How It All Started

I have been riding and working with horses since I was nine years old.  I was the typical "horse-crazy" little girl that most of you can relate to.   It all began after harassing my parents for years to go horseback riding and they finally let me begin riding at a local stable with general riding skills and also learning to jump and do some dressage. I have been hooked ever since! 

Lessons and riding camps, where I mostly focused on jumping and dressage, were all part of my horsey childhood.  I also joined a local 4-H club and had a little Shetland pony as my project.  We competed in the shows in western events such as equitation, pleasure, trail and games classes.  We had an amazing bond and I learned so much from him, especially how to stay alert!

Moving on to a new barn, I started to lease "Stormy" who I now own.  Stormy has been my best friend, teacher and motivator since I was 12! (See his page on my site "Stormy" for more information).  He has been there through the ups and downs.  I started my teaching career by giving kids riding lessons on him when I was 15!  We went to the local shows and competed very successfully in my western division in showmanship, equitation, pleasure and trail.  We even went head to head with much more professional riders and horses and won!  I knew it was our bond and dedication to each other that really won.

When I was looking into colleges, I knew that I wanted to devote my life to working with horses and needed a major which would help me figure out just what I could do with this love.  I attended the University of New Hampshire for their wonderful Equine Science program.  Of course Stormy had to come with me and I moved him to a nearby boarding stable.  At UNH some of my courses included Equine Sports Medicine, Horsemanship (Yes, riding was one of my classes!), Equine Selection and Equine Reproduction.  I revisited my jumping and dressage days and polished up on my skills with some excellent instructors.   I also rode on the intercollegiate riding team visiting schools such as Dartmouth College.

After college I was very interested in becoming a horse trainer so I did an internship with some trainers who worked with Paints and Quarter Horses.  I learned about round pen exercises, western pleasure and general training and preparation for the big breed shows.  Although I was in a perfect situation to learn and get into this highly competitive field, suddenly my luck turned.

A Turn of Events

The end of my senior year at UNH I badly injured my knee skiing and had to get an operation just after graduation.  After two months of physical therapy, I figured I was ready to get back to work and do that internship with the horse trainers (I was an over-achiever and stubborn!).  So without enough recovery time, I started working very hard.  I thought it was what I wanted and that training horses was my destiny but, I was wrong at the time. 

I got very ill and ended up in the hospital.  To make a long story short, the doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong with me for a long time and I suffered from joint pain, fatigue and depression.  Eventually they found out I had rheumatic fever and rheumatoid arthritis.  Bad stuff.  I still suffer from the arthritis and have to stay healthy so I do not get the rheumatic fever again.

So needless to say, I have changed a great deal since going through all of this.  Being sick and stuck in bed for months unable to walk made me have to take a good look at my life and figure out what I really wanted and what I needed.  Many changes took place and a long journey of figuring out who I was and what I was doing here ensued. 

Now I have a greater awareness of my body and spirit and in turn a greater rapport with horses.  With new eyes, I could see and feel how their gentle, healing nature makes them incredible teachers and companions.  A number of holistic remedies and my experience itself helped me find a healthier self mentally, emotionally and physically which has enabled me to connect with horses and improve my communication with them.  I became a riding instructor a few years ago to share the knowledge I have gained from my experience with horses and riding and the awareness of mind, body and spirit which are an integral part of communicating with these wonderful animals.  My teaching has helped riders understand their horses on a new level and be able to bond with them and accomplish goals.  I watch the horse intently to hear what they are saying about the rider and they do not lie!

My Goal

I hope to contribute to the horse world and human world by helping people understand their horses and themselves better through proper riding, communication and awareness.  My teaching is from the heart and I truly want to see riders find that level of communication with their horses which is essentially intuitive.  I love to see the elation when a rider and horse sincerely connect and are able to accomplish goals.  I also want to raise the overall awareness of people in general by the way of the horse to help people become more loving and spiritual in this world.