Seasoned psychotherapist Carol Odell's memoir “Girl, Groomed: A Therapist’s Memoir of Trauma” (She Writes Press, April 22, 2025) is an unflinching exploration of her journey to confront and heal from the complex trauma of childhood sexual abuse within the world of Virginia’s equestrian show-jumping circuit. Carol shares with us the impactful ways that horses helped her heal, including her unique experience in an equine-assisted therapy program.
57. Polyvagal Theory: The Science of Feelings Safe & Equine Connection: https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/sCq6DZecuSb
Connect with Carol Odell and get her book, “Girl Groomed: A Therapist’s Memoir of Trauma” at www.carolodellmsw.com
This episode is proudly sponsored by Freedom Rider: https://freedomrider.com/
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Part of managing our horses physical and mental health during lessons is making sure our participants are prepared for their next jump in horsemanship. Let’s talk about when to introduce the bit and bridle! How do we stay fair to our horses while helping our participants improve their independence? Expect to hear:
NEW Mini Course Launching May 1st! Equine Welfare: Sustainability & Success - learn more and register now here: https://hetrauniversity.mykajabi.com/EASEquineWelfareMiniCourse
Get the Level 2 Participant Skill checklist with a subscription to Patreon, learn more here: patreon.com/notjustaponyride
This episode is proudly sponsored by Freedom Rider: https://freedomrider.com/
Follow us on social and plug in here: https://hetrauniversity.mykajabi.com/HETRAUniversityLinks
In this episode, we dive into the world of fidgets — what they are, why people use them, and how they can support focus, regulation, and sensory needs. Our current occupational therapy student, Abi Cross from Creighton University is here to chat with us about the special considerations to using fidgets in the world of equine-assisted services.
Tune in to learn:
Get the educational handout, “Utilizing Fidgets in EAS” here: patreon.com/notjustaponyride
Want more education on working with participants who are neurodivergent? Get up to 5 DE CEU’s with our mini course! Learn more here: https://hetrauniversity.mykajabi.com/NeurodivergentEducation
This episode is proudly sponsored by Freedom Rider: https://freedomrider.com/
Follow us on social and plug in here: https://hetrauniversity.mykajabi.com/HETRAUniversityLinks
We all have a Steady Eddy in our barn. We love them and hate to retire them, but what happens when we need to? What happens if we have a horse who just isn’t a great fit? Shelby is here to talk to us about options and how to plan for success when we retire a herd member.
Register for the LIVE Webinar: Evaluation and Intake of EAS Horses: https://hetrauniversity.mykajabi.com/offers/cKHMk8id
This episode is proudly sponsored by Jonathan Killian of Killian Insurance: www.farmequineinsurance.com
Follow us on social and plug in here: https://hetrauniversity.mykajabi.com/HETRAUniversityLinks
Amanda Bubb is on the show to talk with us about all things Interactive Vaulting! One of the things she loves is that vaulting is that it is a great way to diversify programming for EAS centers while being incredibly resource friendly! Expect to hear all of the nuts and bolts about interactive vaulting including:
Amanda has worked in the EAS industry for over 20 years and holds many certifications. She is a PATH Intl. CTRI, ESMHL, Interactive Vaulting Instructor, and Therapeutic Driving Instructor Level 1 at Reins of Life Inc, a PATH Intl. Premier Accredited Center. She is also an Equestrian Vaulting USA Coach, a PATH Intl. Mentor, PATH Intl. Interactive Vaulting Certification Faculty, and Associate Site Visitor. Additionally, she is a CHA Level 4 Equine Facility Manager and Assistant Certifier and serves as an Adjunct Instructor in the Equine Department at a College.
Connect with Amanda and learn more about Reins of Life at www.reinsoflife.org
Attend the vaulting workshop June 16-20, 2025 at Reins of Life! https://www.reinsoflife.org/path-intl-vaulting-workshop
This episode is proudly sponsored by Jonathan Killian of Killian Insurance: www.farmequineinsurance.com
Follow us on social and plug in here: https://hetrauniversity.mykajabi.com/HETRAUniversityLinks
We just got back from PATH Intl. Region 6 Conference in White Bear Lake, MN (shout out to the River Valley Riders for hosting a great event). During Shelby Schult’s presentation on Equine Strategic Planning, there were a lot of questions around Equine Lease Agreements and how HETRA utilizes leases to bring horses into our programs. It was such good discussion that we thought, let’s bring it to the show!
