Well, it’s official — as of May 30, 2024 Suzette has officially retired from training and lessons! It’s been a wonderful 21 years of being a professional trainer but she has found others who can help her clients and newcomers to Smart Start Stable with their horses and so feels her clients are in good hands. She will still be managing the boarding side of the barn.
Maddie Kanda is training at Smart Start. Maddie is a Gold Medal rider and a Silver Bar Freestyle rider, taking her pony from eventing to dressage, all the way to the Grand Prix dressage! Maddie is doing great on two of the training horses she has been showing, scoring upper 60s and low 70s in training, first and second level! She is just starting her second year of being a trainer full time, very impressive. Here is a link to her website: http://maddiekandatraining.com
Bridget Bursey is also training at Smart Start. Her home base is St Georges Academy in Stillwater, MN. She has her Silver Medal and Silver Freestyle Bar and is a USDF Finals 4th Level Musical Freestyle Champion. Here’s a link to her winning ride:
Smart Start Stable also has regularly scheduled clinicians. Jane Braddock comes twice a month, the first session is flat work, the second we call “Cavaletti day”. Jane is a master at cavaletti and setting it up to help the horses and riders strengthen their weaknesses. She focuses on horse and rider biomechanics. She has a great eye for anything not balanced and is helpful in unlocking the piece or pieces restricting harmonious work. Her website is: https://www.focusedriding.com/
Anne Cizadlo comes to Smart Start in the spring, summer and fall about every 3 weeks. For some reason she winters in Florida, go figure! Anne is an S level judge and does an amazing job of picking the weakest link with the horse and rider and helping sort and fix it. It is as far from “cookie cutter” training as possible. It’s so interesting to see what she picks to work on for each horse, making huge improvements in just one session! Haul ins and auditors are welcome. Here’s Anne’s website: annecizadlo.com/
Sam and Luby above
Smart Start Stable, Somerset Wisconsin, U.S.A. 