Meredith Crawford Dressage
Apprenticeship Program
Are you ready to take your professional development as a horse trainer to the next level?
Are you ready to be of high service to horses (& their humans too)?
Then you’ve come to the right place.
I can’t tell you how often I talk to aspiring trainers and equine professionals who crave structured learning experiences
Or to have learned from someone who offered something other than the mainstream “crank & spank” way of riding and pushing a horse up through the levels.
Who wanted a smart, compassionate, quantitative, and qualitative approach to being a professional.
Mostly, they wanted an environment that fostered their professional learning & growth in a way that felt good to them / in integrity / in alignment with their deepest values and desires for how being a professional in the horse industry could be.
Sound like you? Then you’ve come to the right place.
Welcome to Meredith Crawford Dressage’s Apprenticeship program.
In this 6 month program, I will help you go from wanting to be confident as a professional in the industry but not knowing how to get started to understanding how to build your business and bring horses along from a place of deep integrity.
During your 6 month apprenticeship with Meredith Crawford Dressage, you will be taught:
How to tap into your True North and use it to shape your interactions with horses and clients (and leverage it to build a business)
How to operate from your deepest core values
A buffet/myriad of exercises and approaches with the horses in and out of the arena to build strength, suppleness, and stamina
Building an equestrian business from a place of who you are - regardless of your riding resume/list of accomplishments
How to ride and work with horses from a place of your truest, most authentic self - and why horses respond to it
How to create synchronicities with the horses & universe to propel you forward
How to find and work within each horse’s soul path / divine blueprint
Growing a team around the barn that is an extension of yourself and values
Additionally, you will learn the nuts and bolts of:
Finances
Daily operations
Client management
Finding clients
Creating top-notch equine nutrition programs
Restorative hoof care
Tack fitting for maximum (equine) comfort
Developing equine bodies in a holistic manner
When I first started as an equine professional, it seemed the only option was becoming a working student at the biggest barn name possible and bringing horses up the level as fast as possible with the highest show results.
It always felt that my bosses prioritized making money over educating me - there for their profit, not my education or future success as an industry professional.
I was a COG in their business machine.
And it didn’t feel good.
Many times, I was forced to get on horses when something in my gut said “NO!” to on that particular day - and I always got bucked off and injured during those rides.
In those places, I was forced to use training methods that felt wrong and interact with clients in ways that felt insincere.
I burnt out quickly and soured on the industry.
[Sound familiar?]
Fast forward, I’ve been a professional in almost every position within the industry:
Broker
Bodyworker
Trainer
Animal Communicator
Nutritional Consultant/Herbalist
Hoof Care Professional
Instructor
Clinician
…and I have discovered what it takes to run a business that both feels good AND makes money.
I currently run an integrative holistic horse care with classical dressage and heart-focused work to help each horse become the best version of themselves in the world because that’s where my path has led.
I’m here to teach you what I know - AND help you grow your unique touch. The horses need you in all of your quirky glory.
Your apprenticeship at Meredith Crawford Dressage is an integrative learning opportunity focusing on both professional development and taking an interactive 360-degree approach to the horse.
Within your apprenticeship, you will learn…
How to tap into your True North and use it to shape your interactions with horses and clients (and leverage it to build a business)
How to operate from your deepest core values
A buffet/myriad of exercises and approaches with the horses in and out of the arena to build strength, suppleness, and stamina
Building an equestrian business from a place of who you are - regardless of your riding resume/list of accomplishments
How to ride and work with horses from a place of your truest, most authentic self - and why horses respond to it
How to create synchronicities with the horses & universe to propel you forward
How to find and work within each horse’s soul path / divine blueprint
Growing a team around the barn that is an extension of yourself and values
Curriculum includes:
Ground & in-hand work
From the saddle support - hone riding skills & delve into equine physical development from the saddle
Development of a dressage horse
Additional instruction on: honing decision making skills, personality typing and how to help horses let their best selves shine
Anatomy & physiology
Palpation
Tensegrity - Making connections across the entire body
Supportive therapies
Nutritional therapy, including the use of herbs
Hoof care & relationship between feet & rest of body
In-barn exercises- great for rainy days or quick trips to the barn
Further support offered on business development - starting a business, marketing/sales, running a business, and goal setting
Finances
Daily operations
Client management
Finding clients
Learning within the program takes place on and off the facility. Required reading and homework assignments support the work done at the barn and in the arena. Computer and internet connection required to complete assignments, including building your business alongside the program.
