Where it all began…

I was bitten with the horse bug at some point in my early childhood. Or I was born with it. Really, I can never remember not loving horses, but I do know the first time I rode a horse was at age 6 at the King County Fair Grounds in a little circle. Whatever little love for horses I had at that time skyrocketed, and my passion was ignited. My neighbor owned a big chestnut Quarter Horse named Harvey. The neighbor kid (who I am still good friends with to this day) and I would go with her mom to groom and ride Harvey. Eventually she was able to bring him home into her pasture. How exciting for a little girl to have a horse living right next to me! I continued taking lessons on Harvey until my mom paid for lessons at a barn in Enumclaw called The Back Forte. In between all that I would go to horse camps and soak up all that I could. Eventually someone in our neighborhood gave me an opportunity to lease her appaloosa mare named Autumn. She was the best horse but also very “stubborn” and she taught me a lot.

The horse of my dreams…

The horse who taught me the most was my horse Tucker who came into my life a few years later. When I first met him, he connected with me instantly and I fell absolutely in love with the little chestnut quarter horse. He did, however, come with his own set of “problems” or “baggage”. I liked to ride horses through our neighborhood and he was so herd bound that he used to spin around and run back to the barn, running me into mailboxes and bolting. I had no control. Someone had suggested a trainer to us and we had him come out to work with Tucker. What I saw him do to my precious horse I will never forget. This man used only fear and force to try to get him to submit to him but all it did was make it worse. By the end Tucker was wide eyed and extremely sweaty. My poor horse was TERRIFIED. Not to mention he had bucked the trainer off. I felt so horrible and mortified and sickened. I could not believe that anyone could do that to such an amazingly smart and sensitive animal.

The moment I knew…

From that day forward I became dedicated to learning all I could about training in a way that didn’t cost the horse emotionally. It seriously consumed me. I wanted to be better for my horse but I also wanted to help other horses. My first introduction to natural horsemanship was the Buck documentary on Netflix. This type of approach helped Tucker and I so much, but it was just the start. My mom’s friend introduced me to Parelli which when I dove into it, it completely made sense to me. So, I became a student of Parelli. I started taking lessons with the wonderful Molly Sanders. Now I was starting to really get somewhere with Tucker. This method of training became so appealing to me that I realized I wanted to share it with others to help more horses. I probably realized this at age 16. That’s when I knew I wanted to teach it. Not just train horses but teach others how to have success with their horses- and to have their horse be happy in the process.

The highs and lows of learning

Ever since then has been an ongoing journey to becoming an instructor. Fast forward to Linda Parelli’s new program, Happy Horse Happy Life- I decided to reach out to her through the HHHL website. We eventually set up a month-long study at her facility in Florida called Happy Horse Haven. March of 2022 is when I made the trip out and learned so much in just one month. This came with its challenges because I was a newlywed at the time. Only two months into marriage and I was already spending a month apart from my best friend. I rode a lease horse named Mimosa for one week and the last three weeks I rode a lease horse named Sparky. Linda describes studying with her like being in a pressure cooker. You learn so much constantly. I was continually learning new things about horses and people. I felt like my brain was swelling with information and I couldn’t wait to get home and apply it with my own horses. I also had so many moments of self doubt and imposter syndrome. I remember driving back to my Air BNB each day thinking, “Is this really for you? Everyone else is so much better than you. Maybe you aren’t actually cut out for this…” I remember crying on the phone to my husband one night after being overwhelmed at how much I had to learn still. I expressed my feelings of self doubt to him and of course, being the good husband that he is, reassured me. But that is the process of learning something new. The more you learn, the more you realize you don’t know. Eventually I settled into the uncomfortable. I leaned into it. And I got better. It felt so slow yet my growth didn’t stop there. It has kept growing each day that I put the effort in. With each failure and set back. But also with each success.

The road to success

 Shortly after I arrived home I decided to launch my business and commit to taking monthly online coaching lessons from Linda’s protégé Courtney Crane (whom I still take lessons from). It has been over a year now and my business keeps on growing. I am overjoyed getting to help people and their horses! I never want anyone to have to watch their horse being traumatized like I did. I never want anyone to feel like they must resort to fear or force with their horse.

My horse Tucker is still with me and living a happy semi-retired life now. I also have a horse named Buddy who I am taking through the How to Talk Horse Curriculum.  

I am so thankful for Tucker. The horse who drove me to seeking a better way. Who taught me patience and perseverance. I’m also thankful for Buddy who has caused me to go even deeper into horse psychology and taught me how to manage my emotions. And all the horses in between who have caused me to level up my leadership. I’m thankful for Linda and her guidance and wisdom as well as my coach Courtney who has been such an amazing instructor for me and continues to inspire and challenge me. I’m thankful for my friends and family who have encouraged me to pursue this dream. I’m thankful for my amazing husband who supports me and cheers me on. I’m thankful for my students who have trusted me along the way. Lastly, I’m grateful to God for giving me opportunity after opportunity, being my strength and equipping me with everything I need.