Susan E. Harris was an international clinician, riding teacher, equestrian author and artist from Cortland, New York. She taught all seats and styles of riding, and trained, showed, and prepared horses and riders for competition in many equestrian disciplines, including hunters, jumpers, dressage, equitation, eventing, western pleasure and performance, saddle seat, and the pleasure and versatility breeds. Susan directed 5-H Acres School of Horsemanship, a nationally accredited riding instructor school for 10 years, taught college equine studies and physical education equitation courses, and was active in training and establishing certification standards for American riding instructors since the 1970's. In 2004 she was honored as a Master Instructor by the American Riding Instructor Association.
A Senior Centered Riding Instructor and Clinician, Susan apprenticed with Sally Swift, the founder of Centered Riding®. She taught clinics in Centered Riding and in Horse Gaits, Balance, and Movement for instructors, trainers, judges, and riders of all levels and riding interests. Susan's demonstrations, "Anatomy in Motion™: The Visible Horse", in which she painted the bones and muscles on a live horse, and "Anatomy in Motion: The Visible Rider™" were popular attractions at equine expos and clinics across North America and around the world, including Equine Affaire, Equitana Australia, the American Quarter Horse Congress, the George Morris Horsemastership Clinic at Wellington, FL, and others.
Susan Harris was the author and illustrator of popular horse books, including Horsemanship in Pictures, Horse Gaits, Balance, and Movement, Grooming to Win, the three U.S. Pony Club Manuals of Horsemanship, and the USPC Guides to Longeing, Bandaging, and Conformation. She wrote a regular column in EQUUS Magazine, Commonsense Horsemanship with Susan Harris. With Peggy Brown, she produced two videos: Anatomy in Motion™ I: The Visible Horse, and Anatomy in Motion II: The Visible Rider™. Susan designed the art for the Breyer Anatomy in Motion model horse, and illustrated many popular horse books. Susan passed away in March 2021.
Peggy Brown is an Level IV Centered Riding® and Centered Driving Clinician from Toledo, Ohio. She holds a Bachelor degree in education and has trained horses and riders for more than 30 years at her stable, Walnut Hill Farm. Peggy’s strong belief in good foundation training and application of physical education techniques to riding and driving, has helped her students succeed at both local and national championship levels.
Peggy, a versatile clinician, has joined with Susan Harris to present clinics and demonstrations in Centered Riding, Centered Driving, Anatomy In Motion, safety, instructor training, and horsemanship throughout North America, Australia, Europe, Iceland, Egypt and the UK. She is certified with the American Riding Instructor Association as an Instructor Educator and Expert Instructor in multiple disciplines, and serves on the ARIA’s Testing Staff. Mrs. Brown and horse Ulie, competed in western, hunt seat, jumping, and dressage competitions as well as driving competitions, and were long-listed with USET for three years in Advanced Combined Driving. Peggy Brown has published articles in several equine magazines including The Whip and The Chronicle of the Horse. In 2005, Peggy Brown was honored as Riding Instructor of the Year by the American Riding Instructor Association.
