Thank you for being here.
Hi, my name is Susan McClafferty, and I’m the founder of the Horse First Initiative. I’ve been an equestrian for over 50 years, and a horse lover even longer. Over the years, I’ve owned more than 30 horses and ridden many more. I’ve been a junior catch rider, an amateur hunter-jumper competitor, and the driving force behind a horse farm that provided lessons, shows opportunities, and a fun, educational summer camp for kids.
In recent years, my focus has been on my work as an equine fine art photographer and as a horse owner, quietly seeking out and supporting riders who put the horse’s well-being above all else.
Horses have shaped nearly every chapter of my life, and the deeper my experience has grown, the more clearly I’ve seen the need for change.
Thank you for being here. If any of what you read below resonates with you, I hope you’ll reach out. I’d truly love to hear your story.
With gratitude,
Susan
letter from the founder
I’m here because of the horses that shaped me.
The brain-fried, whose confusion and anxiety led to them being labeled “difficult.”
The detached, whose mistrust of humans runs so deep that every person has to earn their way back in.
The sensitive, who changed quickly in the wrong environment, and reminded me how fragile trust can be.
I’ve seen a lot in my life with horses. And I have to be honest: I haven’t always spoken out. I accepted many of the equestrian “truths” the way most of us do; quietly, because they seemed normal, expected, or unlikely to change even if we spoke up. But many of those truths are wrong. And I can’t be quiet anymore.
So I started Horse First Initiative.
Not because I’m perfect, but because I know we can evolve, without losing the heart of what makes this life with horses so meaningful. Through education, storytelling, and community, this Initiative is here to support everyone who interacts with horses: riders, owners, trainers, farriers, vets, and grooms as long as they are trying to do right by the horses. Because while the owner may carry the ultimate responsibility, it takes a village to protect the horse.
This movement is grounded in compassion and fueled by the belief that we don’t have to choose between sport and ethics, partnership and performance, tradition and truth. We just have to be willing to look closer, ask better questions, and speak up when something doesn’t feel right. Maybe we can even learn some new ways.
If you’ve ever walked away from a lesson or a barn or a moment and felt that pit in your stomach, you are not alone. If you’ve ever loved a horse so deeply it changed how you move through the world, then you belong here.
Let’s put the horse first. Always.
With respect,
Susan McClafferty
Founder, Horse First Initiative