About Sue Muir

Growing up in Montana, Sue Muir started training and showing her own horses at age 10. She continued through college, where she studied both animal science and psychology, specializing in animal behavior. Sue's first instructor and mentor was Patrick Wyse, a certified Monte Foreman instructor and an exceptional horseman and teacher. Patrick’s ability to understand the mechanics and psychology of both the horse and rider, and to use those skills to effectively teach thousands of students inspired Sue.

In the early 1980’s, Sue and husband Ron moved to Washington State, where she began a horse training career. She trained, taught and competed in many disciplines, including English and western disciplines, equitation, trail, jumping, dressage, gaited horses, and reining, which became her favorite discipline and passion. Sue is an approved judge for the National Reining Horse Association and Washington State Horsemen. Freestyle Reining is one of Sue’s hobbies, and the competition she enjoys the most.

In competition, Sue and her students have excelled at every level they have shown, but more importantly, they have fun at shows. Sports psychology tells us we are at our competitive best when we are relaxed and confident, rather than tense, intimidated, or too hard on ourselves or the horse. Sue aspires to teach riders how to develop that attitude, as well as improve their riding and training abilities.

Not every rider wants to compete, however. The first objective in Sue’s program is practical and logical horsemanship. Teaching students why a horse, or a human, responds in a certain way helps riders learn what they can do to positively affect the horse, as well as what they need to stop doing that negatively affects the horse. Sue wants students to not only understand how, but also WHY a technique should be used, so they can apply it appropriately at home. These concepts and techniques apply to all horses, from the recreational and trail riding horse to the finished show horse, and everything in between.

The number one priority in Sue’s program is always safety of the rider, and the number two priority is safety of the horse. Sue’s logical and humane training methods focus on safety while handling horses. Students learn to understand how a horse thinks, then use that knowledge to give the horse a reason to comply with the rider’s wishes. Additionally, Sue incorporates an understanding of the physical and mental abilities and limitations of both horse and rider, so students learn how to make the desired goal reasonably easy for the horse to accomplish. In addition to the concepts of how to train, Sue teaches both judgement –- how to recognize what is happening; when a problem is arising; when things are just right -- and technique –- what the rider needs to do with hands, legs, and the rest of himself/herself; when and just how hard or soft to give a signal, etc.

Sue’s goal is to provide a relaxed and fun atmosphere while teaching horse handling skills. Every level of rider is welcome at these clinics, as well as riders of every style and discipline. She encourages students to ask questions and appreciates feedback about the answers. An atmosphere that is light and pleasant is the goal, and she enjoys a little humor to help keep it there. Even very determined riders can benefit from this mindset. Sue has found over the years that the most accomplished horsemen are not uptight about doing well. They excel, in part, because of a confident, but relaxed attitude that doesn’t interfere with their goals.