My story
The short story:
I have been a Hoof Care Practitioner since 2011 and am a certified Practitioner, Mentor and Clinician with the Progressive Hoof Care Practitioners (progressivehoofcare.org). Since I began this journey, I have gained a depth of experience in the field, combined with ongoing education in hoof care, nutrition, biomechanics, bodywork, and holistic horse health through mentorships, webinars, clinics, and conferences.
My intention is to advocate for horses by educating and empowering horse owners in Whole Health Hoof Care: An approach to trimming that emphasizes that healthy hooves are a result of proper nutrition, an active lifestyle, and frequent, non-invasive trimming.
The long story:
Horses have been my passion from a very young age, and I was fortunate enough to live in a rural area where horses were aplenty and to have parents who supported my obsession. At age 4, I started riding a Welsh pony named Mystic Buttercup who was owned by a teenager who lived nearby. On my 6th birthday, Buttercup was walked to my house for pony rides and was then gifted to me at the end of the day. Words cannot describe my gratitude for Buttercup's presence in my life and the time we spent together. She lived a healthy life until the age of 32.
When I was 8, Ann Ramage and Jim Morgan, both accomplished equestrians, moved to a stable in our area and I began formal riding lessons and showing. When I was 12, Ann and Jim sanctioned our purchase of a 7-year-old appendix Quarter Horse, Dox Leo Sox (Arnie). Arnie's energetic temperament and amazing jumping abilities improved my riding abilities and we came together as a team and did well in equitation, hunter/jumpers, and 3-day eventing. He suffered a coffin bone fracture that ended our showing career, but we were a trail riding pair until his death at 28 yo in 2012.
As many horse lovers can relate, I wanted to become a veterinarian from a young age. I began volunteering for a local vet when I was 12 and then worked for several veterinarians during high school and college. When I was a teenager, close family friends encouraged me to re-consider the vet career path, and long story short I decided to change my plans.
I decided to pursue architecture and so for the first 3 years of college I attended Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo for architectural studies. Upon realizing that a desk job may not be the right decision for me, I decided to study abroad in Australia for a year to gain life experience and expand my horizons. There I studied environmental science and naturopathy. During my year abroad I also traveled to remote villages in Papua New Guinea and Fiji, which changed my perspective tremendously. I also travelled solo throughout much of Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand, hitchhiking and working as a WWOOFer (Willing Worker on Organic Farms).
After returning home to the U.S. I attended Chico State, where I met my husband, John. I graduated with a degree in Geography and Planning, with a minor in the Geosciences, and in 2004, after both graduating, John and I moved to the small town of Quincy where we have raised our family (Bodhi and Tara) and lived since.
After Arnie passed in late 2012, I didn't go long (spring 2013) before welcoming Brynja, an Icelandic cross mare, into our family. At this point I was working as a hoof care practitioner, so it wasn't hard to find horses who were in need of a home. Sam, a quarter horse gelding from a rescue, came next. They both lived on a small track system here on our property, and I rode and hiked in the woods with them as much as possible. I tragically lost Sam and Brynja on September 2, 2023. It’s a long story that ended in Brynja colicing, and since Sam was elderly and very attached to her, I let them go together. I am horse-less for the first time since I was 6 years old and am taking this time to continue serving the hundreds of horses that I trim, support our kids through high school and college, and expand my reach by advocating for horses through teaching clinics. I look forward to improving my horse track system and working on our beautiful property before welcoming more horses in the future.
I am also an herbalist and gardener, and co-founder of the Wild Mountain Herbal Collective. The Naturopathy program at Southern Cross University in Australia introduced me to medicinal herbs, and when I became a mother in 2004, I began growing herbs and making my own medicine. I love to share this passion, as it is incredibly empowering to practice this craft. I’m also deepening my study of using herbs for horse health, and look forward to sharing this knowledge in my clinics.