How It All Began

Laura began riding at age 9 at Pine Tree Equestrian Center in Beverly Farms, MA with Evelyn Sjoberg.  She rode in a few weeks of summer camp there and then continued with regular weekly lessons for a of couple years. 

Laura joined a local 4-H club called the Shawsheen Valley 4-H Club in North Reading, MA around age 11 and had a little Shetland pony, Mischief, as her project.  They competed in the 4-H horse shows in western events such as equitation, pleasure, trail and games classes.  She learned a lot from the spirited, smart little pony during their long trail rides and bareback canters in the fields near the barn.

At Alfalfa Farm off of Rt. 95 in Topsfield, MA, Laura met an abused Palomino gelding named Stormy and began to part lease him around when she was 12 years old.   Stormy who she still owns, has been her best friend, teacher and motivator for close to 20 years (See his page on my site "Stormy" for more on their story). 

Laura started her unofficial teaching career with Stormy by giving kids riding lessons on him when she was about 15.  The pair were inseparable and went to the local shows and competed very successfully in my western division in showmanship, equitation, pleasure and trail.  They even went head to head with much more professional riders and horses and had a few wins.

When looking into colleges, Laura knew that she wanted to devote her life to working with horses.   She attended the University of New Hampshire and majored in their Equine Science program.  Stormy went to college with her and she boarded him at a barn just a few minutes from campus.  At UNH, some of her courses included Equine Sports Medicine, Horsemanship (dressage and jumping), Equine Selection and Equine Reproduction.  Laura also rode on the intercollegiate riding team visiting schools such as Dartmouth College.

After college, Laura was very interested in becoming a horse trainer and wanted to learn more about this profession.  She did an internship with some Paint and Quarter Horse trainers in at Majestic Meadows in Stratham, NH.  During the internship, Laura learned about round pen work, western pleasure and general training and preparation for the big breed shows.  Although it seemed she was in a perfect situation to learn and get into this highly competitive field, a life changing event sent her on a very different journey.

A Turn of Events

At the end of Laura’s senior year at UNH, she tore her ACL, MCL and Meniscus in her knee skiing and had to get an operation to repair it just after graduation.  After two months of physical therapy, she figured she was ready to get back to work and do that internship with the horse trainers.So without enough recovery time, Laura started working very hard, thinking this was what she really wanted to do, but did not give herself time to heal.  

As a result, Laura got very ill and ended up in the hospital.   The doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong with her for a very longtime.  She suffered from extreme joint pain, fatigue and depression.  Eventually they found out Laura had rheumatic fever, an illness that triggered rheumatoid arthritis for her.  She still suffers from the rheumatoid arthritis to this day and more recently, she was diagnosed with fibromyalgia.

During her long illness and being sick and unable to walk for months forced Laura to take a good look at her life and figure out what she really wanted and needed.  Many changes took place within her and a long journey of figuring out who she was and what was her true path ensued.

On her journey to heal, Laura explored many holistic remedies such as acupuncture, chiropractic, reiki, massage and reflexology.  Her awareness of the link between mind, body and spirit grew and became clear.  Laura also spent quality time with Stormy and in nature, and with new eyes, she could see and feel how the horse’s gentle, healing nature makes them more than just a way you can make a living, they are incredible teachers and companions. 

At age 24, Laura apprenticed to get her Horseback Riding Instructor’s License.  Her goals were to share the knowledge she had gained from her experience with horses and riding and her new found awareness of mind, body and spirit which are an integral part of communicating with these wonderful animals.  Her teaching and training has helped riders and horses understand each other on a new level and to help them bond and accomplish goals. 

Laura's Goals

Laura hopes to contribute to the horse world and human world by helping people understand their horses and themselves better through proper riding, training, communication and mind/body awareness.  Her teaching and training is from the heart and she truly wants to see riders find that level of communication with their horses which is essentially intuitive.  Laura also wants to keep striving to improve her own skills through working with other trainers and taking trainings in holistic and alternative healing methods.  She also wants 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.