SuE Eoff
Additional Information
As a child, she grew up sitting under the horses in the field next to her house in the San Francisco Bay Area. The first horse connection never wore off and when she was 10, she was finally able to have her first horse, Mariah (a cremello TB/QH cross). Then NATRC became her main focus and led to national competition. Sue won the 1982 President's Cup, driving coast-to-coast twice with her two-horse trailer and the half-Arabian, Bezarue.
College was next with a B.S. in Genetics from the University of California, Davis. A 100-mile Tevis endurance ride was also part of the mix at this time. Instead of graduate school, Sue headed to Hungary for an internship on a breeding farm and never looked back. Studying horse starting techniques and classical dressage became her focus and led to a profession. It was a privilege to live and study abroad.
Combining her enjoyment of ballroom dancing, training horses, fitness training, and a self inquiry path, life looked successful and full. But, she felt something was missing. She ended up closing her horse sales and training business in Southern California and headed to South Africa to find answers. The answers she found led her to Jaipur, India in 2011. Very quickly, an opportunity arose to rent a small, pink, cement room down the street from the Ashram. She sold all but one horse, Jaz, so it meant boarding him as an absentee owner. Questions about life and a deeper connection were the focus of her time in India.
Several years later, her teacher at the Ashram said she was ready to return. Surprised, she headed back to the horse world.
Years of training and teaching continued to unfold in different places. Sue wondered what it would be like to not be a global nomad and settle down.
In 2020, a big change arrived in Sue's life when the opportunity arose to purchase a beautiful 88-acre farm with an indoor arena, 10 stall barn, and house. The property had not been kept up as of late and had 49 greenhouses to rehome, so she spent the next year and a half restoring the grounds, while also adding a living track and outdoor arena. What a dream come true to have a place to live with the horses!
As Sue explains:
"My spiritual practice is still front and center, so to find a place where harmony could exist between the horses and the land was very important to me. When I drove through the gates of the property for the first time, I had tears in my eyes. It instantly had a special feeling of connection for me.
As I proceeded by hand with the wheelbarrow and tools, I really got to know and love the land. The "Green Womb" is fondly what I referred to it by. How else would I get to know the land if I didn't walk and do much of the work myself? Three horses came with me, Nador, Squidward, and Lincoln, so they were my test co-pilots. I loved letting them free on the land and see where they went and what places they liked to rest. They helped me decide where to add fencing and follow the idea of rotational grazing. The greenhouses were sold and the area became the outdoor arena/400' x 400' dry lot. Riding/walking paths, fields, and roads are connected throughout the property.
The goal is to share Waltzing Horses Wellness Center with more horses and humanity. Creating a community for horses to live out their golden years. Performance horses often need to be introduced to life as a herd, but often still relish time in the stall with personalized care.
The beauty of the undisturbed native woods, the grazing meadows, and the vortex create an invitation to remember one's deeper self. To walk, be, drink tea with horses, walk the labyrinth, and bask in the joy of nature and grazing horses. Experiences and events will begin to unfold."
As Iqbal says: 'I wandered in the pursuit of my own self; I was the traveler, and I am the destination.'
by Susan M Eoff | Jan 23, 2016