Meet EDENS owner Susan Maynard
Susan’s love and passion for animals were obvious from a very young age, so she was destined to become a horse rider and instructor.
She has ridden competitively in all disciplines and reached a very high standard of excellence. She took part in show jumping and hunting for North Canterbury and was awarded Champion at many shows, including the Christchurch A&P Show. A winner in eventing Novice grade, Susan was a live in-pupil for Florence West, where at a very young age she helped start and train young horses (The Natural Way).
Susan went on to become an instructor and has worked in that capacity in both New Zealand and England.
Despite a very rewarding lifestyle Susan still felt that something was missing. She studied vet nursing and animal medicine at the holistic college in Christchurch, New Zealand. Her healing work with animals was deeply fulfilling, but it took a close call with death for Susan to really find her niche.
“I was trekking down by the Clarence River on horseback very early one warm summer morning,” she says. “The sun was shining and there wasn’t another soul for miles. Suddenly my horse was startled by a rising bird and I was thrown off the edge of a bluff.
“I found myself dangling from the reins above a 50ft drop. At that point, my skittish horse was my only hope. As I looked up at the horse, I amazingly found myself able to communicate with him on ‘another level’ and I promised him that if he saved my life that day, I would devote myself to helping animals and people.”
Susan has been fine tuning her ability for over 30 years to help animals as a ConTact C.A.R.E. advanced practitioner, riding instructor and owner of Edens Herbals.