Welcome Susanna to the MMSC

 2008 is bringing some exciting developments at the Maker's Mark Secretariat Center located at the Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky.   Beginning in January, Susanna Massie Thomas, a lifelong horsewoman and seasoned equine journalist joined the staff as the Equine Director.  Susanna was lured to the Center by Katherine Kincannon Irwin who had to return to Canada in December to help her well-known husband Chris Irwin with their exploding business, Horse Power.           

Susanna brings a host of talents and experiences to the Center.  She owns and runs a farm near Lexington where she teaches riding (http://www.horsemansjourney.com/).  She has written for more than 25 years for numerous equine publications among them The Blood Horse, The Thoroughbred Times, Thoroughbred Business, John Lyons Perfect Horse, Dressage and Eventing, Spur, and Equus. She has published a cookbook, has been the managing editor of  Bluegrass magazine, a contributing editor to The Horse Journal, and currently is the editor of EAGALA In Practice, the official publication of Equine Assisted Psychotherapy. When she was at Princeton University majoring in Comparative Literature, she served as the intercollegiate riding coach. Later when working for Random House publishers in New York she volunteered for the New York Police Force's mounted unit.  She has competed in dressage, hunter and carriage shows.  She rides sidesaddle, fox-hunts occasionally, and stands an Andalusian stallion.           

Susana has worked in every facet of the Thoroughbred industry from the race track, to the vet mobile, foaling stall, yearling barn and sales pavilion.  She has extensive contacts in the Thoroughbred industry.           

 She also is politically savvy, having helped draft three pieces of legislation (two of which were passed) promoting farmland preservation, smart growth, and greener highway transportation design standards.  She has been an inspirational national speaker and writer on these issues.  She was appointed by the Governor of Kentucky first on a special Transportation Smart Growth Task Force and later to the Governors Kentucky Progress Commission.            

She has a background in animal rescue, has retrained misguided horses for new careers prior to coming to the MMSC and is passionate about issues of well-being for horses and people, hence, her interest in equine assisted psychotherapy.  She is working on her Advanced EAGALA Certification as an Equine Specialist and she holds a monthly workshop on her farm for what she calls "equine assisted creative living," in which she helps others explore in exciting and creative ways exactly why the "outside of a horse is good for the inside of a man."           

At the MMSC Susanna hopes to use her combined experiences to advance the plight of the Thoroughbred is myriad ways from retraining horses using a combination of classical principles of riding and natural horsemanship, to building bridges among all the rescue agencies, to strengthening ties in the Thoroughbred industry, to working on legislation to help ex race horses, to developing a program to train people interested in equine assisted psychotherapy and to help funnel ex-race horses to EAP programs across the country.

"I cannot imagine a more exciting and complete way to merge my skills and experiences," Susanna says of her new job.  "Life is about service.  I have been a crusader all my life for horses and people and now am blessed with a unique opportunity to combine these passions. I admire the TRF and all those people who are dedicated to helping horses in every way.  What a blessing it is to be in a position to serve with them! I wake up grateful for it every morning. "