Growing up in Richmond Hill in the 1960s, I was never too far away from the country. I had a passion for animals from as early as I can remember. My father used to take me to the dairy farm where he had previously worked during his summers while he was studying at the University of Toronto. These visits simply fostered my love of all things on the farm. The cats, the cows, but the horses caught my attention in a way that the other animals did not. It seemed that the horses had cast their spell, which has never waned in strength even decades later.

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Every Christmas and birthday I wished as hard as possible, but there was never a pony under the tree! I made it my mission to be involved with horses in some capacity. It has taken many years, but I believe I have finally found what I was looking for.

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I have many years of experience with horses and in the field of education. An Early Childhood Educator by trade, I continued my education and achieved my Masters in Early Childhood Studies (MAECS) and went on to have a career as a College/University Professor. It has always been my belief that children flourish in environments where they are free to express themselves. Both horses and children have the innate ability to communicate through body language and feel empathy towards others. With the horse as partner, individuals will thrive and grow in their understanding of their role in the “team”. Over the last few years, I have been working towards a certification in child/family therapy and have been working diligently to combine these various areas of study with the therapeutic qualities of horses.

 

Although I began my work with children, the work is branching out to youth, schools, families, and staff teambuilding. The basic premise remains the same; the horse teaches us about ourselves and how we can become better team members.can magnify an individual’s problem immediately and provide the facilitator with an opportunity to identify areas that may be creating barriers or difficulties in a team.