About Me
Hi! I'm Emily Conforti and I’m the director, lead instructor, and head horse wrangler at Down Centerline Dressage. While I have competed at and schooled the upper levels, my focus and passion is developing sound horses and skilled, balanced riders.
I enjoy working with riders of any age, level or discipline who would like to improve their riding through applying the principles of classical dressage. Regardless of your background or discipline, I can help you discover how dressage can improve your riding and bring you a deeper connection with your horse. Please connect with me today to schedule a lesson! |
Philosophy
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As riders, our partnership with our horse is a constant work in progress. As your instructor, I will teach you to think independently and be a thoughtful rider, working with your horse, not against it. As a trainer, I bring my love and advanced knowledge of biomechanics to help develop young horses and restart, retrain and refine established horses. My goal for each horse is to improve their balance, relaxation and suppleness, and help them move in harmony with their rider.
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Experience
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Private instructor and trainer
Clinics and advanced training
I’ve had the opportunity to clinic and work with the following trainers who have had a great impact on my riding and training philosophy. I’m forever grateful for their time, wisdom, and guidance.
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What others are saying about Emily and Down Centerline Dressage
I believed I couldn’t;
she believed I could. |
I lost my leg and crushed my hip and pelvic bone, among other significant injuries, as a result of a head on collision while driving my motorcycle. With an artificial leg, hip and pelvic reconstruction, I was absolutely certain that I would never be able to really ride horses again.
Emily Conforti took me on as a private student and worked with me extensively, bringing my passion of riding horses back to my life. I believed I couldn’t; she believed I could. She went far beyond the call of duty, by researching and learning techniques of teaching to the disabled. My personal experience with Emily as a riding instructor was nothing short of a miracle and an answer to my many prayers. She gave me back my life with horses! I now ride almost every day and plan to begin competing in Level 1 Dressage this year. I would highly recommend her to teach to anyone, i.e., the young, old, able-bodied, and disabled. - L.M., San Francisco |
Emily is an attentive and knowledgeable trainer who has a wonderful sense of what horse and rider need to work together to obtain results.
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My pony and I have trained with Emily for flat work, dressage and over fences. Emily is an attentive and knowledgeable trainer who has a wonderful sense of what horse and rider need to work together to obtain results. My daughter also worked with Emily, she is an excellent trainer for children, and does a wonderful job working with youngsters to develop an understanding of riding aids and how to use those aids to communicate with your mount.
- E.M., San Francisco |
She provides all of the tools a rider needs to progress and get it done.
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Emily is an amazing, amazing teacher and trainer. I'm a timid rider, but she provides all of the tools a rider needs to progress and get it done—in the form of being super correct, understanding and pushing hard enough so riders can't just get lazy or give into their own neurosis. She's also a phenomenal horse trainer—any horse would benefit from Emily, but she's particularly magical at turning high-strung nutso horses into something that normal/sane humans can ride. And she does it very, very kindly and patiently.
- M.M., San Francisco |