Expect to hear today:
Please note lease agreements are a legal document that should be edited to fit your needs and reviewed by your own personal legal team. Specific state laws and regulations may apply. Access to HETRA’s Equine Lease Agreement here: patreon.com/notjustaponyride
This episode is proudly sponsored by Jonathan Killian of Killian Insurance: www.farmequineinsurance.com
Follow us on social and plug in here: https://hetrauniversity.mykajabi.com/HETRAUniversityLinks
HETRA University was busy flying around the country for education this last weekend! Shelby Schult took a team to Main Stay Therapeutic Riding in Richmond, Illinois for PATH Intl. Region 7 Conference and Kaiti Otte and Edye Godden took a team to San Antonio, Texas for the Horses and Humans Research Foundation. We all took so much away from our time spent with these organizations and we’re talking about the themes today!
Highlights from Region 7: Leadership in EAS
Highlights from HHRF
Get all the details and to register for the Equine Welfare Workshop here: https://hetra.org/education/pre-conference-hetra-university-live.html
This episode is proudly sponsored by Jonathan Killian of Killian Insurance: www.farmequineinsurance.com
Follow us on social and plug in here: https://hetrauniversity.mykajabi.com/HETRAUniversityLinks
So much great information we had to split it up! Don’t forget to listen to PART ONE #112 to get the first part of her valuable insight! In PART TWO of this two part episode, hear Amy Causey tell us all about therapeutic Carriage Driving. Amy is such a WEALTH of knowledge for the EAS field- fun fact, she holds all the certifications that are currently offered by PATH Intl. including, Certified Master Instructor, Interactive Vaulting Instructor, Therapeutic Driving Instructor and an Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning!
In this episode expect to hear:
Amy Causey is currently the Director of Program Quality & Development at Equest Therapeutic Horsemanship in Dallas, TX. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Equine Science from Colorado State University and ran her own horse training business prior to entering the therapeutic riding industry. Amy is a United States Equestrian Federation licensed judge in the Arabian, hunter, jumper, and hunt seat equitation divisions and enjoys officiating as well as coaching riders at horse shows.
Get in touch with Amy and for more from Equest at www.equest.org
Get in on the FREE lunch and learn to learn more about Equine Welfare Programs here: https://hetrauniversity.mykajabi.com/pl/2148644161
This episode is proudly sponsored by Jonathan Killian of Killian Insurance: www.farmequineinsurance.com
Follow us on social and plug in here: https://hetrauniversity.mykajabi.com/HETRAUniversityLinks
PART ONE
So much great information we had to split it up! In PART ONE of this two part episode, hear Amy Causey tell us all about therapeutic Carriage Driving. Amy is such a WEALTH of knowledge for the EAS field- fun fact, she holds all the certifications that are currently offered by PATH Intl. including, Certified Master Instructor, Interactive Vaulting Instructor, Therapeutic Driving Instructor and an Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning!
In this episode expect to hear:
TUNE IN NEXT WEEK to hear:
Amy Causey is currently the Director of Program Quality & Development at Equest Therapeutic Horsemanship in Dallas, TX. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Equine Science from Colorado State University and ran her own horse training business prior to entering the therapeutic riding industry. Amy is a United States Equestrian Federation licensed judge in the Arabian, hunter, jumper, and hunt seat equitation divisions and enjoys officiating as well as coaching riders at horse shows.
