The former director of the French National School at Saumur, Christian Carde has been teaching at StarWest, since 2002.   Col. Carde is an FEI I judge and founder of ALLEGE-IDEAL, an international organization for promoting classically correct horses (with superb piaffe/passage transitions). He usually rides each horse and works with them from the ground both in hand and with rider mounted.  He comes in the spring and the fall to StarWest in between his clinics throughout Europe.

Dedicated to the teaching of horsemanship, Colonel Christian Carde's first riding experiences were in the discipline of show jumping and eventing. He spent 40 years in the French Army, 26 years at the Cadre Noir in Saumur, where he became "ecuyer en chef" or head trainer.  He has served in various capacities on the French Olympic Team, competitor, coach, and chef d'equipe over different Olympiads.