Felicitas has lived in the United States for 40 years now, working out of First Choice Farm as an international dressage trainer and competitor.

Encouraged by her mentor and employer, Gene Freeze, Felicitas returned to her native Germany where she completed her “Reitlehrer” (federally certified Master Instructor) certification. She graduated with the highest score ever awarded up to that time.  Felicitas served as a USDF examiner for the Instructor’s Certification Program here in the United States during her early years as well as editing Reiner Klimke’s book Ahlerich: The Making of a Dressage Champion. She was a frequent contributor to platforms such as Dressage Today, Practical Horseman, and Dressage Today OnDemand, with articles, videos or podcasts discussing many different subjects. She is featured on magazine and book covers.

Since arriving from Germany in 1984, Felicitas has trained numerous horses to Grand Prix level including the well known stallion Tonico do Top, winning many Grand Prix Championships. At Grand Prix level, Felicitas is able to ride her horses in a snaffle bridle in and out of the competition arena which is a testament to her principles and training approach. Historically the scores of her horse´s would go up as they moved up the levels.

She is an effective and articulate trainer, and her strength lies in “making the horse more beautiful, and allowing them to express themselves.” She is sympathetic to the horse and each is trained according to his individual needs and temperament following classical dressage principles. Felicitas patiently encourages the horse to stretch into a soft hand, lift his back and carry his own neck “as if peering over the edge of a cliff”.  She bases her work on classical methods as exemplified by the best of the European tradition. Riders and auditors benefit immensely from the creative and effective strategies Felicitas shares with them.