TERESA STEWART
DRESSAGE

USDF Gold Medalist × USEF “S” licensed Dressage Judge

Photo by: Carloynn Bunch

As a professional equestrian, whether in my role as a competitor, judge or instructor, I am ideologically committed to the development of a harmonious partnership between horse and rider. Whether your goals are to compete or to ride recreationally, I will mentor you as I have been taught, integrating elements of good horsemanship and focused training as you work to establish the horse and rider relationship.

“A rider’s position and their correctness is a priority. When the rider is better, the horse is better.”

— Conrad Schumacher

My principal philosophy is that successful riding requires a solid foundation in correct and basic training, something that is often overlooked, even by experienced riders. For each of my students, I will create a personalized and objective training curriculum, insuring your foundation is well established. As you and your horse progress through your training you will gain confidence collectively and develop together and advance towards your goals.

COntact

(917) 881-5877 teastew2@gmail.com

Location

Whidbey Equestrian Center
21306 SR 20
Coupeville, WA 98260

*By Appointment Only

Services

TRAINING AND INSTRUCTION

Beginner to FEI / 45 Minute Lessons

TRAINING BOARD

5 Rides per Week

CLINICS

6 Lesson Minimum + Travel

COACHING

Contact Teresa for Competition Schedule

Pricing Sheet Available by Request

Photo above by: Carolynn Bunch

Bio

Fifteen years ago I gave up a successful modeling career, living between New York City and Paris, pursuing my lifelong dream to train and compete horses. I bought my first horse, built a barn on the property my husband and I purchased in New York’s Hudson Valley and dedicated my life to equestrian education and excellence.

I quickly advanced through-the-levels of Three-Day Eventing with my Morgan/Thoroughbred-Cross, Handsome Devil, a horse that taught me how heart and partnership can supersede talent.

Over the next several years, after personally training and developing a stable of horses, I competed through the FEI** level, experiencing success and participating at every major event along the east coast Three-Day Eventing circuit.

In 2007 I had the opportunity to return to my native home of Washington state on Whidbey Island. Once home, I was fortunate to meet my friend Trenna Atkins who convinced me to focus solely on dressage and to further establish a foundation for my professional education by entering the USDF “L” judges program. More recently, I have achieved my USEF “R” license, with plans to enter the USEF “S” program in the near future.

In the years to follow, after transitioning my Three-Day Event horses to the Dressage discipline, I developed a friendship and began to study with internationally recognized instructor and FEI 5* judge, Lilo Fore. In addition to my continued work with Lilo Fore, I have augmented my classical dressage training under the guidance of Dressage Olympian, Leslie Reid and renowned instructor, Conrad Schumacher.

Resulting from this mentorship, I was successful in training and competing my Irish Thoroughbred, My Rowan, from 1st Level through Grand Prix Dressage, earning USDF Bronze, Silver, and Gold medals.

As a competitor, instructor, coach and judge, I am committed to promoting good horsemanship and the sport of dressage, whether your goals are to improve your recreational riding or to be successful as a dressage competitor.

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

“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, LA Stilleto, from ‘main-ring’ breed shows to dressage, it became clear we had holes in our training and needed help. Throughout the past few years, we have transformed under Teresa’s thoughtful guidance. She has helped our horse become relaxed and consistent and established a happy horse and rider partnership. After joining Terea’s program, we gained the confidence and skills to be independent and successfully show without our trainer on-site which was a dream come true.

During our most recent year showing (with Stilleto, age 25!), we were able to beat our longstanding personal best dressage score and win our class against professionals and horses of all ages and breeds--a major accomplishment. We also travelled to the Region 17 Arabian Championship Show at Thunderbird Show Park (bucket list item) and had our best show ever placing in every championship class and winning multiple regional championships and reserve championships in our dressage and in-hand classes. We created many wonderful memories with our horse and show friends we will cherish forever, all thanks to Teresa.

In Teresa's program, Stilleto also earned three AHA Lifetime Achievement Awards: Legion of Honor (+), Legion of Merit (++), and Legion of Supreme Honor (+/) and is now "LA Stilleto++/". I also earned three AHA Amateur Achievement Awards: Rider of Merit Champion, Horseman of Merit Champion and Horseman of Supreme Merit Champion. After many years of showing, it wasn’t until we were in Teresa’s program that we became multi-regional champions and earned many of our greatest achievements--all while Stilleto was in his twenties.

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 so 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

Facilities

Whidbey Equestrian Center
21306 SR 20, Coupeville, WA 98260
Full Service Commercial Barn
Full Size Indoor and 3 Outdoor Arenas 68’ Round Pen 40+ Acres

Contact