About Elisa

A rider since childhood, Elisa began carriage driving in the late ‘80’s. After driving for several years recreationally, Elisa relocated to Surrey, just outside of Vancouver. She continued to work on increasing her driving knowledge and experience and eventually started several horses on their driving careers. She began working for Donia Farms, a Friesian breeding farm, where she had the opportunity to further hone her skills driving singles and pairs.

Elisa driving the Patchwork Ranch's Noble Boy to a first place finish in
the FEI 1* division at the 2018 Katydid CDE. Photo Credit PICSOFYOU.COM

In 1995, Elisa attended a one-month intensive four-in-hand and tandem course in Drachten, Holland. There, under the tutelage of the FEI-level driver Leo Kraaijenbrink, she further expanded her driving skills. Upon returning to Canada, she worked alongside her mentor, master horseman Franz Hannesschlager for five years until his untimely passing in 2000.

Elisa has been an Equestrian Canada certified driving coach since 2000 and previously served three years as the Chairperson of the Coaching Development Committee. She is currently a member of the EC Drive Committee and the EC Rules Committee, is a nationally recognized Technical Delegate for Combined Driving Events, and is a provincially recognized driving judge.

Elisa is a proponent of the Achenbach reining system but adapts her teaching to suit each student’s needs. She enjoys working with all breeds and has had everything from miniature donkeys through to draft horses as pupils. Her human students have ranged in age from 6 years old through to 81 years young. She is in demand as a clinician both close to home and further afield.

Elisa has strived to improve her own driving through working with talented, world-class drivers such as Lisa Singer, Scott Munroe, Leslie Berndl, Larry Poulin and Robin Groves. She truly enjoys passing on the knowledge gained from this work to her own students.

Elisa owns two home-bred full brothers by the Elite Hanoverian sire Regazzoni, out of her Donnerhall granddaughter "Dans Le Coeur", an Oldenburg X mare. Both geldings - Wildwood Regazzo and Wildwood Roulette - have been solid and bold competitors from training level through to intermediate.

Please feel free to contact Elisa to discuss your training and learning needs.

Elisa driving Touch of Honey
Owned by Hale and Janice Allen of Cloverdale, California