Services

Full Training Board at First Choice Farm

Full training consists of a customized program designed to identify and meet each individual horse and rider's particular needs. “Developing a horse to become more beautiful and confident through classical training is what Felicitas does best." She combines decades of experience and success with modern insights into horse and rider biomechanics to create a practical everyday training program designed to create a wonderful synergy and flow between the two.

With Felicitas’ training system, horses become more expressive as they move up the levels, using the gymnastic effect of the movements logically to make the horse more beautiful by developing the right muscles and strengthening the horse.

Integrating natural horsemanship is another important part of her holistic approach. Understanding the importance of timing in regard to reward and correction, while using as much positive reinforcement as possible, is another essential element of her training philosophy.

Felicitas recognizes the importance of establishing a personal connection and understanding with each horse, as the foundation for creating an individual training plan that identifies and addresses their specific strengths and weaknesses. A cornerstone of her method is to always make horses feel secure as they learn to develop positive tension and power, while getting more confident in themselves and gaining trust in their rider. 

Testimonial

"Patient and Kind Training Approach with Transformative Results Leads to Long-Time Clients"

"I brought a horse to First Choice Farm for three weeks so Felicitas could help me “fix” what was “wrong” with him. That was almost 20 years ago! Since then, Felicitas has taught me more than I could ever have imagined - both on and off the horse. 

I have never met a horse that didn’t love and appreciate her kind, patient, fair and knowledgeable approach to training, which encourages the horse to “carry his own neck” and become a more willing, correct and beautiful dressage partner. 

She is open to a wide variety of modalities through which to help both the horse and rider, (including regular body work, ground exercises, Theraplate, Hanna Somatics, Sure Foot Pads, various athletic stretch bands, and even the creative use of simple leg wraps) to aid the horse and rider to improve both strength and coordination, as well as overall body awareness. 

Over the years, I have watched countless horses develop, becoming almost unrecognizable from the horse that first arrived. Watching her ride and train every day has been a huge example and inspiration for my own riding. "

— Kathryn Bono

Virtual Coaching

These personalized virtual lessons are available to all riders of any skill level. New students will need to complete a short questionnaire about themselves and their horses, sent via email, and provide a brief video clip via WhatsApp prior to their first lesson.

Lessons are 45 minutes long and cost $225. You can choose your preferred platform: WhatsApp, FaceTime, Zoom or the Pivo App is possible.

To schedule a lesson, contact Felicitas directly at Feneuco@aol.com with questions. Phone 410-707-6540.

Symposiums/Clinics

With the unique ability to help create the right synergy between horse and rider, as well as deep understanding of the classical gymnastic benefit of each movement, Felicitas presents a whole new thought process to the training process.

This gives her tools to help anyone who is looking for new solutions from training level to FEI, amateur and professional. 

The outcome is always a more beautiful horse and rider combination, finding the flow needed for harmony.

Clinic Schedule

Follow Felicitas von Neumann-Cosel Dressage on Facebook or Instagram for regular clinic schedule updates. 
Contact her about new clinic locations or symposiums. 

Testimonial

I highly recommend working with Felicitas to anyone who wants to improve their teaching, training and communication skills

"I have been working with Felicitas for not quite a year, but in that short time, her teaching has helped me tremendously with my own horses as well as my students.

As a rider, Felicitas has given me some wonderful tools and helped coach me through developing connection with horses that wanted nothing to do with contact for various reasons.  One of my personal horses has struggled with pain issues under saddle and although it seemed those issues were resolved, he still had incredible difficulty trusting the contact.  Felicitas helped me explain connection to him and he is now more confident and happy in his work and has become a joy to ride.

As an instructor, watching Felicitas teach riders of all levels, helped me fine tune how I approach my students, their horses and their various stages of learning.  She has wonderful tools for illustrating correct posture as well as fun and engaging exercises for both horse and rider.  I feel as though my ability to communicate with my students has improved dramatically.  I can also better focus my lessons on the most important puzzle pieces for building the solid basics of good riding.

My experience working with her as both a student and observer has been incredibly beneficial for continuing to develop my skills as an instructor.  I highly recommend working with Felicitas to anyone who wants to improve their teaching, training and communication skills."


- Michele Wellman, By Chance Farm LLC, Union Bridge, MD

Video Analysis

Felicitas will give you comprehensive feedback for horse and rider, with clear, well explained insights of strength and weaknesses, while sharing innovative tools as well as classical exercises for improvement.

Testimonial

"I have been fortunate enough to have Felicitas analyze five of my videos. The things she is able to see in both horse and rider are incredible."

"I have been fortunate enough to have Felicitas analyze five of my videos. The things she is able to see in both horse and rider are incredible. She has an extremely trained eye. Her years of knowledge and experience allow her to accurately read both horse and rider. Felicitas first focuses on the rider, respectfully pointing out areas of weakness, how they affect the horse, and how to correct them. She's able to clearly and concisely explain all of her suggestions, including excellent exercises and techniques to correct any deficiency in horse or rider. She has helped me grow immensely as a rider and trainer. Felicitas' analyses gave and are still giving my brain and body a workout. She has helped me learn and understand so much, not only about myself, but about how the horse's body works and how we work together. I've come to realize problems with my horses have been due to my lack of knowledge and abilities. Problems I'm on the road to fixing, thanks to Felicitas. My horses and I are very grateful. Felicitas is a truly gifted horsewoman and trainer."


