Indoor & outdoor riding arena.Natural Horsemanship approach to hunter jumpers, pleasure, dressage, Garrocha, problem & young horse training. Biography & Facility Information: Private boarding facility with new 70x200 lighted indoor riding arena with mirrors, fans, large heated viewing room/classroom. Professional sound system and Wi-Fi allow for virtual lessons. 120x200 all weather footing lighted outdoor arena, heated bathroom & heated tack room, hot/cold water wash rack with heat lamps. 12x12 stalls with rubber mats over laser graded crushed bluestone, automatic & heated waterers in each stall and field. Eight 12x18 sheltered walk outs, 35 acres of turn out in small groups of 3-4 horses. 72' Arena footing round pen. Specializing in:
• Regaining and building confidence between horse and rider
• Ground Work (from manners to Classical In-Hand work)
• Proper Biomechanics
• Problem Solving & Trailer loading techniques to avoid stress
• OTTB (and other) re-starts
• Continual Education
• Equine Assisted Activities
• Masterson Method techniques/Body Work
• Masterson Method integrated into lessons via functional anatomy
Suzanne Liscouski, owner and trainer of Briar Creek Farm, grew up in the horse world the traditional way; pony club as a child and competing in local, state and regional equine events in her home state of Connecticut. Given her passion for horses, she attended Sweet Briar College in Virginia for her undergraduate work, renowned for their Hunter Jumper program. A horse owner since the age of 10, Suzanne’s life forever changed when she started her first c**t with Ray Hunt in 1999. From that moment forward, her methods and riding philosophy have been focused on giving the horse a "better deal," as Ray taught. At Briar Creek Farm, Suzanne can now focus on linking these principals to any and all disciplines, such as English Hunters, Dressage, Western, Western Dressage, jumping, trails/obstacles and Working Equitation. With this methodology, riders are able to link the skills taught by horsemen with whom Suzanne has studied over the decades to their specific equine goals. Hence, the business name was born for Briar Creek, “The Foundation Link.” The concept of The Foundation Link means doing more with less, making your horse a willing partner, and approaching training in a way that builds knowledge and confidence in the horse and in the rider. This holistic approach provides a solid foundation to develop confidence, safety, and a true connection with horses through in-hand work and under saddle. Suzanne continued to do clinics with Ray Hunt and was fortunate to have the honor of being Ray’s European trip planner and translator in 2002. In 2004, she began riding with other known clinicians in the training world, including the (then) little known Buck Brannaman who would later become famed as the man in the documentary “Buck.” Suzanne continues to ride with other like-minded trainers (mentored by Ray) such as Joe Wolter and Bryan Neubert to continue learning and further her ability to share her experience with her students. Most recently, Suzanne has become a proponent of similar methods used by Jillian Kreinbring and Patrick King (also a Ray Hunt protégé), who offer clinics at Briar Creek Farm. She completed Patrick King’s protégé program in 2018. Suzanne is focused on proper movement of both horse and rider as a student of pilates and several equine anatomy courses, including The Whole Horse Dissection Clinic with Ivana Ruddock, DVM, a second Dissection Clinic with Sharon May Davis, and Equinology 900 Anatomy in Clay. From c**t starting and halter breaking wild horses in North Dakota to completing Instructors Courses with Charles de Kunffy, Suzanne believes in well-rounded horsemanship. In 2019, Suzanne traveled to Portugal to ride Lusitano Stallions with the famed Valença family in an intensive Instructors course of three lessons a day: two under saddle and one in hand class. There she honed skills on world class school masters, working on Spanish Walk, piaffe, passage, canter pirouettes and other haute école maneuvers. Suzanne believes it is a lifetime journey to constantly improve one’s horsemanship and relationship with one’s horse. Suzanne is featured in a short documentary about retraining ex-racehorses, which was featured at the Napa Valley Film Festival and the NY Equus film Festival https://vimeo.com/142725309. Most recently, Suzanne has completed years of studying the Masterson Method and is now a Masterson Method Certified Practitioner (MMCP) as of January 2023. Suzanne has a B.A. from Sweet Briar College, an M.A. from American University, and was a Presidential Management Fellow prior to serving in executive leadership roles in both the Federal Government and in the IT Industry. Suzanne course designed curriculum and served as a 400 level instructor at the U.S. Air Force Academy and is a Harvard Senior Executive Fellow. She has now transitioned her teaching and leadership skills as consultant and instructor inside the horse world, helping riders think differently and excel with their horses. For those with horse interests, yet no equine experience, Briar Creek Farm offers mindfulness and leadership lessons via ground work and liberty work; this has served many from small groups to corporate offsites. Message Briar Creek on Facebook or email briarcreekfarm(at)verizon.net.
