Well where do I start? Celie came into my life at a desperate time. I had lost one of my closest friends unexpectedly who had two beautiful mares (mother and daughter).I’ve known these horses all of their lives, so of course I adopted them and vowed to give them best care possible. They’ve only known one home which made the transition to my place difficult.They both had some bad habits, but the separation anxiety made them dangerous to themselves and others. I needed help!! That’s when I had the good fortunate to have been referred to Celie. First and foremost Celie always put safety and welfare of my horses before anything.
~ Jennifer P.
Training with Celie Weston was the absolute best gift I could offer me and my horse Preciosa (nickname LoLo). Celie comes armed with a solid philosophy in training in lightness. My horse, prior to training with Celie was heavy on the forehand, frantic in the canter and unable to do circles without falling into the shoulder. After riding for over twenty years Celie was able to introduce me to concepts I never heard of or, if I did, I didn’t fully grasp them and therefore didn’t understand the importance of instituting them, such as teaching my horse straightness, balance, feel, timing of the aids, and true collection.
~ Darrel W.
My 7-year-old QH mare had a mild, but chronic sore left shoulder despite certain interventions, and her left lead was choppy and unbalanced. Celie saw that she was right side dominant, pushed with her right hind, and threw weight onto her left shoulder. Within two months, both leads felt smooth and even, and at the end of our 3 months, she was carrying herself so much better, and gave no indication of soreness in the shoulder. When it came time to ride, I never felt like I was having a “riding lesson” – I was merely being coached to do what I needed to in order to help my horse move straight and balanced – but my riding improved noticeably, and my confidence hit a new high.
~ Laurice B .
Not only is Celie Weston a very accomplished riding instructor, she is a TOP technician. Her communication to me during lessons is so precise, it is to her that I attribute a better seat and greatly improved overall position. This results in a much better connection to my horse through my legs, better balance and the pacing for my jumps is much more under my control. Celie isn’t even my jump instructor but the quality of her work with me has even assisted those! If you are looking for someone who by her expert observation understands how YOU ride and will be succinct and specific in her instruction to you, whose work with you will improve your riding no matter what level you are at or aspire to attain, Celie Weston is who you want as your trainer.
~ Stacy A.
Celie has been a true sage in my life when it comes to my journey with horses, and healing. As a child I loved horses and only reconnected with that love after losing my mom a couple years ago. My first lesson with Celie was not long after that loss, in the round pen with one of her horses, learning the basics of groundwork. I remember driving home that day. I was a giant ball of emotions. I had just experienced AND witnessed the most truthful reflection of myself – and it was entirely communicated by that horse. From then on I was hooked! Celie’s integration of natural horsemanship and classic dressage is masterful. She not only works with you to improve your technique and advance your skill level, but she explains the reasons why you’re performing the technique to begin with and what it means to the horse.
~ Robin G.
There is no denying that Celie has an immense amount of equine knowledge. Technically, any horse she trains will become beautifully balanced and incredibly light. Her ability to read and understand the horse is acutely tuned and she can pick up on a multitude of tiny signals. She works from a place of strong leadership, but always rewards the horse with kindness and softness. However, for me, the most important and rewarding aspect of our training together with my feisty young mare was the training that I received for my own horsemanship. My inner strength, my ability to stay calm when my adrenaline wanted to soar, my learning how to keep my horse at a safe distance while she worked out any frustrations, were the cornerstones of becoming a better, more consistent and fair leader for my insecure young girl.
~ Una M.
Before I started working with Celie using the Lightness Philosophy, I was struggling with my horse, Hottie. She was always barreling forward, bracing against the bit, and throwing a buck when I asked for the canter. Perhaps worst of all, she wouldn’t stop moving when I asked, regardless of the gait she was in. Hottie’s attitude had worsened and become difficult to manage ever since she suffered an injury to her right hind leg. When she started to buck, I knew I needed help. Another one of Celie’s clients had mentioned Celie’s methods to me, and gave me a brochure on how to “fix” a crooked horse. I wondered if perhaps that was Hottie’s problem, that she was crooked and needed help.
~ Karen D.
Celie Weston is an exceptional trainer, in fact the best trainer I have ever worked with. Celie’s combination of French classical dressage, and horsemanship is unique, and sets her apart from other trainers. She has made amazing progress with our two horses and my daughter and I as riders. Celie has a unique ability to adapt to the needs of the individual rider as well as the individual horse. Where some trainers seem to attempt to make themselves indispensible to the horse owner, Celie teaches her students how to work with their horses on their own without being dependent on her. I highly recommend Celie to anyone looking for a trainer to help them achieve their goals with their horse.
~ Gina C.
My horse, Amaranth (Nickname Jellybean) and I were fortunate to have worked with Celie for almost 3 1/2 years. When we started with Celie, we had spent the past 9 years trying different things–trail riding, jumping, natural horsemanship and dressage. While both Jelly and I liked dressage, we struggled to master the different foundational aspects of the training scale, including straightness, impulsion and connection, and collection (we were pretty good at the others). It felt as if we were going in circles, and every time there would be an improvement, we’d eventually plateau. Enter Celie. Celie taught me in each and every lesson how to listen to my horse and communicate clearly and efficiently with her. She gave me a toolbox (ultimately a very large toolbox!) to help me understand what to do to achieve a desired result.
~ Ilana S.
“I guess there are riding lessons, and putting your horse in training, but riding lessons where you are taught how to train and teach your horse are just amazing!!! Thank you Celie Weston. One week with your instruction showed more improvement in my horse Elante than the last 3 months. A great testament to your method of teaching/training”.
~ Leilani D.
The Horse Owner’s Guide to Jaw Flexion and Neck Extension – Learn how to get your horse soft on the bit and forward to the aids – for a balanced, harmonious ride!
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