About Me

My friends say I put the dog in ‘dog’ person. My mom says my first words weren’t mama or dada but doggy doggy.

I’m wired like that. At 17 if I had a clue that I would have been able to grow the emotional resources it would take to be a veterinarian I would have gone that route. But I didn’t and so I didn’t and instead I went to engineering school because I liked math. Who knew that liking math did not necessarily mean I would like being an engineer.

Any of you relate to that? ‘Becoming something’ and then not enjoying it too much? Then what? Well I stuck with it (engineering) because that’s what people do or did, anyway I did.

When I was a lot older, around 40 or so, I surprised myself with how quickly I answered a question I read in a magazine. The question was, “If I found out I was going to die in a week, what would I regret I hadn’t done in my life?”

Kaboom! the answer was there and surprised me a bunch. what would I regret? “I never had a horse.” I don’t mean I never learned to ride a horse. I meant I never had a relationship with a horse – a friendship, a bond, a partnership. Huh? Who’da thunk that was hiding in there all that time?

Like a lot of kids, especially girls, growing up I wanted a horse but also like a most girls it wasn’t in the cards. I guess I’d just tucked away that dream. Now the cat was out of the bag, or the horse was out of the pasture so to speak, but based on the way I was back then I figured the only way I’d ever get to have that dream was if I saved enough money and some day way off in the future I’d be able to adopt a horse… if I could afford it (and if other people approved of it… but that’s another story).  

I’ll give you a hint because I don’t want you to die of suspense or anything, but my dream is coming true a whole lot sooner, and not in the straight-jacket way I figured it would have to be.

I said I didn’t love being an engineer, so right off during my first year I started trying to figure out what to do instead – that’s what engineers do – ‘figure stuff out’ – but I didn’t know I needed to listen to my heart and not my head. I spent a lot of years and took detours and wrong turns. I kept looking externally for the answers. The day I started looking internally was the ‘first day of the rest of my life’ (does that sound like a commercial? it is – it’s a 60s-era slogan for a rehab program). I didn’t need drug rehab but I sure as heck needed rehab… I undertook rehabbing what I think, how I think, what I do with how I feel, and how I make decisions (letting my heart in on the action, instead of my formerly almighty mind).  

And so on… and so on… there’s a whole ton of ways to take on personal development and I bet if you’re reading this you’ve tried some. But did you know there is also… wait for it… equine partnered coaching? Ta da. Eventually I got coached by a caring human, Julie D., and her two brilliant equine coaches, Tahoe and Sky.

Horses are great teachers for humans. They don’t have any ego about it. They just hold up a mirror with their horsie ways and give you feedback. They don’t get all judgy about it. They don’t care if you take it or leave it. They just go back to grazing.

Then I got coached by a bunch more awesome humans and brilliant equines so I could learn how to do this equine partnered stuff myself. My dream of growing a relationship with my very own horse is coming true. That fabulous human, Julie D., gifted me Sky, and now I get to work with him every day. I always loved taking my beloved doggy doggy to work. Now I get to take my horse to work, too.