Elizabeth Landers
FEI Certified Coach · Dressage · Showjumping · Eventing
Classical training. The horse first.
Elizabeth Landers has spent over 35 years building partnerships with horses and riders across three continents.
What began at age three in California grew into a lifelong commitment to classical training principles and the development of true harmony between horse and rider. At age eight, under the mentorship of Jimmy Williams and Susan Hutchison, she discovered the foundations that would shape her approach to training: patience, correct basics, and respect for the horse.
This early guidance led to competitive success in Hunters, Equitation, Dressage, and Showjumping up to 1.40m. With Karen Healey, she competed extensively on both U.S. coasts, eventually advancing to professional competition in 1.45m Showjumping and International Dressage throughout North America, Europe, and the Caribbean.
In Haiti in 2012, Elizabeth collaborated with the FEI to build a comprehensive training program that went beyond competition results. Through systematic training and the organization of FEI-judged competitions, she helped raise the country's median dressage scores from the low 50s to the 70s. The showjumping team returned to the FEI World Jumping Challenge after six years and won their region. But perhaps more meaningful was establishing Haiti's first Equine Assisted Therapy program and launching Para-Equestrian Dressage, extending the benefits of horses to children and riders who might never compete at all.
Her success in Haiti opened the door to Mexico, where she was appointed Chef d'Equipe for the Estado Mayor Presidencial National Eventing team in 2014. Managing 16 riders and over 80 horses, she faced the challenge of preparing riders with limited formal instruction for international competition in just six months. She focused on building solid foundations—proper transitions, understanding of gaits, correct flatwork—the basics that too often get rushed. Her top riders improved their dressage scores by 10 percent, and two qualified for the Central American Games.
Returning to California, Elizabeth worked alongside Olympian Hilda Gurney, turning her attention to her own horses and applying the same patient, systematic approach she'd taught others. Liberty, an eight-year-old Oldenburg mare, transformed from an enthusiastic showjumper to a focused dressage horse through careful training and thoughtfully choreographed freestyle work. His Highness Crusador, a German gelding and formerly a triple-approved stallion, required a year of basic work to develop proper forward movement.
At the 2015 US Dressage Finals, both horses demonstrated what patient, correct training can achieve: Liberty earned third place in the First Level Freestyle Open with 72.333%, while His Highness Crusador secured Reserve Championship in the Third Level Championship Freestyle Open with 70.389%. Throughout her competitive career, Elizabeth has consistently achieved high scores with numerous horses competing at all levels, reaching 77% in national classes, 74% in FEI classes, and 79.5% in freestyles.
These successes reinforced what Elizabeth had always believed: there are no shortcuts in classical training. In 2016, she moved to Germany to deepen her expertise in developing young dressage horses, immersing herself in the methodical approach that prioritizes the horse's long-term soundness and happiness in their work. Her training caught the attention of Swedish breeder Hans-Yngve Göransson, leading to a collaboration at Dalhem Farms that would span several years. There, she trained numerous offspring of the legendary dressage stallion Briar 899, bringing young prospects from their earliest training through to FEI-level competition.
At Dalhem Farms, Elizabeth's role expanded into the heart of the breeding program itself. Working within an operation of 80 horses, including 20 active broodmares and 15 breeding stallions, she gained hands-on experience in every aspect of producing sport horses—from analyzing bloodlines and selecting breeding pairs to the critical early training that sets young horses up for successful, sustainable careers.
The horses became her teachers, showing her that real mastery comes not from imposing a method, but from adapting classical principles to each partner's unique way of learning and moving.
Training over fifteen top-quality horses from their first ride under saddle through FEI levels and Grand Prix transformed Elizabeth's understanding of horsemanship in ways that formal instruction never could. Without a coach telling her what to do, she learned to truly listen to each horse—to feel how they responded, what they understood and what confused them, where they found ease and where they struggled. While she had always possessed a natural feel for horses, this intensive experience developed her ability to read and respond to each individual's needs.
Elizabeth is currently training a diverse group of horses in Croatia—Lipizzaners, Hanoverians, Warmbloods, and even an Irish Thoroughbred—demonstrating that classical dressage principles are truly universal and apply to all breeds. She has found particular joy in working with the Lipizzaners, whose human-like personalities, intelligence, and natural aptitude for high-level dressage embody the partnership she values in training. Croatia's rich equestrian heritage, particularly through the historic Lipik State Stud Farm, provides an ideal setting for her commitment to classical training methods and horse welfare.
Elizabeth's philosophy encompasses every aspect of horsemanship—from stable management and daily care to training and competition. She believes that creating happy, healthy horses is the foundation for achieving true harmony and trust. Her "10 percent rule"—aiming for consistent daily progress—reflects her belief that real achievement comes from patient work that respects each horse's physical and mental well-being. Whether managing a breeding operation, developing a young prospect, or refining a Grand Prix horse, she approaches each aspect of horse care and training as interconnected parts of building genuine partnership. True classical training, she knows, begins not in the arena but in how we care for and understand our horses every day.
Lipik, Croatia
info@eldressage.com