The right candidate gets to…
Experience a world-class training and management program in a boutique setting
Thrive in the setting of a quality private farm - setting fosters excellence in and out of the arena
Enjoy a structured learning program that takes place in and out of the arena - learn both through immersion AND intentional structure
Gain valuable knowledge and hands-on experience with a variety of different “case horse” teachers and deep subject matter experts
Receive valuable business-building support
For the right person, there is the opportunity to bring their own horse. Otherwise, apprentices are assigned a “case horse” professor to learn from throughout the program.
Relevant barn work is expected, as is some learning time spent outside of the barn (assigned reading, assignments, etc.)
The successful apprenticeship candidate embodies these attributes:
A self-starter
Confident around horses, both on the ground and in the saddle (must be comfortable riding at all three gaits with independent seat & aids)
Competent horse-handling skills
Able to lift 50 lbs
Be reliable. Show up, have a high level of integrity, and communicate needs.
Exhibit good communication skills - written and verbal
Interested in all aspects of ensuring a horse’s wellbeing - not only riding + training up the levels
Be a team player, not a drama diva
Able to commit to show up to the barn a minimum of 3 days per week, for about 4 hours per day.
Expectation of learning outside the barn (assigned reading, assignments, etc.)
Testimonials
“I’ve been riding my whole life and have never felt what I felt today before. Thank you.”
“This is a whole new way for me to experience horses.”
“You make this [dressage] so easy to understand.”
I invite you to take a moment and imagine what is possible … to wake up each day as a trainer who doesn’t have to throw out their internal compass on how to ride and work with horses just to make a living. To feel good and not yucky when interacting with clients and to have the ability to say “hey, this horse needs to go slower” or “take a different route” etc. And to make the money you want while doing it (no starving horse trainer life - unless that’s what you want!). It doesn’t have to be a dream. I want you to know that you really can have it all.
FAQs
Is this program for me if I am already a professional trainer?
Maybe! That’s for you to decide, based on the curriculum and where you’re at. I have helped many other professional trainers with long-established businesses along the way.
How does your program run?
The apprenticeship runs (M-W or W-F) from 9 am until about 1 pm each day. Within each day there is structured educational time in the barn, hands-on practice time, and a lesson in the arena with Meredith. It is assumed that you are also keeping up with reading and assignments outside of the barn time, as the material is discussed and put into practice at the barn.
What is the format? The format is a mix of in the arena instruction, in the barn instruction, hands-on practice time and take-home work (reading and assignments). Apprentices also get to meet and learn from guest instructors with deep subject expertise.
What is the investment? The program costs $1,800/mo - the equivalent of 3 lessons on a borrowed horse per week - or $10,000 pay in full (save $800). Apprentices are expected to purchase the required reading books and other supportive materials additionally. Prices will go up in 2025, so if you have any inclination, get in now before rates go up.
If you opt to bring your own horse to the program, the board is additionally charged.
Is housing available / provided?
No housing is provided, but an apprentice could live out of their trainer at the facility (additional cost).
Is transportation available / provided?
No transportation is available/provided at this time.
Are meals provided?
No, each apprentice is responsible for their own sustenance.
What is the weekly time commitment?
The program runs for 3 days a week (MTuW or WThF) for 4 hours/day (12 hrs/week). There are additional readings and assignments to be completed at home.
What is your refund policy?
All sales are final. No refunds are given.
