About us
The people behind Cavall al Centre.
Behind Cavall al Centre are Sandra and Selina Brand — mother and daughter, united by a lifelong passion for horses and a shared vision of creating a place where horses and humans can truly thrive.
What started as a deep love for horses became a mission: to better understand movement, health, communication, and the individual needs of every horse.
Over the years, our journey has taken us through different disciplines, training systems, and experiences — always searching for better ways to support horses in a healthy and sustainable way.
In our search for the right environment and living conditions for horses, our path eventually led us from Switzerland to Spain.
On May 1st, 2026, we moved to Albons in the beautiful Empordà, where the vision of Cavall al Centre became reality.
About us
Sandra Brand
Swiss Certified Professional Horse Trainer (Eidg. diplomierte Bereiterin)
Experience
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1980 - Started riding
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1993 - 1996 - Professional training as horse trainer (Dressage and Jumping) in Wetzikon, Zürich CH
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Passed jumping and dressage licenses during training
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2005 - 2008 - Participated in jumping and dressage competitions
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Completed various advanced courses and further education
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2007 - 2016 - Mobile riding instruction and horse training
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2016 - Opened our riding school
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2018 - Expanded to include training and rehabilitation horses
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2025 - Advanced education with Konstanze Kopta (Horses in Balance)
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2026 - Moving to Spain - Albons. Opening Cavall al Centre
I lived with my two children and our dog Makani in beautiful Aargau, Switzerland, before moving to Spain.
My passion for horses began at the age of six, when I started riding at a riding school. Later, I had the opportunity to work with several care horses, which allowed me to deepen both my riding skills and my understanding of horses.
That passion stayed with me, and in 1993 I began my professional training as a horse trainer in Wetzikon, graduating successfully in 1996.
Today, I work as a professional horse trainer and riding instructor. My journey - together with my homebred mare Ajscha VI CH (1999) — has taken me through classical riding, baroque training, show jumping, dressage competitions, and back to a classical dressage and biomechanically oriented approach.
The wellbeing of the horses and the satisfaction of my clients have always been my highest priorities.
Selina Brand
Experience
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2016 - School graduation
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2016 - 2017 - Agricultural internship with focus on horse boarding and cattle raising
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2017 - 2018 - Internship as horse trainer
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2018 - 2019 - Apprenticeship as Professional training as horse trainer (EFZ)
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2019 - 2026 - Worked at Riding School Ohana
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2024 - present - Studies in animal naturopathy (SGD)
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2025 - Advanced education with Konstanze Kopta (Horses in Balance)
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2026 - Certification as equine nutrition consultant (Delst)
My passion for horses began very early — I was sitting on a horse before I could even walk.
I had the privilege of growing up with horses and learned alongside Ajscha and Sandra.
After a few years, I stepped away from riding and spent less time at the stable. But at around 15, I rediscovered my passion, and at 16 I got my first own horse - Simon.
From there, everything truly began.
During my internships, I already started helping at our riding school, teaching my first lessons, and deepening my riding and training skills.
Today, I work at Cavall al Centre, where I teach riding lessons, help train our own horses, and support the education and training of client horses.
Our Philosophy
Over the years, we have explored and learned from many different riding philosophies and training systems. Our roots lie in classical English riding, which Sandra also studied during her professional training as a certified riding instructor and trainer, working in this field for many years.
However, over time we felt that some aspects no longer aligned with our understanding of healthy training, which led us to explore baroque riding. During this journey, we worked with and learned from many different philosophies and trainers, including Philippe Karl, Stodulka, and Bent Branderup.
All of them are highly respected horsemen, but for us it became clear that there is no single perfect method — and no single “right” way of riding.
Every horse is different, moves differently, learns differently, and has individual physical and mental needs. This must always be taken into account when finding the right path forward.
Because in the end, our goal is simple:
a healthy horse that enjoys its work.
We do not follow a single riding system.
Our work is inspired by classical dressage and enriched by modern biomechanical knowledge and latest studies.
Instead of chasing a certain frame or movement, we focus on helping every horse move correctly, comfortably, and with confidence.
For us, the goal is never a perfect dressage movement—it is a horse that moves correctly, comfortably, and with joy.
We now discovered the methode from Konstanze Kopta. And we absoluty love this work and we take a lot out of her Methode.
The way we work today benefits horses tremendously. Changes are often visible within a surprisingly short time.
Through calm, focused, and thoughtful work, horses learn to better understand their own bodies, improve body awareness, and find balance. Our role is not to hold or carry the horse in balance — our job is to help the horse find balance by itself.
Important is a deep understanding of equine biomechanics.
We must be able to recognize what type of support is needed for each individual problem. When a horse struggles, our task is to understand the root cause and help correct it in a sustainable way.