Caeli Cavanagh
- Born 1992
- Head trainer at Álfadans Equestrian Arts
- Liberty expert
- Graduated with the highest combined score of riding and academics from Holar University College’s Bachelor’s program in Riding and Riding Instruction, as well with the honor of first class with distinction
- Level 3 training and certification from FEIF
- Caeli ‘s soft riding and training has earned her many Feather Prize distinctions
- Graduated Magna Cum Laude from Dartmouth College with a Bachelors Degree in Psychology
5 questions to Caeli:
What is most important for you in training?
To me the most important thing in training is to promote the mental and physical balance of each horse I work with. This concept is something I believe helps every horse to feel their best and be healthy cooperative partners in whatever task you put in front of them, from leisure riding to competition to being an amazing school horse. For me liberty work and riding help each other, allowing me to build this mental and physical balance from the ground up.
What horse will you always remember?
Every horse I believe can teach us so much so it is so hard to choose. When it comes to liberty work though Soldis and Þeyr come to mind immediately. Soldis got me started and taught me almost everything I know because she was so smart that as soon as I learned how to do it she would immediately understand the answer. Þeyr taught me so much of how liberty can benefit an introverted horse and help them come out of their shell and achieve an incredible amount of trust.
Who is your biggest inspiration among other riders or teachers? That’s another hard one. So many good people to choose from! For riding I would have to go with my first ever classical dressage instructor Lindle Sutton. She was a Grand Prix dressage rider who taught me how dressage can work as physical therapy for the horse. Then of course the amazing Mette Mannseth has always been an incredible inspiration to me. While I was at Holar I got to work in her stables and learned so many things. And then Artemisia Bertus who I did my internship with, I will always remember her amazing performances on Korgur and just having the feeling “I want to ride just like that!” If we are talking about liberty I would have to say Sylvie Willms. When I was part of Apassionata North America I would watch her performances and just dream of doing that one day. I still can’t believe sometimes that I have gotten as far as I have!
What is your favorite equestrian book?
I feel like the one I refer people to the most is Balancing Act. The writing isn’t always the best... sometimes I feel like it was a little repetitive and could have been twice as good if it was half as long. But the biomechanic principles in there are unparalleled and I regularly go back and look at it when I am having a hard time with a crooked horse or when rehabbing a horse from incorrect training methods.
What is your favourite dressage exercise?
In terms of just how often I use it I would have to say shoulder-in. It’s not called the aspirin of dressage for nothing! But my current favorites to work on are Spanish walk, piaffe and passage. They are so fun to work on and require such technical timing, it’s a really fun and exciting challenge.
