Some interviews just make you smile the whole way through. This was one of them.
I had the absolute pleasure of working with Kathy during her three-day training in Salisbury, Massachusetts, and I swear she is in my top five funniest humans of all time. She thinks it, she says it, and it is always a good one. But behind the humour is something even better. Kathy is the real deal.
Kathy has spent over four decades in education. She is currently a principal in Vermont and has done it all. Classroom teacher, tech integration specialist, special education administrator, assistant principal, principal. And now, she is a certified Equine Assisted Learning Facilitator through Equine Connection. She has always loved kids, always loved horses, and now she gets to put the two together in a way that creates something she calls pure magic.
And honestly, she is not wrong.
Horses, Kids, and That “Barn Driveway” Feeling
Kathy grew up on a 500-acre farm and has been an equestrian her whole life. Horses have always been her reset button. She shared that her barn driveway is before her house, and on a hard day, she turns into the barn first. Her husband knows exactly what kind of day she had based on where she pulls in.
That is the thing about horses. They do not ask for a performance. They do not care about your title. They do not need you to be polished. They just meet you where you are.
Kathy also loves kids because they are honest, hilarious, and unfiltered. She said it perfectly: when you put a horse and a child together, you get magic. That is where this whole journey started for her, and it was sparked by Heidi, who opened Kathy’s eyes to what Equine Assisted Learning could look like in real life.
The Lesson That Changed Everything
“Stop talking.”
When we started talking about training, Kathy brought up a moment that made me laugh, because it is so real for facilitators.
She said the big lesson for her was: stop talking.
Not because we do not want connection or conversation, but because in Equine Assisted Learning, the learning is not something we deliver. It is something we facilitate. And the second we over-talk, we start stealing the moment from the participant. We start feeding them answers instead of letting them find their own truth.
Kathy admitted she was clunky at first, like we all are. She talked too much, tried to help too much, and wanted to tell people what it meant. She even joked that she would hear my voice in her head saying, no, you cannot just tell them. Let them get there.
And then something clicked.
When she stopped filling the space, it became natural. She was not dispensing information. She was facilitating learning. And she got to watch things blossom in real time.
That is when the fun really started.
Officer Unicorn and the Red Light Green Light Program
Kathy shared one of her most recent sessions and it was so good I could picture the whole thing like a movie.
She ran Red Light Green Light with two teams, two people per horse. Her co-facilitator held up red and green cards. Kathy was Officer Unicorn. Of course she was. Kathy believes horses are basically unicorns, so she went all in and became Officer Unicorn with tickets to hand out.
They were ticketing for two things:
- ignoring red lights
- speeding
Then they came to the scene of a hit and run. A teddy bear was down.
One team included an EMT, and the second they reached the “victim,” he went straight into full emergency mode. Checking for injuries. Calling out instructions. Doing compressions. Meanwhile his teammate grabbed a flip phone and called 911, calmly stating that the victim was alive but could not guarantee they would remain alive by the time they arrived.
Kathy was rolling on the ground laughing. Everyone was losing it.
But here is where the magic happened.
The other team yelled, “Hey, you just missed giving us a ticket.”
And suddenly the whole session pivoted into one of the best conversations you can possibly have:
Did you lose focus, or did your focus change
What do you prioritize when things get intense
How do you stay clear when emotions spike
Then one team tried to dodge responsibility with, “It is not my fault, my horse would not stop.”
So Officer Unicorn turned into Mechanic Unicorn and said, sounds like defective equipment. Let’s check those brakes.
And just like that, the conversation moved into leadership, intention, energy, communication, and what it takes to stop and start with clarity. Not because Kathy lectured them, but because she used the moment and let the learning happen.
That is what great facilitating looks like.
The Secret Ingredient
Fun is not fluff. Fun is the glue.
Kathy said something that every facilitator needs tattooed on their brain.
If you want people to remember this, make it a blast.
Because what do humans remember
Something horrible
Or something that lit them up
She wants her clients laughing, engaged, and fully in it. That is not just because it feels good. It is because it sticks. The learning lands deeper when people are present, relaxed, and connected.
She told me someone once said, “You are having way too much fun.”
And her response was basically, yes, that is the point.
Kids Carry It Home Without You Even Trying
One of the most powerful parts of Kathy’s work is that she sees the impact beyond the arena.
She sets an objective, communication, focus, leadership, emotional regulation, and then the kids carry that objective through the week with counselors, teachers, and at home.
And the best part
She does not have to teach the parents anything.
The kids go home and tell them.
Parents start hearing phrases like:
Are you giving away your power
What is your focus today
Kathy said hearing kids use the language of self-awareness and boundaries outside of sessions is worth a million dollars. That is how you know it landed.
The Horse Human Parallel That Changes Everything
Kathy uses simple parallels that kids instantly understand.
Horses pin their ears when upset. Humans do not. So how do we know when someone is upset
What does body language tell us
How do we communicate without escalating
She also talked about kids learning to read horses so well they become more mindful with people. They learn to regulate themselves because the horse requires it. They learn to stay calm because the horse reflects them. They learn to negotiate and problem solve because the horse will not cooperate with chaos.
And when a kid can say, “Right now I need negotiation,” you know you are building life skills, not just running an activity.
The Feel Good Story That Got Me
Kathy talked about middle school kids, and if you have ever been a middle school kid, or raised one, you know how hard that social ladder can be.
She has students who come back and say things like:
I moved up the social ladder
I can communicate clearly now
I can keep my power
I feel like I have leadership skills
She described kids leading a 1,200-pound horse through obstacles with no rope, no halter, no force, just presence, clarity, and intention.
And then she shared a moment that hit both sides of our mission.
A student who rides and competes came to her and said, “I know how to listen to my horse now. I know what my horse says.”
And in that moment, it was not just a child learning. It was a horse finally being heard.
That is the work. Helping humans, helping horses, changing the way people see partnership.
What Kathy Would Tell Every Facilitator
Her advice was simple and honestly perfect.
Have fun. Laugh. Play.
People gravitate toward happy people, and if you share one powerful experience with someone, they will tell thousands. It does not have to be perfect. It will not be perfect. But if you can grab the teachable moments, the ones where something real is happening, and guide it into learning, you will change lives.
She said it best.
Do it. Do it now.
Final Thought
This interview was a reminder of what is possible when you follow the structure, trust the horse, and stop trying to be perfect.
Kathy is proof that you can bring your background, your personality, your humour, and your real-life experience into Equine Assisted Learning and make it work. In fact, that is what makes it work.
And if you are reading this thinking, I want that. I want to do that with my horses. I want to create that kind of change.
You can.
Just remember the first rule.
Stop talking. Let the magic start.