Susanne E. Schwaiger

  • Born in 1962 in Augsburg
  • 20 years of experience in horse-assisted self-development
  • Over 40 years of horse experience
  • Developer and founder of HALE® and Das Pegasus Projekt®
  • Instructor of trainers and coaches since 2003
  • Learned personal trainer
  • Healing practitioner for psychotherapy
  • Crisis intervention counsellor of the Red Cross
  • Author

In order to experience the fascinating abilities of a horse, first of all it has to be released from the role of a submissive servant and elevated to a partner of equal value, but not of equal rank however.

Then something miraculous happens! A new kind of alliance develops. A deep friendship in which both beings rise above their limitations and their best qualities emerge.
It appears like magic, but the hidden power at work is the simplicity of a true encounter based on mutual respect, mindfulness and a deep willingness to truly engage with each other.

The challenge in this work is to lead people out of their inner complexity back into a natural simplicity, which is gratifying, fulfilling and healing at the same time.

 

From problem horse to dream horse - Bon Jour, my strict teacher and most sincere friend. Without him, HALE® would have never come into being.(Susanne E. Schwaiger)

Stages of life

In a moment of extraordinary clarity in 1996, all the fragments of my life, which I had dismissed as aberrations up to that point, suddenly came together to form one big meaningful whole. Starting with my teacher training, my professional years in the private sector, my training in veterinary naturopathy, my passion for riding and my strong interest in self-development and Far Eastern philosophy, all the way to my great love for horses. Nothing had been in vain. They complemented each other perfectly.

After only a few months, I developed into a pioneer and trendsetter in the field of equine assisted self-development. I had a great teacher at my side: my grey gelding "Bon Jour". He lovingly, perssistently and uncompromising turned my life upside down and taught me a lot about the deeper structures of the human-horse relationship.

In the early days, I reaped many a shake of the head for my equine-assisted work. This changed in 2000 and 2001, when my first two books "Der Weg mit Pferden - Ein Weg zu mir" and "Persönlichkeitstraining mit Pferden - Das Praxisbuch" were published and triggered a real boom in the scene, that self-development training and coaching with horses became established. Very quickly, "playing around with horses" became a serious method and a financially strong market. Quite rightly, because horse-supported sel-fdevelopment - competently applied - brings lasting success!

I had made it back then, you might think. I had fulfilled my life's dream, realised myself professionally. I set standards and was on the road to success. However, due to family challenges and traumatic events that affected my health, I had to say goodbye to the "big stage" again very soon. However, my ideas and working methods had already inspired many trainers and authors, who then marketed "horse-supported coaching" very successfully and with great media impact. To this day, this market is growing steadily.

On a "small stage" I have continuously refined my work with humans and horses over the last 20 years - against all odds. With unshaken dedication and enthusiasm, I am still passionately committed to raise awareness in the interaction between humans and horses. Because it is time to think beyond the old structures of power and submission, of pressure and force, not only in relation to horses. We need healthy natural relationships instead of mechanical functioning, more awareness instead of mindless conditioning, creativity instead of endless repetition of the preconceived. This change brings about more quality of life and success in life, and it also makes our world a good deal more beautiful and peaceful. You see, yesterday's pioneer is also today's pioneer. Only more mature - and perhaps a little wiser too.