Susan Harden - a lifetime of living and breathing horses
My horse story began on the beach in Scarborough, where I fell in love with a donkey.
After much patient (and not-so-patient) nagging, my parents finally gave in, and at the age of ten, I felt like the luckiest girl in the world to have my first pony. From that moment on, horses became my world. I grew up through Pony Club, show jumping, and eventing, until the late 1980s, when I rode a Spanish horse while visiting Andalucía. It was love all over again. That encounter changed my life. I was offered a job by Miguel Barrionuevo of Pura Pasión, and chose to stay in Spain, immersing myself in the beauty and precision of classical dressage.
Years later, I bought my own place and began working with horses full time, specialising in starting young horses. Back then, I believed that riding eight horses a day was the only way to become truly skilled. But over time, I realised something important: that to truly help the horse, I also needed to teach the human. That shift changed everything. I discovered that I loved teaching, and through teaching, I found a deeper way of learning. I began to offer residential courses and only took in horses whose owners were willing to be part of the process.
Over the last 25 years, I’ve worked with students from all over the world, from those looking to refine their dressage skills to those facing fear, rebuilding confidence, or searching for a more authentic connection.
LEARNING THROUGH FEEL
My own journey has been shaped by countless teachers, both human and equine.
Exploring bioenergetics, yoga, meditation, dance, and martial arts helped me understand movement, energy, and awareness in new ways. But discovering the work of Tom and Bill Dorrance, Ray Hunt, and Buck Brannaman was a turning point.
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Their approach — horsemanship through feel — transformed everything I thought I knew. I was fortunate to ride with Buck Brannaman at a clinic a few years ago, and he was even more wonderful in person than I could have imagined.
What stays with me most is a quote from Ray Hunt: “The human has to learn to feel where the horse is at, then feel of him, then feel for him — so that you can feel together.”
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For me, this principle is the foundation of all true horsemanship. Without it, nothing else makes sense. It guides everything I do with my horses, every single day.
To spend time with horses is to step into another way of being.
They are fully present, alert, authentic, and connected to the world around them. They read energy more accurately than we ever could, responding not to what we say, but to what we feel. When we work with a horse, he is always doing one of two things: what he believes we are asking, or what he needs to do to feel safe.
Our task is to listen, to adjust, and to communicate more softly, until the smallest change in our feel speaks volumes.
At their core, horses want what we all want: to feel safe, cared for, and understood. When we offer that space, they give back tenfold, becoming not just partners, but teachers.
Horsemanship, then, becomes a lifelong practice of humility, patience, and love.
It is not about control, but about connection.
“The dynamic power and graceful beauty of the horse inspire us to be better humans and guide us toward integrity.”
When all is said and done, I believe the greatest force at play is love.
I don’t know exactly how the horse experiences it, but I know that when we open our hearts, the horse responds.
THE MOURONTE PROJECT
Nestled in the province of Lugo, Galicia, The Mouronte Project is dedicated to reviving the heritage of a once-grand Galician pazo, a place with history, spirit, and deep connection to the land.
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Our vision is to breathe life back into Mouronte, restoring its 15th-century buildings, 17th-century chapel, and surrounding landscape to create a retreat for reflection, learning, and community.
Every step of this journey is made possible by the generosity of volunteers, supporters, and all who believe that heritage should not only be remembered, but lived in once more.
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At Mouronte, horses, humans, and nature live side by side. It is a place of restoration, for land, for history, and for the soul.
