Susan Yeaman Deal
USHJA Certified Category I Trainer
Susan is an accomplished rider and instructor who has taught hunter seat equitation at Sweet Briar College, St. Andrews College, Eagle's Nest Camp, and elsewhere. The summer camp is a natural outgrowth of her interest in and love of children and horses. Susan teaches lessons year-round, takes students to shows and riding to hounds. Susan rode her horse Penn Park to the 2005 North American Field Hunter Championship.
Susan is an ANRC Level 5 Rider, National Judge, and Steward who serves on the ANRC board as well as the USHJA Youth Council.
Website: www.grovespringfarm.com
Susan's Video Topics:
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Forward Riding Series Part 27 - Learning to Jump Part 6 - Jumping in the Field Part 27 of Susan Deal’s "Forward Riding Series - Exercises for a Rider's First Year" The students and their ponies move from the ring to the field to continue their jumping skills. Susan instructs them over a bending line of natural jumps, working to improve the riders’ position and release as they gain confidence over larger fences in an open setting. Running Time: 2 minutes and 56 seconds |
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Forward Riding Series Part 28 - Riding on Soft Contact Part 28 of Susan Deal’s "Forward Riding Series - Exercises for a Rider's First Year" Susan works with her young student on transitioning from riding on a loose rein to riding on soft contact. The student is generally ready for this when they can move their hands independently from the body. These are the beginning stages of contact when the rider has acquired the tact and feel to have more effective communication with the horse’s mouth. Running Time: 4 minutes and 29 seconds |
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Forward Riding Series Part 29 - Once a Week for Ten Months Part 29 of Susan Deal’s "Forward Riding Series - Exercises for a Rider's First Year" In the final installment of Susan Deal’s video series, we see the progress a student can make in about a year only riding once a week. The rider has established safe and effective communication with her mount while performing some basic flatwork and jumping small fences. Running Time: 8 minutes and 18 seconds |
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Forward Riding Series Part 3 - Exercises to Improve a Beginner's Riding Position Part 3 of Susan Deal's "Forward Riding Series - Exercises for a Rider's First Year" This is the 3rd installment of Susan Deal’s video series devoted to teaching beginners the fundamentals of forward riding. In this lesson she focuses on the rider’s position while offering insightful techniques from the teacher’s perspective on how to get the most out of a young or inexperienced equestrian. As a rider you’ll learn proper placement of the foot in the stirrup, how to hold the reins, basic seats, how to avoid clashing aids, tips on how to improve your seat and balance and other basics every equestrian should learn during their first riding lessons. Running Time: 7 minutes and 37 seconds |
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Forward Riding Series Part 4 - Learning How To Post The Trot Part 4 of Susan Deal's "Forward Riding Series - Exercises for a Rider's First Year" Susan Deal, top trainer for young riders, takes us through a typical lesson when teaching a new rider to post the trot and use the weight aid. The goal of this video lesson is to get the rider more secure in the saddle. Starting out on the lunge line, Susan has the rider do various exercises to help them keep an even posting rhythm and a strong balance over the leg. Running Time: 7 minutes and 47 seconds |
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Forward Riding Series Part 5 - Stretches to Help the Beginning Rider Achieve Proper Position on a Horse Part 5 of Susan Deal's "Forward Riding Series - Exercises for a Rider's First Year" In this 5th video lesson, Susan Deal (ANRC Level 5 Rider, National Judge, and Steward) introduces some stretching exercises to a new rider in order to encourage proper position in the tack. She covers exercises to correct a rider's placement in the saddle and stretching techniques to perfect position both at a standstill and on a lunge line. These exercises will help equestrians of all levels to be more flexible with the horse, move with the horse and feel the horse during the ride. Susan ends with an exercise for relaxation and flexion to release the tension and allow beginners to more easily move with the rhythm of the horse. Running Time: 12 minutes and 56 seconds |
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Forward Riding Series Part 6 - The Opening Rein: Teaching the Beginning Rider to Steer a Horse Part 6 of Susan Deal's "Forward Riding Series - Exercises for a Rider's First Year" In her sixth lesson, Susan Deal introduces a young rider to the most basic “steering” rein aid. Using serpentine exercises, the student learns to control the horse’s direction with the opening rein. Running Time: 1 minute and 58 seconds |
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Forward Riding Series Part 7 - The Three Speeds of the Trot Part 7 of Susan Deal's "Forward Riding Series - Exercises for a Rider's First Year" In this video topic, the 7th in Susan Deal's series for teaching beginners, a young rider and her pony experiment with different speeds of the trot. Once a new rider is able maintain the same trot around the ring, you can introduce a stronger trot and shorter trot and then add rails on the ground. This allows the rider to feel the difference in the pony's trot pace and how the stride length is affected. This lesson is the beginning stage of the rider's influence over the horse's gaits. Running Time: 4 minutes and 57 seconds
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Forward Riding Series Part 8 - Riding in a Group: Teaching Riders to Safely Navigate the Arena and Field Part 8 of Susan Deal's "Forward Riding Series - Exercises for a Rider's First Year" Part 8 of Susan Deal's instructional video series starts by providing riders with "the rules of the ring." The proper procedures when riding in an arena with multiple students include: safely passing, awareness of other riders, knowing when to yield, and effectively communicating your actions and intentions to others in the ring. In the second half we move out to the field and Susan discusses keeping the correct distance between ponies when riding in a line and effective communication between riders; especially with regards to dangers on the field, such as holes or branches. These are valuable rules of thumb every new rider should know. Running Time: 7 minutes and 18 seconds |
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Forward Riding Series Part 9 - Starting Riders Over Uneven Terrain in the Field & on the Trail Part 9 of Susan Deal's "Forward Riding Series - Exercises for a Rider's First Year" Part 9 of Susan Deal's series for teaching beginners takes students out of the safety zone of the arena and introduces the new challenges that arise in the field and on the trail. In this video riders learn: Running Time: 11 minutes and 54 seconds |
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