High Hopes Dressage

Harriet Hauser has been teaching people to ride for over 20 years.
She is currently the resident dressage trainer at FarmHill Equestrian Center in Ridgefield, Washington.

Harriet brings to her dressage instruction a deep love of horses and a profound respect for the rider.  Her compassionate approach and skilled training techniques are based on her decades of training under dressage luminaries such as Dietrich von Hopffgarten, Mary Judkins, Dr. Gerd Heuschmann, Peter DeCosemo, Bettina Drummond, Pierre Cousyn and Nicola Stauder.

It is a tribute to Harriet's skills as a dressage trainer that, in April 2008, she had the honor to ride in Dr. Gerd Heuschmann's first clinic tour held in the United States, a clinic tour in which the demonstration riders were selected by invitation only.  

Harriet believes that "every journey is better on horseback".  Read more about Harriet's journey in "Modesty and Mastery in the Training of Dressage", originally published by Flying Changes magazine (May 2008).

Riding Lessons

Harriet can help you rediscover the joy of dressage as she teaches you to work with your horse in happy partnership. Riding lessons are available Wednesday through Saturday.  Contact Harriet directly to arrange for private lessons on your horse at FarmHill.

Horse Training

Does your young horse need some training?  Or maybe your mature mount needs a tuneup.  Harriet offers various levels of training, from just a few rides a week to full training at FarmHill.  Contact Harriet directly to discuss your needs and hear more about your options.

Clinics

Harriet hosted Dr. Gerd Heuschmann in recent clinics - his first ever engagement in the Pacific Northwest in May and a return engagement in November.  Dr.Heuschmann is the world renowned author of Tug of War: Classical versus "Modern" Dressage, and his articles have been featured in prominent equine magazines.  Watch this space for potential future clinics.

Harriet also coordinates more frequent clinics with Nicola Stauder at FarmHill.  Originally trained as a Bereiter (Master Rider) in Germany, Nicola has dedicated her training and teaching of dressage to the fundamental principles of health and harmony between horse and rider.   Contact Harriet to get an update on upcoming clinics with Nicola.

Occasional clinics with Pierre Cousyn are also offered at FarmHill.  Trained as an “Instructeur” at the National Equestrian School in Saumur, France (the French equivalent of the Spanish Riding School), Pierre has devoted the last fifteen years to incorporating for Americans the classical principles with modern methods of dressage.  Pierre emphasizes the importance of basic skills, even at the highest levels of dressage, and he strongly believes that a happy relationship between horse and rider is the only way that dressage makes sense.  Contact Harriet about Pierre's next clinic at FarmHill.

Find Harriet and FarmHill