About
Maria Smith, owner
Maria has had a diverse 35+ year career that's touched almost every part of the horse industry including, training horses & riders, rehabing problem horses, colt starting, competition, breeding, natural hoof trimming, saddle fitting, equine body work, and sports psychology & equine assisted coaching.
Although she was competing at the national level in her late 20’s and 30’s, Maria’s career has mostly been centered around improving the lives of horses & riders through education and wellness.
In addition to horse sports, she trained extensively in other sports like soccer and martial arts and fully understands the nature of performance and athletic development. However, horses have have played a much deeper role of in her life. They've been family, friends, students, teachers, team mates, and high performing partners.
Her personal goal is to help more people experience the kind of horsemanship that they dreamed of when they first got involved with horses. ...The one with happy, healthy horses & harmonious partnerships.
The Mission
OF UNIVERSITY OF EQUESTRIAN ARTS
"Is to be a trusted resource for evidence-based, compassionate training that applies to ALL horses & riders and can be used to improve the results of ANY training program.
Technology has changed horsemanship with it's ability to measure and evaluate every aspect of the care & training of horses. There's NO NEED to struggle or guess at solutions to our most common challenges with horses.
Equestrian Science tells us exactly how to motivate horses without pain & threats. ...to teach horses to understand and perfect new skills quickly & happily. We have the knowledge to get exceptional results in a way that feels good.
We know which lifestyles create wellness or disfunction for horses. We know how to systematically develop the bodies of equine athletes. We know how to avoid training that damages bodies & minds, as well as how to heal them (within limits). We have the knowledge to succeed in our goals and "do no harm".
University of Equestrian Arts is here to help spread that game-changing knowledge, so that more people like you get to live that dream of happy, healthy horses & harmonious partnerships."