Get in touch with Amy and for more from Equest at www.equest.org
Get the first 100 episodes categorized here!: https://hetrauniversity.mykajabi.com/TheFirst100
Get all the details and to register for the Equine Welfare Workshop here: https://hetra.org/education/pre-conference-hetra-university-live.html
This episode is proudly sponsored by Jonathan Killian of Killian Insurance: www.farmequineinsurance.com
Follow us on social and plug in here: https://hetrauniversity.mykajabi.com/HETRAUniversityLinks
Shelby and Kaiti are talking about tack room essentials including what kind of equipment is in HETRA’s tack room as well as how we stay organized when prepping our horses for over 150 sessions per week! Expect to hear
Types of “tack accessories” and adaptive equipment in our tack room Why we dismantle our saddles after each use How we organize our tack using a specific labeling system How we make it easy for our “new to tacking” volunteers to learn How we improve efficiency for sessions with organizationWatch the Tack Room Tour over on our HETRA University FB page! www.facebook.com/HETRAUniversity
Gel-Eze leg wraps for help with saddle and participant slippage: https://www.chewy.com/equine-management-gel-eze-under/dp/937206
Black Bar from Freedom Rider: https://freedomrider.com/product/handle-bar/
“Cord Wraps” to label halters/bridles: https://a.co/d/1mNYhG5
“Key Tags” we use to label saddles: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B013T0RZC8?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_DGN92C0SA8H3Z7377VB4&skipTwisterOG=1&newOGT=1
Get all the details and to register for the Equine Welfare Workshop here: https://hetra.org/education/pre-conference-hetra-university-live.html
This episode is proudly sponsored by Jonathan Killian of Killian Insurance: www.farmequineinsurance.com
Follow us on social and plug in here: https://hetrauniversity.mykajabi.com/HETRAUniversityLinks
HETRA’s volunteer coordinator, Noah Bevington, is here to share his tips and tricks for keeping the chaos organized when it comes to scheduling our volunteers! He shares tips and tricks on:
Learn how to streamline your scheduling process in Salesforce with the help of Equiforce: https://www.equi-force.com/
Get access to examples of our volunteer absence form, volunteer paperwork and our sign-up genius over at Patreon: www.patreon.com/notjustaponyride
Get all the details and to register for the Equine Welfare Workshop here: https://hetra.org/education/pre-conference-hetra-university-live.html
Follow us on social and plug in here: https://hetrauniversity.mykajabi.com/HETRAUniversityLinks
Erin is a lifelong horse woman and very accomplished professional in the equine and EAS world. She is sharing her advice for folks on their journey to becoming involved!
Dr. Erin Cardea is the Dean of Equestrian Studies and the Equine-Assisted Services instructor at William Woods University in Fulton, MO. She is a Master Instructor, Certifier, and Lead Site Visitor for the Certified Horsemanship Association and is an Advanced Therapeutic Riding Instructor with PATH International. She also holds qualifications with the British Horse Society and the German National Equestrian Federation.
Get connected with Dr. Cardea and William Woods at www.williamwoods.edu/eqs
Get all the details and to register for the Equine Welfare Workshop here: https://hetra.org/education/pre-conference-hetra-university-live.html
Follow us on social and plug in here: https://hetrauniversity.mykajabi.com/HETRAUniversityLinks
An oldie but a goodie podcast! If you didn't catch this episode the first time around, listen in now! Kaiti is shedding light on the #2 diagnosis served by the EAS industry, ADHD. We're also highlighting our new mini course that is launching soon, "Unbridled Potential: Support for Neurodivergent Participants in EAS". Don't stop with this podcast, get more tips, tricks and activities with the course!
Get more information and to register for the course here: https://hetrauniversity.mykajabi.com/NeurodivergentEducation
Get all the details and to register for the Equine Welfare Workshop here: https://hetra.org/education/pre-conference-hetra-university-live.html
Follow us on social and plug in here: https://hetrauniversity.mykajabi.com/HETRAUniversityLinks
Lynn Thomas, Founder of ARCH and Lynn Moore, an ARCH professional share their passion for this association and how helpful the ARCH framework can be in helping their mental health clients go deeper, faster in the equine-assisted environment. Arenas for Change (ARCH) is a friendly, inclusive, supportive learning community, especially for therapists, transformational coaches, educators and equine professionals who are interested in applying story tools incorporating horses, other animals, and nature in their sessions, whether in an arena, an office, or online. They offer both a community membership as well as certification options for a variety of professionals in an accessible, affordable way.
Learn more about ARCH: https://arenasforchange.com/
Check out Lynn Moore’s center, Acres for Life: https://www.acresforlife.org/
Everyone has heard of the different “learning styles”, we may know what they are - auditory, visual and kinesthetic - but how do we actually apply that information? in this episode we discuss specific examples of how it applies to teaching participants in the arena and how using a combination of different styles can really help participants progress more quickly!
