What’s the Difference Between Horseback Riding and Equine Assisted Therapy?
There’s a profound difference between riding in a show ring and standing quietly beside
a horse in a therapy session. I’ve lived both worlds, and the path from one to the other has shaped not just my career, but my life’s purpose.
I grew up in Louisiana, immersed in the competitive equestrian world. My mother ran a respected hunter-jumper training facility with over 20 horses. While most saw horses as competition partners, I saw them as my closest companions. As a shy child who struggled to trust others, I found safety in the barn. Human relationships were unpredictable, but animals offered a presence that felt safe and real.
The barn became my sanctuary, a place where words weren’t necessary and authenticity mattered more than anything. Horses stayed by my side through childhood and adolescent traumas, offering steady, nonverbal support when life felt overwhelming. Whenever I needed to reconnect with myself, I returned to them.
How a Life-Altering Injury Opened the Door to Holistic Healing
By my early teens, I had built a name for myself. I trained horses for others, competed nationally, and tied my self-worth to ribbons and rankings. The show ring became another form of escape and validation.
That world paused at age 15 when a serious back injury left me bedridden for most of my freshman year of high school. At a time when many teens were finding themselves socially, I was alone, asking big questions about purpose and self-worth. That quiet period became an unlikely doorway to spiritual growth.
Exploring Yoga, Energy Work, and Mindfulness as Tools for Recovery
During my recovery, I turned inward and explored
healing modalities like yoga and pranic energy work. By 16, I had a daily yoga practice. At 17, I was leading meditation sessions. My identity began to shift away from performance and toward presence.
The next eight years included recurring injuries, each one nudging me further down the path of transformation. At 19, I left behind the competitive world and moved to Australia. There, I studied mental health and mindfulness and became trained in pranic psychotherapy. A later stay in Bali further deepened my connection to spiritual healing and alternative ways of living.
What I Learned From Working With Children Through Therapeutic Horse Riding
Returning to the U.S. at 21, I found myself balancing two lives. I was teaching therapeutic riding to children with special needs while staying connected to the competitive scene. But it was the children, especially those with autism, who opened my heart to the magic of pure connection. Free from pressure and performance, these kids reminded me of the power of being fully present.
Why I Chose to Offer Equine Therapy in Boulder, Colorado
My final shift came when I moved to Colorado. In the calm of the mountains, I let go of the competitive world entirely and chose to work with
horses solely for therapeutic healing. This wasn’t just a career change. It was a return to who I had always been.
What to Expect From My Equine Assisted Therapy Practice in Boulder
Today, in Boulder, Colorado, I integrate my lived experience, horsemanship, and professional therapeutic training into my
equine assisted therapy practice. Alongside our equine partners, I support clients through:
Mindful presence with horses
Movement-based and somatic therapy
Nature-based healing
Trauma-informed care
Experiential, body-centered learning
What makes this work so powerful is that it’s not just based on clinical training. It’s rooted in lived experience. When I speak about
healing through horse-human relationships, I speak from a place of personal truth and hard-earned wisdom.
How Horses Help With Trauma, Anxiety, and Relationship Healing
One of my deepest beliefs is that there’s magic in every moment, if we slow down enough to notice it. Horses taught me this long ago. As a young girl in the barn, I learned that connection doesn’t always need words.
Whether you’re working through trauma, anxiety, relational challenges, or simply seeking a deeper sense of self,
equine assisted therapy can create unexpected openings. The combination of horses, nature, and therapeutic guidance can unlock parts of you that traditional talk therapy may not reach.
The show ring taught me discipline and technique. But it’s the quiet moments in the healing arena, when a client exhales deeply for the first time in weeks or sees their own strength reflected in a horse’s calm presence, that remind me why this work matters.
Begin Your Equine Therapy Journey in Boulder Today
Healing is personal. Whether you’re drawn to horses by curiosity, longing, or even uncertainty, there’s wisdom waiting in these relationships. As someone who has moved from the structured world of competition into the freedom of healing work, I can tell you that sometimes our greatest struggles lead us to our deepest calling.
Ready to begin your journey?
Let’s connect and explore how equine assisted therapy in Boulder can support your healing path.
