I was born in Holland to an English mother and Dutch father. After the family moved to England, when I was 3 years old, I spent my growing up years living in the country on the family Rose Nursery.
As long as I can remember, I have loved horses. The family didn't share my enthusiasm, after all no-one in the family's known history had ever expressed an interest in horses!!! So, I wasn't taken very seriously. Although the grounds at the nursery had an original stone stable, a horse of mine never lived there. So, to get my horse 'fix' I rode my bicycle to a local village to clean stalls in exchange for a horse to ride. I also befriended girls in the village who had horses. It wasn't until I moved to America as an adult that I owned my first horse.
For several years I trained and showed young horses at halter. Later I managed a small breeding program where I raised American Quarter Horses.
It wasn't until 2009 that I was introduced to Therapeutic Riding and later that year to Equine Assisted Psycotherapy and Learning. I participated for a year as a volunteer and then decided to pursue certification with the EAGALA program.
I have now completed my Equine Specialist certification.