Learning Moments That Click: Dressage, Coaching & Horse-First Care, with Sara of Dwyer Equine

At Honos Nutrition Co., I’m passionate about horses, science, and doing the best we can do for our equine best friends, while empowering others to do the same. With this blog series, my goal is to support like-minded individuals and convey the importance of compassionate, evidence-based horse care, while coming back to the passion & curiosity that is driven by the love of the horse. 

I could not be more excited to introduce you to this week’s guest blog feature. Lifelong horse nerd, long-time Honos client & supporter, and an even longer Pony Club friendship, Sara is one of my most favourite people I’ve met through horses. While I know her for her voice memos, the world should know her for her dedication to doing right by horses, as an FEI dressage rider, college professor and freelance coach.

Like many horse lovers, Sara grew up on a small farm with horses at home. Her love of horses was inherited from her mom, who loved dressage - something that Sara recounts, she didn’t share at the time. While Sara loved horses, eventing was her discipline of choice, only working on her dressage to improve her eventing. 

Funnily enough, Sara shared “I had never planned on coaching, and dressage was a discipline that I hated as a young rider, until I had a horse who found dressage easy, and a coach to give me the correct foundation, and it made the learning fun. Slowly but surely, I fell in love with the finesse of dressage and found the satisfaction of improving the horse’s way of going, even just for a few strides, like a bunch of little “wins.” Don’t get me wrong, galloping across the cross-country course is a feeling that can’t be replaced by anything else (not even polo, though it comes close) but I find a lot of joy in the training process of dressage - and it’s the foundation for everything!”

If coaching wasn’t the plan, how did you get here? 

Sara first started coaching as a working student at an eventing barn, and while she loved the horses, coaching hadn’t clicked for her yet. 

It wasn’t until 4 years later, while working as an assistant trainer for a dressage and jumper trainer, Sara realized coaching was something she could enjoy just as much as training horses, “Those small moments of satisfaction every time something “clicks” with a horse, I found translated the same when I was teaching riders. Whether it’s their first time sitting on a horse or they’re prepping for the show ring, I really started to enjoy the process of not only developing horses, but developing riders as well”.

Sara isn’t just developing horses and riders. When not training horses, Sara is a college professor in the Equine Care and Management Associate Diploma Program at UoG’s Ridgetown Campus, developing the future of the industry.

This role couldn’t have found a better fit - it fuses Sara’s love for all things horses and science, with a special focus on hands-on learning based on practical and evidence-based methods. 

Sara acknowledges “wading through all the information can be difficult, but there’s quite a few things that are based on more ‘traditional beliefs’ in the horse world that have very strong evidence for, or against. For example, there are a lot of people who insist that horses don’t need water outside in the winter because they can just eat snow. The reality is, a horse would need to eat over 20 buckets of snow per day just to consume an appropriate amount of water (Getty, 2009)!” 

“I love being able to give students a solid foundation as they head off into the industry, as learning the right things is not always easily accessible,” explains Sara. In an industry fraught with tradition, she feels “teaching students (both on campus and in the saddle) to be critical thinkers and lifelong learners is what I think will best impact equine welfare”. 

Sara aims to give her students the appropriate background knowledge to adapt and implement changes when new - or new to you - research comes out, because she knows that will improve welfare and performance.  

How have horses shaped your love for learning?

Sara’s answer is one that I know so many of us can relate to: “I love learning anything new and science based that comes out about care and training, but my favourite thing about horses is that you never stop learning. Even if you think you’ve mastered one thing, no matter your level, every horse is wired differently and has unique needs. This can be frustrating at times, for sure, but it’s never boring.” 

As all equestrians know, just like horses, we do better in a herd, and Sara credits those around her for helping her continue her learning journey, “I’m very lucky to have the opportunity to continue learning under the guise of my coach and mentor, Allie Schmidt. Having someone who is there for advice of all kinds; horse, client, or business, or just to bounce ideas off of is invaluable, and is the kind of mentorship that I try to bring to my own students as well. Training horses is more than just riding them, they need adequate nutrition and forage, turnout (and lots of it), and compassion.”

Since freelancing is a large part of Dwyer Equine, Sara uses that opportunity to share her knowledge on how evidence-based, species-appropriate management practices translate to better performance, and happier horses. “When it comes to horses, everything before getting in the saddle and after dismounting is just as important to me,” Sara continues, “I’m really lucky to have a great group of clients that are so eager to learn with me and be the best for their horses.” 

This approach follows her into the saddle too, as Sara’s training is guided by biomechanics.

Dressage has many competing training methods and schools of thought, making it hard to know where to start for many equestrians. Sara’s considerate of this, and makes sure to guide her clients to success based on their horse, not based on trends: “What I’ve found the most beneficial in my training is to focus on biomechanics of both the horse and the rider, to get a truly correct way of going. It’s not always an easy process, it takes a lot of time, and it may look a little different for each horse as their structure can vary so much by breed, but it’s attainable by every horse, regardless of conformation.”

“Teaching riders how to use their seat effectively to influence the horse is probably one of my favourite things. The “ah-ha!” moments are priceless and it’s so important for long-term development. It’s something that I teach to even my most beginner students because I think that it really sets them up for success as they progress, and helps them gain better ‘feel’ for the horse underneath them.” 

While Sara has a lot of dressage clients, she coaches some jumpers and eventers as well, who have seen the benefits of Sara’s biomechanics focused coaching: “I find that focusing on the biomechanics a great way to keep the “flatting” side of things engaging and easier to bridge the gap between flat and over fences!”. 

Sara's approach is game-changing and refreshing. As a high-achieving rider herself, she knows the pressure that comes with drive, and works with her students to ensure they celebrate their wins, big and small.

"The most rewarding part has been watching my students and their horses learn and grow. When we celebrate the little wins, it makes it all worth it.” Sara doesn’t just love the wins though - she continues to gush about the relationships she makes with her clients, who she is genuinely invested in: “And another bonus? How much I get to learn from each of my clients. Everyone brings something different to the table,  whether it's their background with horses, their career, or their life experience!”

To learn more about Sara and Dwyer Equine, check out:

🌐 dwyerequine.ca 

📸 @dwyerequine on Instagram and Facebook