Lisa Weis History
My lifelong passion for horses began in my childhood. I grew up in Alaska where my family purchased our first horse when I was nine. Riding lessons soon began at the nearby Hunter Jumper Farm. My teacher, Minot Howard had once had a jumping career back in the Eastern United States and was long listed to ride in the Olympic Games. Minot’s large horse farm provided opportunities to ride numerous horses.
During my young adult years, I attended an equestrian career course in Maryland at Potomac Horse Center. I graduated from the course with honors and was invited to stay on as one of thee 3-Day Event instructors and stable managers. I continued as an employee at Potomac Horse Center. The following year I took a summer job in Colorado at a premiere dressage farm before continuing college in Alaska.
Throughout my college years, I developed a freelance horse training business and perused various equestrian apprenticeships. One summer I worked in Washington for an Event Judge, Joanna Herringstad. Another winter I apprenticed with a dressage trainer in Pennsylvania, Robert Mayer, who was certified as a Bereiter which is a German Trainer and certified as a British Horse Society Trainer.
The most prestigious apprenticeship was after completing college when I worked for Gerd Zuther in Massachusetts. Gerd was a certified as a Reitlehrer, which is the highest degree the German Federation offers to train through Grand Prix Dressage. His training techniques helped a wide variety of horses. I worked for Gerd and his wife Yvonne two different times totaling a year and a half which was an extremely valuable experience. I continued taking instruction from Gerd for years after completing the apprenticeship.
I stayed in Massachusetts to work for Charlene Douglas who had a farm on Martha’s Vineyard. Charlene had very nice dressage horses, good clients, and a busy dressage barn where I trained and managed the farm for eight years.
There were a few times over the years that I worked at Central Arizona Riding Academy for Dorie Vlatten-Schmitz. Dorie, her husband Ulrich Schmitz, and father Rudolf Vlatten were all dressage judges and trainers. Teaching dressage lessons, training horses and competing at dressage shows was the main focus at CARA.
I always wanted to live in the beautiful Pacific Northwest near family. When I first moved to Washington, I found a teaching job on Whidbey Island and later moved to the Arlington area. Over the years I continue to teach and train at farms between Arlington and Whidbey Island.
