A performance coach and Level III Centered Riding Clinician, Donna Snyder-Smith has spent 45 years teaching the equestrian arts to students on both the East and West Coast. Today, she specializes in rider biomechanics; a system that teaches riders how to move their body in a fluid, tension free manner. “Reduce a rider’s body tension and you reduce damaging physical strain and increase comfort," she notes. " It also means the rider’s body language (the signals or aids delivered to the horse through the pressure applied by a rider’s seat, legs and hands) can be more clearly felt and understood by the horse; improving a rider’s biomechanics often improves their horse’s performance as well.” As a body specialist, Donna works with all levels of riders, from amateurs to professionals, helping erase negative body tension and movement patterns, replacing them with correct biomechanics. 


Donna is a national clinician, lecturer and the author of three books and the DVD, “The Art of Mounted Body Language.” In 1991 the American Riding Instructors Association recognized her contribution to the equestrian industry, conferring on her its prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award. Donna’s current client list, which stretches across the country, includes winning national and international competitors in disciplines as diverse as dressage and endurance riding.  When at home in California, Donna coaches private clients at the beautiful Shiloh West facility in Castro Valley. 

Donna's extensive, all around equestrian education includes dressage study in Germany, hunting and hunter seat training in Virginia, and show jumping, eventing and endurance riding on the West Coast. She has learned from greats such as Jimmy Williams, Gene Lewis, (jumping) Jack LeGoff, Denny Emerson, Don Sachey, (eventing) Neil Ayre, (course design) Monty Foreman, (reining) Herman Freidlaender, General Jonathan Burton, Charles deKunffy (dressage), and Linda Tellington Jones (creator of the revolutionary neurologically based equine training system TTEAM)

Her professional and personal philosophy: a well trained horse and rider can master most performance skills; with a little talent and hard work, these all-around atheletic teams can rise to a performance level that challenges even the top competitors in each discipline. The truth of this becomes evident when you look through Donna's Client Scrapbook! True to form, her passion for teaching led her to study with other nationally and internationally recognized master teachers such as Sally Swift (recently inducted into USDF's Hall of Fame for her ground breaking work in achieving effective equitation with less physical effort and body strain), and Kyra Kyrklund's coach Anders Lindgren, (noted dressage trainer).

Career Highlights

A Tevis buckle

Member of the Silver Medal State of California Jumping Team

Recipient of the American Riding Instructor's Association first Lifetime Achievement Award.

AHSA judge.

Successful competitor on the West Coast in jumpers, eventing, dressage, and endurance, in the 60's and 70's.

Industry journalist since 1967 her articles have appeared in "Practical Horseman", "Horse illustrated", "Chronicle of the Horse", Arabian Horse World, "Western Horseman" and myriad other equestrian magazines.

Her books include, "The Complete Guide to Endurance Riding and Competition", "The All Around Horse and Rider", and "The Classic Western Rider" (Howell Book House).