Our Philosophy

Lived Experience & Advocacy

Kate’s work as a Survivor Advocate is shaped by both formal education and lived experience in healing, resilience, and recovery. Her perspective is guided by navigating her own experiences with violence and trauma, and by the ongoing process of rebuilding trust and re-establishing personal agency - offering a deeply trauma-aware, consent-centered and safety-oriented lens to her facilitation.

This lived understanding informs the way sessions are held - with respect for pacing, autonomy, emotional boundaries, and the nervous system’s need for safety before growth. Kate is committed to creating spaces where clients feel seen, supported, and always in control.

Healing Hooves is grounded in the belief that emotional healing is not something done to people or given by others, but something that unfolds when the conditions are right…

with Safety, Presence, Attunement, and Choice.

A Gentle Reminder:

Healing Hooves offers educational, relational and emotional support through horse-guided sessions. These sessions are not psychotherapy or medical treatment and they are not intended to replace care from licensed medical or mental health professionals.

Our work is grounded in safety, consent and trauma-aware practice and is designed to compliment - never substitute - other forms of support participants may be receiving.

Our Team

Meet

Apple Jack

15.2 hh, 17 year old, Paint Gelding

AJ offers a calm, steady, and grounding presence. A seasoned former show horse, he brings emotional consistency, patience, and quiet reassurance into each interaction. Sessions with Apple Jack may explore safety, trust, emotional regulation, and rest; and are best suited for participants seeking emotional and/or physical grounding, nervous system calming, and gentle reconnection to oneself and/or others. AJ teaches us the art of pausing, granting us the opportunity for thoughtful response rather than immediate reaction.

Kate

Professional Therapeutic Facilitator

Survivor Advocate

Owner of Healing Hooves


Currently completing certifications in Equine Behavior & Management, as well as Animal-Assisted Interventions

Former Special Education and Early Childhood Teacher

Wife and Mom of 3

Yukon

17.2 hh, 9 year old, Percheron Gelding

Yukon offers a curious, expressive, and relational presence. A former carriage horse, this young draft breed is still developing his own regulation and finesse. He brings an honest, dynamic, and embodied learning process into each interaction. Sessions with Yukon may explore communication, boundaries, and shared awareness; and are best suited for participants hoping to develop confidence and leadership skills. Yukon teaches us the art of assertion without aggression.

What to Expect

Healing Hooves works with a small number of equine partners, each offering a distinct way of connecting. Sessions are thoughtfully paired, taking into account the participant’s intentions and preferences, the horse’s energy, and what feels supportive on the day of the session.