When I think back over the more than two decades I spent running an equine therapy center, I’m filled with gratitude, humility, and a deep sense of wonder. What a privilege it was truly to serve children and adults with special needs, to stand beside veterans seeking peace, and to witness the quiet, profound transformations that only horses seem to know how to facilitate.
It’s easy for people to say, “You touched so many lives,” and while I hope that’s true, the part that still catches in my throat is how deeply they all touched mine. I carry their stories with me like treasures stories that will last me well beyond my rocking-chair years.
These weren’t just clients and students. We weren’t simply instructors and participants. We were a family. My own family worked shoulder-to-shoulder with me to keep the nonprofit running giving time, love, and endless patience. I could never have done it without them.
I think of the countless lessons taught in dusty arenas. The small victories celebrated with big cheers. The tears shed in the quiet barn aisle, where someone found the courage to speak their truth for the first time. I remember the determined rider who finally let go of fear and trusted a horse. Or the veteran who said he could breathe again for the first time in years because of the calm he felt beside one gentle gelding.
Though it breaks my heart that I can no longer teach in that same way, I am grateful beyond words to still be in touch with so many of my riders and their families. Seeing them grow, remembering the way we supported one another, reminds me daily why this work matters.
Now, as I step into a new chapter sharing the knowledge and experience I’ve gained with other instructors, centers, and programs—I’m committed to honoring that legacy. EquiThrive isn’t just a consulting service to me. It’s my way of giving back to a field that gave me purpose and filled my life with meaning.
To anyone reading this who is called to this work: know that it’s sacred work. Know that it will change you as much as you hope to change others. And know that you’re never doing it alone.
I’ll always be here to share what I’ve learned, to encourage you, and to celebrate the small miracles that happen every single day when humans and horses meet with open