Equine Body Balance, Santa Fe, NM (2026)

Ortho-Bionomy is a non-force bodywork modality derived from osteopathy, developed by Dr. Arthur Lincoln Pauls, Canadian Osteopath. Ortho-Bionomy is a non-force manual and energetic bodywork therapy that aims to improve health in all body systems with effective manipulation of spine, fascia and musculature. �

Treatments are generally 50 minutes to one hour long; in the case of people they will tak

e place at my office (directions below) and for equines, generally at the horse's barn. What defines Ortho-Bionomy is its principles:
Preferred Posture - The body is encouraged to go in the direction it is already heading. Towards ease, and away from pain - the body seeks out its most comfortable position, Ortho-Bionomy should never be painful. Client/Practitioner relationship - Ortho-Bionomy is done with a client, not to them or on them. Timing - It is important to listen for the timing, of how long to be in a particular place or position, learn what the body wants. Body's ability to respond - The body will release and self-correct when it is ready, and only then, and this may take place over time, after the session, perhaps days later. Re-education - this is associated with many modalities but in the case of Ortho-Bionomy, re-education allows the person to integrate change as new proprioceptive information and more functional patterns emerge. New self-awareness and conscious patterns also emerge as a result. The body can only absorb so much information at a time, so often the most effective method is to do less rather than more, allowing the body to process the work in the days following the session. Conditions that respond well to Ortho-Bionomy include acute and chronic injuries, systemic issues, lymphatic, circulatory, soft tissue, fascial, structural and organic. This is a healing modality that requires extensive training to learn. Being able to work on people or animals who are in acute injury phases and speed recovery, is one of Ortho-Bionomy's amazing qualities.

05/14/2026

Hi Everyone, I was able to send out my newsletter, finally! This little mini mule is our cover boy for this time around. If you want to receive the newsletter, go to my website www.susansmithsantafe.com and sign up.

05/12/2026

For those who receive my newsletter, there is a problem with the transmission at the moment so I won't be sending it out. If you wish to be contacted via email, please send me an email as I am sending out email messages to those I can reach with regard to upcoming courses.

The upcoming online course The Anatomy of Auras, debuts on Tuesday, June 9th and ends on July 9th, and will be held each Tuesday 11 a.m. Mountain time - June 9th, June 16th, June 23rd, June 30th, July 7th. The Early Bird deadline for this course is June 4th. See the notice on this page for enrollment information.

05/07/2026

This online course debuts in June! For those interested in furthering their knowledge of horse/human relationships as well as how to offer effective bodywork to horses.

Working with auras is working with anatomy, and vice versa. The more deeply we understand this amorphous, unseen area of ourselves and the animals we love, the more effective we can be in our work.

In working with horses professionally, there is a need to take a read on the horse initially and to be able to understand how to proceed, where to place hands, whether to place hands on or not, where is the meeting place? That read must be continuous throughout your session, making room for shifting focus, mood and acceptance from the horse. We can work both on and off the body at the same time.

“The horse knows. He knows if you know. He also knows if you don’t know.” — Ray Hunt

This is so true, in equine bodywork, horse training, and whatever you do with a horse. When you learn something, the horse knows you know it. He or she will ask for it if wanted. If you don’t know something, he knows that too.

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05/01/2026

This week during the Vital Pelvic Techniques for Horse and Rider, we worked with some really great self-care bodywork connection techniques in and out of the saddle.

09/05/2025

I enjoy taking horses for walks and seeing what they self-select in terms of plants. My mare Red began by choosing very scruffy weeds, then picking out anything growing near dead timber. I have introduced to her the beautiful gramma grass growing everywhere this summer, and so she has added that to her palate, but it's best if growing near timber! My gelding Sabio loves the gramma grass. Both love the cochilla plants that have grown so high near fences. Those have high sugars as the summer turns to fall, so I need to intervene and limit grazing on those.

In the past, I had horses who loved thistles, and who would eat the tops of yuccas. Both of these plants have medicinal value, so I figured they were self-healing. The mare who loved yuccas had frequent colics, and the yucca helped her. The one who loved thistles was very healthy.

I've also found that after a hospital visit, or colic, horses will gravitate toward eating dirt. My vet corroborated this and said this is very common. They are attempting to balance their digestive systems.

Some horses are highly susceptible to allergies to plants, so self-selection isn't for everyone. For those, I have had to learn the plants that set off allergies and limit their grazing time.

Address

Santa Fe, NM
87505

Telephone

+15055012478

Website

http://www.susansmithsantafe.com/

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