.
My new horse came to me with very little dressage experience and with poor fitness. Addressing this, Teresa also shared her horsemanship with me. She helped me build a plan surrounding veterinary needs, shoeing, nutrition, and fitness.
Teresa understands that every horse and rider are different and want different things out of riding. Thanks to this personal approach, I am happy to say that I have established the type of partnership I have always wanted. Not only am I learning the discipline of dressage, I also love being at the barn again. I owe this to Teresa.”
–DAWN NOBLE
"I have had the incredible opportunity to train with Teresa for the past six years. She helped me find my wonderful horse Meara and has been crucial to our training program. As an aspiring dressage rider, Teresa has helped me achieve many of my goals, including earning my bronze medal, and continues to take me to the next level. As a trainer, Teresa provides correct methods for teaching horse and rider and takes no short cuts. She is a truly compassionate horsewoman that cares about the well-being of horses. I admire the fact that Teresa never stops learning and has continued to further her education through the intensive USDF judging program and riding skills by working with some of the top dressage trainers in the world. Teresa is a true professional that is also a very talented teacher, trainer, rider and friend."
–Katie Thetford
"Beyond the success my daughter experienced competitively under Teresa, we have gained valuable knowledge in other equestrian skills such as veterinary care, diet and competition psychology.
Most importantly, as a riding instructor, a successful Gran Prix competitor and as a judge, Teresa exposed insufficiencies in the foundation of training, whereby my daughter now has a firm grasp of the basics and is prepared to build upon her experience and advance through the levels.
We finally feel as if we are making progress towards our goals and have established the confidence to do so."
