Tempel Farms Dressage Training Center opened in the 1980s. It is a premier facility where serious dressage riders can visit with their horses and train with an internationally recognized clinicians and riders. The stable and indoor arena are heated, and there are several outdoor arenas and areas to ride around the property. Tempel’s facility cultivates a positive atmosphere with an emphasis on teamwork while helping horses and riders to achieve their full potential in the show ring.

Trainers at Tempel Lipizzans

Linda Leffingwell

Linda Leffingwell, the Director of Training at Tempel Lipizzans, is a USDF Bronze, Silver and Gold Medalist – all medals were earned riding Tempel Lipizzans. Linda studied extensively with Anne Gribbons, Arthur Kottas, Conrad Schumacher, George Williams and Karl Mikolka. It was her work with Karl that she credits with shaping her training philosophy and skill set. Partnered with Tempel Lipizzans, she has ridden in public performances for over 20 years and has earned numerous National Breed Awards, as well as local and regional recognition. As Director of Training, Linda is determined to execute, as well as oversee, the proper and consistent training of the Lipizzans through classical dressage.

Eliza Ardizzone

Eliza Ardizzone is a USDF Gold and Silver Medalist. She graduated the USDF “L” Judge program with distinction. She has 30 years of experience training horses and instructing students from Austria to Germany to England and here in the United States. She is ever committed to improvement in riding and training in clinics with World Class trainers from Lars Peterson to Conrad Schumacher and several Olympic Dressage riders. She started as a trainer at Tempel Lipizzan in early 2011. 

Victor Pozzo
Victor Pozzo has been a professional horse trainer since 1996. He holds 30 plus national titles with Andalusian and Friesians. He has been a trainer for Medieval Times dinner theater, as well as the chief rider for the “World Famous Lipizzaner Stallions”. He has also been a training consultant for the dancing horse theater in Lake Geneva Wisconsin and a featured performer at the Nobel horse theater in downtown Chicago. Today, he is a proud member of the Tempel Lipizzans training staff. He focuses specifically on young horses, work in hand and the Airs Above the Ground.

Sue Ott
Sue Ott just joined the Tempel Lipizzan’s staff this fall and is focusing on early training of the youngest of the Lipizzan herd. She has been working as a trainer for 20 years and spent many years working with Sabine Schut-Kery.  Her experience spans from exhibition riding to competitive dressage to instructing. Among her varied accomplishments in the show ring, Sue holds a USDF Bronze Medal and is working toward her USDF Silver Medal. She believes the basics are essential to a horse’s long term dressage career. 

Jeff LaDue

Former Breed/Herd Manager Jeff LaDue has resumed his prior position at Tempel Lipizzan Corporation. A native New Yorker, Jeff LaDue has a long history of training horses with a specific focus on driving training. Team driving is where Jeff excells. Next performance season will feature his return to driving a Lipizzan Team.

In addition to being our driving trainer, Jeff works as our herd manager keeping eyes and hands on our young horses and breeding stock.

Interested in clinics at Tempel Farms - Contact us today!

To keep with our educational mission, every year Tempel Lipizzans hosts several riders at various stages of dressage training into our Working Student program. The program partners each student with a trainer and the stable manager to learn about both riding and training as well as equine health and stable management.

Ashley Vogel
Ashley Vogel has been a working student at Tempel Lipizzans since June of 2011. She came on the team with a specific interest in early training of young stallions. She also continues to hone her skills in upper levels of dressage.  Ashley started riding when she was 9 years old. She has competed through fourth level earning her USDF Bronze and working toward her USDF Silver Medal.

Lydia Knurek
Lydia joined the TLC team as a working student in September of 2011. She’s been interested in classical dressage and the Lipizzan breed since 2005 when she bought her first of many Lipizzans. She started riding when she was 5, continued riding as a hobby and only recently made a career change from Engineering. She’s interested in becoming a dressage trainer and is working on both improving her riding and training young horses. She hopes to earn her Bronze this summer on the back of a Lipizzan.