Classical Dressage in New England

Onsite accommodations are in the lovely guesthouse. 4 rooms are available and each room shares a bathroom with one other room.

Some continental breakfast items are provided but lunch and dinner are not included in this trip.

• Overview:

  The farm has eighteen Lusitano stallions and two Lusitano mares imported from Brazil and Portugal, as well as several Lusitano Warmblood Crosses. To help his students to develop the feeling and create the possibility of a harmonious dance with a horse, the instructor and his staff prepare their own equine schoolmasters. The center uses custom dressage saddles which have a comfortable seat and knee rolls.

• Horse Breeds:

  Majority are Lusitano.

• Trip Pace:

  To suit riders

• Tack:

  Dressage saddles

• Weight limit:

  170 lbs

• Hours of Instruction:
  Typically two 45 min-1 hr semi-private lessons per day
• Instruction and Training:
  As head instructor, Vitor Silva presents to his students exemplary training in the art of classical riding. With a strong background in classical dressage, he shares the knowledge and skill acquired through years of study with recognized riding masters of Portugal. Vitor teaches his students that while masters or trainers can share their knowledge and explain the technical aspects of riding, each rider must open him or herself to feel the horse's movements, responses and needs. Ultimately, he strives to develop this intuitive feeling in his students so that harmony between horse and rider can be achieved. For those riders new to the saddle or still developing a balanced effective seat, Vitor has developed a systematic method of developing the rider’s seat and effectiveness of aids on the lunge-line. Here the rider develops the balance, rhythm, and feel within the movement of the horse. Once the rider progresses through the process of developing balance, the instructors and their equine schoolmasters introduce and reinforce the riders understanding and feel of effective aids. This time and preparation on the lunge-line allows the student to develop the ability to follow the movement of the horse without inhibiting it …to ask of the horse with great finesse and to allow the desired movement. Once the rider has developed an effective seat, the work continues in group lessons.
• Types of Instruction:
  Clinics and Lessons, Dressage Training

Merrimac