Working Equitation is growing in Florida. But talented riders are outpacing the supply of knowledgeable instructors who can support them. This series exists to close that gap — by building teachers who are as serious about the sport as the riders they serve.

What We Are Actually Building

This series is designed for a specific kind of professional: someone who is serious about working equitation, serious about teaching, and serious about being part of something that raises the standard of instruction across Florida — and eventually beyond it.

Over the next 18 months, we are looking to develop 15 to 20 trainers who will complete this pathway, earn a recognized standing within the WEFL professional community, and go back to their barns and regions as genuinely better equipped instructors. Not certificate-holders. Not clinic tourists. Educators.

The program will run across multiple clinics per year, each building on the one before. It will be guided by Tiago Ernesto, shaped by the WEFL Mentor Educator Board currently being assembled, and informed by the participants who commit to it from the beginning.

The full program details — structure, commitment expectations, evaluation criteria, and the complete 18-month pathway — will be formally presented at the October clinic. What exists now is the foundation. What gets built from October forward will be shaped in part by the professionals in the room.

That is intentional. This program is being built with its participants, not just for them.

Spots in the inaugural series are limited by design. This is not a seminar. It is a commitment to your own development and to the growth of the sport.

The Educator Behind the Scenes

Working equitation in Florida has a talent problem — but it is not a rider problem. Riders are eager, curious, and growing in number every season. The gap is on the other side of the arena rail.

There are not enough knowledgeable, confident instructors who can take a rider from first exposure all the way through competition preparation. That gap slows everything — participation, event growth, and the sport's long-term health in this state.

The WEFL Train the Trainers Series was built to close that gap deliberately, over time, with the right people at the front of the room.

Directing that effort is Tiago Ernesto — FEI Grand Prix dressage trainer, master working equitation clinician, and the professional at the center of this program's educational design.

Tiago Ernesto 

FEI Grand Prix Dressage Trainer | Master WE Trainer
Elite Horse Academy — Wellington, FL

Tiago brings to this program something that cannot be assembled from a curriculum guide: a foundation built inside one of Europe's great classical traditions, combined with more than a decade of professional training and coaching experience in the United States.

He was educated at Portugal's historic Alter Real National Stud — the institution that breeds and schools the Lusitano stallions used by the Portuguese School of Equestrian Art, one of the "Big Four" classical riding academies in Europe. That system was designed not only to produce elite riders, but to produce people who understand how to transfer knowledge — how to teach. That distinction is central to why he is the right person for this program.

As an FEI Grand Prix competitor and working equitation clinician, Tiago has worked across the U.S. equestrian community and brings a rare combination: deep classical roots, competitive experience at the highest amateur and professional levels, and a genuine belief that the quality of instruction sets the ceiling for how far any sport can grow.

For the WEFL Train the Trainers Series, Tiago is not simply presenting clinics. He is shaping the educational direction of the program — working alongside WEFL to define the curriculum, set the standard for what competent WE instruction looks like, and personally develop the professionals who go through this pathway. He is invested in what this series produces, not just in what it covers.

"Good working equitation instruction is not only about riding the obstacles. It is about building understanding, balance, confidence, and progression in both horse and rider." ~ Tiago

The Inaugural Clinic

The October Clinic Is Where the Program Begins in Earnest

The inaugural clinic — Introduction to Train the Trainers, October 2–4, 2026 at Jacksonville Equestrian Center — is not simply the first event in a series. It is the formal launch of the program itself.

Tiago will be there. WEFL leadership will be there. And the program details — the full 18-month pathway, the curriculum structure, the commitment expectations, and the vision for what this cohort of Florida instructors will build together — will be laid out in full for the first time.

If you are a trainer who has been thinking seriously about this, the October clinic is where you want to be in the room. Riding spots are intentionally limited.

Founding Members receive first access beginning July 1.

Applications open on a rolling basis:

HOW ACCESS WORKS

Founding Members receive first priority on all limited riding spots for the inaugural series. If this program matters to you, the time to become a Founding Member is now.

WHO THIS IS FOR

You may be exactly the right fit if you are:

• A trainer or instructor who wants to add Working Equitation to your program and teach it correctly from the start

• A competitor who has thought seriously about growing into a teaching role

• A barn owner or clinician who wants to expand your services and credibility in the sport

• Someone who genuinely believes the sport deserves better instruction than it currently has access to in most of Florida

We are looking for people who are serious, coachable, and committed to growing — not just attending.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO COMMIT

Participants should be prepared to:

• Hold a WEFL Pro or Founder membership with a professional listing

• Attend clinics they register for — space is limited and spots are held

• Be open to travel within Florida for clinic events

• Invest genuinely in both their riding and their teaching development

• Show up for the sport — not just for themselves

In return, WEFL is committed to providing the best educational environment we can build, with clinicians and resources that are worth the investment.