About Susan

Photo courtesy of Michael Hamilton, Natural Light Creations www.natural-light-creations.com

Susan has had a lifelong love of horses and began her interest in bodywork while an endurance rider. The need to keep horses and herself fit led her to study bodywork for both equines and humans, and that’s where her bodywork training began. The non-force bodywork modality Ortho-Bionomy®, stemming from osteopathy, is deeply effective in engaging the body’s innate self-corrective response, leading to sustainable healing. Her career as a freelance writer/editor also figures in as Susan continues to describe and define her work through her blog “Body Language.”

In addition, with Liberty Foundation™ coaching, Susan employs cooperative herd behavior to establish healthy working connections with horses. This includes working with human energy, a vital component in the success of a horse-human relationship. This work integrates very well with her bodywork practice.

Her bodywork with people includes helping them maintain their health and fitness, working with trauma, chronic and acute pain, repetitive stress, illness and other challenges that are brought on by work, daily life and sports injuries. Mounted Body Balance™ sessions are also available mounted or unmounted, for those who want to experience bodywork in the saddle or with a specific focus on comfort in riding. This can be especially useful after an injury, when a rider wants to get back in the saddle. Restrictions can be unraveled easily while seeing how the horse and rider communicate.

A former endurance rider with nearly 2,700 competition miles, Susan maintains a vital interest in basic horsemanship and horse care, both for competition and pleasure.

Susan founded a series of equine bodywork courses called Equine Body Balance™ for those interested in learning how to do hands-on bodywork with horses. This work is Equine Ortho-Bionomy®. This gentle, but effective, non-force approach uses elements of healing that tunes into  the central nervous system and the body’s self-corrective capacity. Susan’s workshops and clinics have been held in Santa Fe, New Mexico where she resides, as well as Florida, Idaho, Washington and Oregon. A series of online zoom courses are currently available as well as well as an on-going primer self study course.

Where body, heart and soul meet.

Registered Instructor & Advanced Practitioner, Ortho-Bionomy®, Equine Ortho-Bionomy®
Equine Acupressure Certified Practitioner (Tallgrass Animal Acupressure Institute), Equine Positional Release™  Practitioner, NCBTMB Approved Provider #100176

Member:  Society of Ortho-Bionomy (SOBI) since 2007, Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals (ABMP), Independent Liberty Trainers Network (ILTN), NCBTMB Member.

 

© Photos in slideshow courtesy of  Michael Hamilton, Natural Light Creations & Pia Christensen

Articles by Susan >
Videos – Susan Smith. A framework for healing—horse and human (susansmithsantafe.com)