SAVANNAH SZUMILAS

Savannah’s story, like most progress, has not been linear. It has taken her from the bare beginnings up the levels, across disciplines and through all kinds of equine industry roles. She has found herself living through cautionary tales and experiencing brilliant inspiration. Always coming back to center the horse and its soundness as the means to success.

“One afternoon, while sitting on a just broke 4 year old, something spooked the baby warm blood. After kicking forward through a small crow hopping spell, I heard my trainer’s voice from the aisle way tell me to ‘Dominate the b—.’ I knew right about then that this was no longer the place for me and I wondered if horses was where I wanted to be at all.

After many years as a working student, learning to ride, produce and manage top level jumpers, I came away with mostly ideas of what I didn’t want to do. The theory was to be the scariest thing in the room. To lead through force. It was effective. It made broke horses, but in every sense of the word.

A move to WA led to an introduction to a more western/English hybrid approach to riding. Learning mostly independently and inserting myself into barns of many different disciplines, I found myself training and riding from a space of cooperation, invitation, and play.

I was mostly comfortable with this way forward. I had my own eventing program. I paired teenage girls with young thoroughbreds and taught them how to meet in the middle. We were extremely successful.

Then we hit a wall. I had horses saying no. I had frustrated kids and parents. I found myself having to revert back to being the scariest monster in the room. I did not like what my program had become. I dissolved my program.

A year of teaching, grooming, riding in various barns under various trainers again led me to bodywork. I was taught to see compensatory structures in a horse’s muscling, posture, behavior. I had found my way through the wall.

Pulling from the many trainers and professionals I’ve worked with over my time in horses I’ve developed a training style that focuses on whole horse wellness. I use consent based exercises, personalized nutrition, herd dynamics, various bodywork practices, and play. I pay particular attention to connection (emotional and physical), and implement a “soundness first” methodology to produce horse and rider teams that are truly happy and thriving in their work, no matter the level.”