Get more information about the ‘Tap into Their Potential: Helping Participants who are Neurodivergent” mini course here. Enter your email now to stay in the know, course launches January 1st!
https://hetrauniversity.mykajabi.com/NeurodivergentEducation
Find your Learning Style: http://www.educationplanner.org/students/self-assessments/learning-styles
It takes a village for our centers to be successful, how are we thanking that village? Our board of directors, sponsors, donors, volunteers, staff… what makes them feel most appreciated for a year well done? Shelby Schult, our Program Director is here to help us brainstorm some authentic, personal options that are resource friendly for any center! Listen closely for a pop-in from our CEO, Edye Godden, for a deeper dive into thanking your board all year around!
Webinar + “Not Just a Pony Ride” Merchandise Gift Bundles: https://form.jotform.com/241286374104150
Get our list of Stay Interview Questions over at Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/notjustaponyride
We’re not talking about the kind of progress participants make from month to month or even week to week. We’re talking about within a single 30-45 minute session, how are you challenging your participants and upping the ante? Riding patterns every week without a SPECIFIC focus on skill progression is not enough. Giving participants opportunities to grow in confidence safely with their skills in each session is what we’re after, but how do we do that? Cassidy Fredrickson, OTR/L, PATH Intl. CTRI and Lead Instructor at HETRA is here to help us figure it all out.
All About Observation Weeks: Episode # 80
Goal Setting and Notes in Adaptive Riding Webinar: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/goalsettingnotewriting
Creating an Effective Lesson Plan Webinar: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/easlessonplan
We are doing a replay of a VERY popular episode, Season 2, Episode 40 of the show. At the time of this episode, Shelby Schult was our acting Equine Operations Manager, which she was for 8 years, but is now our program director here at HETRA. We are replaying this episode because number one it was a really popular listen but also we get a TON of questions on this topic through the show and when Shelby presents on Equine Welfare at conferences. As you know we are really passionate about that around here, so that is why we decided to take this conversation LIVE! We are doing 2.5 FULL days of equine welfare this coming March 14th -16th, 2025.
Get all the details and to register for the workshop here: https://hetra.org/education/pre-conference-hetra-university-live.html
Follow us on social and plug in here: https://hetrauniversity.mykajabi.com/HETRAUniversityLinks
This episode is proudly sponsored by Equiforce. https://www.equi-force.com/
2 Tips for going into episode 102… #1 it’s a little longer than our typical episodes, so be prepared fr that, but #2 it’s longer because it’s JUICY. There was too much good information to make it any shorter! Joe has such a fresh perspective on managing therapeutic riding centers. Joe Wappelhorst is the ED at SIRE and he was able to not only grow their organization SUBSTANTIALLY in a short amount of time, but also really position them in a sustainable spot that they did not have before he arrived. What’s unique about Joe is that he is not a grassroots horse person. While the passion for the services SIRE offers definitely shines through, he really specializes in the business side of being an ED. His perspective is super fresh and different from what is typical in the EAS industry… if you’re wondering if any of these tips will be worth it… I think his center success speaks for itself on that!
Expect to hear conversation on:
Equine Strategic Planning webinar: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/equinestrategicplanning
Register for the HETRA University Live Conference in Gretna, NE on March 13-15, 2025
https://hetra.org/education/pre-conference-hetra-university-live.html
Follow us on social and plug in here: https://hetrauniversity.mykajabi.com/HETRAUniversityLinks
This episode is proudly sponsored by Equiforce. https://www.equi-force.com/
Today we are gong to look at tone. Everyone has heard it… high tone, low tone, fluctuating tone, spasticity … what does all that even mean!? Spoiler alert it’s can be a little complicated and depending on the diagnoses can look very different from participant to participant. Today we are going to do our best to simplify it and break down the basic differences between hyper- and hypo-tonia and how both impact our participants in the saddle.
Register for the LIVE WEBINAR: Postural Corrections and Modifications for Adaptive Riding Participants, November 17th at 6:30 PM CT https://form.jotform.com/242204635686055
Get a more complex look at tone in Episode 53: Understanding Diagnoses in EAS: Cerebral Palsy https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/9dNNl17b6Nb
Register for the HETRA University Live Conference in Gretna, NE on March 13-15, 2025https://hetra.org/education/pre-conference-hetra-university-live.html
This episode is proudly sponsored by Equiforce. https://www.equi-force.com/
Reference from today’s episode: Ganguly J, Kulshreshtha D, Almotiri M, Jog M. Muscle Tone Physiology and Abnormalities. Toxins (Basel). 2021 Apr 16;13(4):282. doi: 10.3390/toxins13040282. PMID: 33923397; PMCID: PMC8071570.