- Brittanni Murry Faulk, Horse Trainer at Anchor Creek Farm, Washington Boro, PA

Online Courses

Creating Synergy and Flow for Horse and Rider

These courses will give you a completely different thought process and vision, how your horse needs to move and use itself, and how your body can enhance and influence self carriage. 

New knowledge about your body position on the horse, with many clear and helpful visuals, will allow you to develop more feel and become a mindful rider who can go with the horse rather than against it.

You will think very differently about impulsion and energy and how to channel it, with a horse that can stay balanced and relaxed.

You will find many useful tools to help with proprioception and feel for horse and rider!

This SYNERGY of horse and rider, allows you to find FLOW that is needed for HARMONY! 

Products

  • $295

Function of Horse and Rider

  • Course
  • 12 Lessons

A vision of how horse and rider have to function individually and together is a cornerstone for harmony.

  • $295

Legend's Journey

  • Course
  • 50 Lessons

This Online Course follows a 6-year-old Lusitano through his 6 months of training. Legend showed anxiety about the contact and needed to build a lot of muscle to be able to carry himself in a way many horses do. The videos do not show perfection but steps of real improvement. This is a fun course to watch from beginning through end, or search for subjects that interest you to check in with any video.

  • $281.95

Mini Course Bundle

  • Bundle
  • 7 Products

  • $45

Mini Course: Balance and Core Stability

  • Course
  • 5 Lessons

This course uses short video clips and clear visuals to guide you through finding proper body alignment. You'll also learn practical tools and tips to take your balance to the next level.

  • $49

Mini Course: Developing Feel for the Rider's Hands

  • Course
  • 5 Lessons

Feeling the horse's mouth to give the horse a soft and steady connection is one of the biggest challenges in the journey of becoming a mindful rider and to be able to communicate with the lightest touch. This feel defines the best riders. The mini course will give you several practical tips you can use in your daily rides.

  • $49

Mini Course: Finding a steady connection through stabilizing the arms

  • Course
  • 5 Lessons

To be able to follow the horse's mouth and give a steady connection, you have to discover how core engagement will help you to find your frame. The challenge is stability without getting rigid. This course will give you a better understanding how to achieve this with simple tools you can use on and off the horse.

  • $69

Mini Course: Helping the horse with body awareness and engagement of the thoracic sling

  • Course
  • 6 Lessons

Understanding the function of the horse's thoracic sling is a key to helping the horse carry itself and use it's body in a beautiful, powerful and functionally correct way. To comprehend how the horse has to use it's neck and ribcage so it can raise the withers, while increasing the ability to bend, is crucial to creating longitudinal and lateral suppleness!

  • $44.99

Mini Course: Influence Your Horse through Your Seat Bones

  • Course
  • 5 Lessons

Harmony with your horse is not possible without awareness of your seat bones, and how they effect the horse's line of travel as well as the gait. This course gives you an overview how to discover your seat, with suggestions for body awareness and practical advice in short video clips.

  • $59

Mini Course: Leg position and function

  • Course
  • 5 Lessons

A beautiful leg position is not only wonderful to observe but also the only way to find your balance and influence the horse effectively. A quiet leg actually requires a lot of subtle movement to absorb suspension and breath on the horse's sides. With images and practical tools to implement this mini course can help your body awareness and master your leg position.

  • $295

Tools for Horse and Rider - Mounted and Unmounted

  • Course
  • 33 Lessons

Balance, proprioception, and body awareness can be a great challenge for horse and rider. The right tools in the tool box for amateur or professional alike, can make all the difference! In this course, you will learn how to implement a variety of tools to help with these challenges.

Testimonial

I have always dreamed of living the kind of partnership with my horse in which he responds to my lightest aids, is animated, balanced and supple, and seems to just happily float the two of us over the ground.

Felicitas von Neumann Cosel’s course “Function of Horse and Rider” presents her uniquely mindful, horse-centered foundational skills for developing the full beauty of a confident horse in motion. 

This is not a course in which you are reminded of the things you know, but a whole paradigm shift in horse communication that identifies and respects the horse’s intellect, emotions and physiology. Felicitas is one of a handful of uniquely talented, deeply educated and skilled trainers that brings the utmost kindness and understanding to her equine students. 

Felicitas presents a cohesive, step-wise system with clear examples and explanations, that have transformed the tenor of my rides into a listening, responding, light and articulate conversation with my horse. She gave me a significant uptick in the elusive skill of “feel”. She teaches, for example, that the bit should be only about 2 ounces of weight (or pressure) in the hands. Also that the leg and calf should rest softly against his side, with the toes in alignment with the knee, which is in alignment with the thigh. This provides the shock absorption, bounce and flexibility needed to assist the horse in cadence. Always sitting in alignment in the center of your saddle, using the seat bones as the core of your aid powerhouse, steering with your seat and directing with your seat, which leaves quiet hands that are stabilized with the upper body to lightly soften the poll as needed. Such details about how to both allow and guide your horse are presented with memorable examples that can be easily integrated into daily riding practice. 

Further, in order to understand why proper posture of the horse in movement is so essential to engagement, Felicitas details the biomechanical elements that allow the horse to lift the shoulders and back and lower the croup to create lift, flexibility and ultimately self-carriage. I knew it was beautiful, but now I know exactly how a correctly established dressage frame works to make it safe and easy for a horse to find true engagement. 

I highly recommend this course for anyone in any discipline who wants to deepen their partnership with their horse, develop the full expression of his beauty both in movement and in his physical development, and find more joy in their journey together.

— Gail Kopp



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Name: Felicitas von Neumann Cosel

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