ABOUT THE TRAINER

Tessa Nicolet started riding at age 4 in Chavannes-des-Bois, Switzerland. During the weekdays she practiced jumping at her local Pony Club, trading breeches for jeans on the weekends to learn from a Western trainer. Around age 11, Nicolet’s family relocated to Wyoming, where her parents bred Quarter Horses and she was in charge of starting the colts. This taught Nicolet the importance of instilling confidence in a horse.

Years later, Nicolet moved to the Southwest, where encountering two challenging horses drove her to learn more about training. She began to study equine behavior and learn more about different training techniques, particularly natural horsemanship and classical dressage. At 29, she began professionally teaching and training on a case-by-case basis before forming Cohesive Horsemanship out of Payson, Arizona in 2016.

Today, Nicolet describes her training style as a blend of classical French dressage, Western and natural horsemanship principles. Her methods combine the concepts of partnership and emotional balance with exercises for biophysical balance and brilliance. She works to empower her students to take ownership in their equestrian journeys and find harmony with their horses. Every equine she works with teaches her something new. When she’s not training horses or instructing students, Nicolet enjoys competing with her horses in Cowboy Dressage and Working Equitation competitions. To learn more, visit cohesivehorsemanship.com.