I've had a passion for horses ever since I learned how to walk; which was with a Fisher Price horse! Growing up I always admired them and was drawn to them. It took me awhile to realize how important they were to me and how perceptive they truly are. I started pursuing my passion and love of horses on a more personal level at age 20 when I bought my first Quarter Horse Cheyenne. She has been my rock, my friend, my constant through the good and the bad. When I needed to regroup and re-evaluate my life I spent time with her. I learned a lot about myself with what she reflected back at me. Although it never occurred to me until later what was happening.
Shortly after I rescued another horse for a companion for Cheyenne and myself. Beau is a Thoroughbred who although he never raced on a track, he has the markings and tattoo of one. He was rescued after living a year in poor conditions leaving many scars and fears. We worked together through those traumatic memories and he is now living his best life with Cheyenne.
My journey as a coach began back in 2015 when I discovered a course being held at Heavenly Acres in Brockville. I looked into the program and was immediately drawn to it; working with horses to help people. This sounded interesting. I contacted the instructors of Higher Trails who graciously let me volunteer for a day.
We spent the morning learning the difference of human communication vs horse communication. Absolutely incredible information. The afternoon though was where the real magic happened. Ross had me work through an exercise with one of the horses. It was about achieving a goal and identifying what was holding me back from it. Ross guided me through the exercise as I identified the roadblocks. Then he asked me to pick one of the roadblocks to overcome. Well wouldn’t you know it, that horse moved towards the one I was considering without me saying a word, walked up and knocked it right out of the way! That was so powerful as I’d never experienced anything like it before. It showed me the true power of horses. I went home that day charged with a new purpose in life and driven to become a coach. So I did! In 2016 I hosted a coach course at Lone Wolf Farm in Burritts Rapids and started working with clients shortly after.
In 2019 I added Facilitator to my title allowing me to work with corporate groups and events. I have my certification as an Equine Assisted Personal Development Coach and Facilitator, completed through Higher Trails and EAL Canada (www.highertrails.ca and www.ealcanada.com). With these certifications I can bring my love and passion for horses to people. Nothing gives me more hope and joy then having someone else experience the true empathy that horses can portray to us.
My partner Terry was also certified as an EAPD coach in 2019. He primarily works with First Responders and Veterans as he has extensive personal experience as a firefighter for over 18 years. Terry and I have a sweet little boy Oliver who keeps us very busy, and we love it! We enjoy our time together as a family going on adventures, cooking and creating memories!
What Is EAL
Equine Assisted Learning or EAL is the practice of coaching clients through personal development and transformation with horses as our partners. EAL has proven to have better and faster results than regular talk therapy as clients felt more comfortable in their environment.
Horses can teach us many things such as leadership, teamwork, impact, boundaries, self control, confidence, trust, task focus, patience and so much more.
So what role does the horse play? Horses are prey animals and are very sensitive to their surroundings. Because of their nature they give us immediate feedback to what they are sensing from us, whether positive or negative.
Studies have shown lower cortisol levels, improved mental and physical health in people who have the opportunity to be with or around horses.
EAL is for everyone. No horse or riding experience is needed. All exercises can be done either on the ground or horse back depending on your comfort level.
