Professional Instructors

Kimberlee Barker has been training professionally since 2000. A USDF L graduate with distinction, she is a regular on the dressage circuit, where she judges, has earned her USDF bronze and silver medals, and trained and competed seven horses up through the FEI levels in dressage. Over 10 of Kimberlee’s students have earned their bronze medals in dressage and three have already earned their silver medals, competing through Prix St Georges.

Laura Stutesman teaches all ages, levels, and disciplines at Rising Hope Stables, in Ashland, Oregon. Her stables also hosts an assortment of horse shows and clinics throughout the year. She utilizes her diverse equine background and 20 years of experience to specialize in practical riding that works with each horse and rider’s skills and desires. She has successfully competed both with her own and clients horses in jumping, dressage, reining, sorting, team penning, working rancher, working equitation, breed shows, trail, and equitation/pleasure.

Trisha Kiefer-Reed enjoys sharing the joys of Working Equitation with a variety of students. Having spent decades professionally coaching, instructing, training and competing in a variety of equine disciplines, Trisha was immediately drawn to the sport. Borrowing from her Eventing and Dressage background, she saw an opportunity to blend classical principles with her everyday ranching and trail riding skills. Assisting horses and their riders to calmly and confidently accomplish the many tasks required in WE is one of Trisha’s greatest joys.

Susan Watkins has been training and competing in Working Equitation since 2010 when she accepted an invitation to help organize the sport in the USA. She has competed in every discipline from ranch roping to jumpers to dressage to circus liberty and movie horses for over 45 years. Now her focus is exclusively on Working Equitation.

Judy Mackenzie has been active with Working Equitation for the last 5 years as an Instructor and Competitor, and is a USAWE Professional Instructor. She is passionate about introducing Youth riders to Working Equitation, and helping them to advance through the Levels. Judy strongly believes in Working Equitation and the benefits that it can bring to riders from any other discipline, such as Dressage, Jumping, Eventing, Trail Riding, Gymkhana and other Western Disciplines.

Jessica Mosbaugh grew up in Indiana and got her first horse at age 8. She rode with trainers including Lynn Palm, Sally Swift, George Morris, Clark Bradley, and others. Her quarter horse Ben and she competed in nearly every AQHA class from the 10 and under division through the Amateur division.

Tessa Nicolet’s passion is building partnerships between an equine and a human. For Tessa, the feeling of finding lightness and harmony while working with a horse is addictive. When Tessa first was introduced to Working Equitation it all came together! The refinement and lightness of classical dressage training, the confidence and partnership needed for Ease of Handling, and the ability to ask for awesome potential energy all in one sport!

Located in Cave Creek, Arizona, Ashley stays active in the Working Equitation and Competitive Dressage communities. She is a USAWE Lifetime Achievement medalist. She has been year end Champion in Region 2 and State numerous times in WE.

Chris Stanko learned about Working Equitation in 2008 and was captured by the spirit of the sport. Chris has been teaching and training for over 40 years, and working as a clinician for 17 yrs. She teaches Working Equitation, In-hand work, Classical Horsemanship, the Art of Garrocha, Western Dressage, all with the correct biomechanics for horse and rider. She has competed in L5 and trained all the masters movements. Chris has organized every aspect of WE shows and clinics and has designed many courses and teaches clinics all over Colorado.

Michelle Lackey’s diverse 40+ years of horsemanship has allowed her to learn from and work with a multitude of breeds, levels, and disciplines of horses. Her extensive Natural Horsemanship background brings an understanding of equine psychology and communication that navigates the obstacles in the Ease of Handling Phase.

Working Equitation entered Erica Peet’s life in 2013. She quickly fell in love with how the sport tests all aspects of horsemanship, fosters growth and improvement that rider and horse can achieve at a reasonable pace, and that it encourages fantastic sportsmanship. Erica Peet and her husband love introducing this fantastic sport to people and have put on WE clinics all around the country. Since 2023, Erica Peet has been traveling regularly to Portugal, where she is studying Working Equitation and classical dressage with World Champions.

Emily has traveled the country studying with some of the world’s best trainers in a variety of disciplines. Her training style is a blend of Natural methods that carefully consider things from the horse’s point of view. Understanding how horses think, feel and see their world around them opens the floodgates to clear communication, and therefore successful partnerships.

Originally from Michigan, Bree Sprik has been an avid rider for over 30 years and working as a professional for over 20. She achieved her USDF bronze and silver medals on her beloved draft cross, Dante. She is a USDF “L” graduate with distinction who has also had a successful show career in show jumping, western riding – trail class in particular, and has dabbled in eventing and fox hunting.

Julie Lamberton’s name resonates with distinction across the equine industry, recognized both for her instructional prowess as a CHA Master Instructor and Certifier, and for her considerable competitive achievements. Specializing in the art of training and riding gaited horses, Julie Lamberton has honed exceptional skills that showcase the unique grace and abilities of these horses. Her expertise extends to in-hand work with horses, a testament to her versatile and comprehensive approach to equine training, prioritizing clear communication and mutual respect.

Rose Watt has been competing in Working Equitation since 2009. Beginning with a Riding Master’s dual major degree from Meredith Manor over 40 years ago, she and her students have shown successfully in Working Equitation, IALHA Nationals Morgan Nationals, Regional Dressage, and Quarter Horse Western Riding events. She believes Working Equitation is the perfect sport. It has a logical progression through the levels and allows both horse and rider to safely enjoy dressage, obstacles, jumping and speed. It’s the perfect place to gather, learn, and to enjoy great people and great events.

Holly Linz is an accomplished Dressage and Working Equitation trainer and clinician. Her training methods incorporate Classical Dressage principles with natural horsemanship to improve understanding and communication between horses and riders to bring them together in the most effective ways to reach their full potential. In addition to being a close student of Felicitas von Neuman Cosel for over 15 years, Holly also works with numerous professionals in several disciplines to continuously build her own experience and education.

Stephanie Hayes has been working in the horse industry all of her adult life as a rider, trainer and competitor in a variety of disciplines. For over twenty years she has been a natural horsemanship clinician blending in the fundamentals of dressage to riders of all disciplines and levels. In 2017 she attended her first Working Equitation clinic and was inspired to incorporate the training benefits into her programs. Since then she has become passionate about the sport, furthering her education at every opportunity, coaching, and successfully competing at Levels 1 through 5.

Jody Fontanetta is a fourth generation equestrian born and raised in Murfreesboro, TN. Her riding experience spans across many disciplines with dressage being the core of her training. She loves that working equitation gives classical training a purpose that has been lost in some modern disciplines.

Polly Limond was a dressage rider, trainer, breeder and importer in the San Diego, CA area for over 35 years. Since 2004 she has been selecting and importing sport horses from Germany for clients and for resale, and in 2018 started importing from Portugal and Spain as well. She has developed an extensive network of horse professionals in several countries, specializing in smaller size horses and sport ponies for dressage.