Forest Brook Farm Staff

Suzie Switz - Owner & Head Instructor

Suzie Switz has been riding horses and ponies since she was ten years old- and working to be around them since before that. With a loving family who have always wanted nothing more than for Suzie to find success in anything besides being a “crazy horse person,” Suzie learned the value of hard work from a young age, equating stalls mucked to minutes in the saddle as she worked for her rides. Her mounts varied widely in both ability and suitability, but many of them taught her lessons that she passes on to her students today- and some just gave her bruises.

Beginning in high school, Suzie learned to combine her love of horses and riding with a natural gift for communicating with children. After mastering the unique skill of starting beginner riders in the saddle and earning her instructor’s license at the age of eighteen, Suzie followed a collegiate path which culminated in the earning of degrees in equine studies and early childhood.

Suzie apprenticed for three years under owner/trainer Faye Benedict at Fairbanks Stable in Richmondville, NY, honing her own skills as a rider. Under Faye’s mentorship, Suzie began learning about the logistics of running a boarding and training facility, and working with horses and ponies with the mindset of creating safe lesson mounts.

Suzie founded Forest Brook Farm, LLC, with nothing but a misfit horse and pony she had acquired after years of wanting a horse of her own and nobody else wanting them, and she credits her loyal clients with helping her to create FBF as her students know and love it today.

Having settled on eventing as her chosen discipline, Suzie continues to teach young riders the importance of a good seat, balance, and connection with their mounts as they begin and advance their riding careers, and constantly builds upon her own knowledge and skills by attending clinics and events as often as possible.