The Pegasus Journey

It all started with a chance encounter at a nonprofit fundraiser. A former student, Ann, approached me, excitement in her voice, as she shared her latest adventure—she had just purchased a small farm, brought home a couple of horses, and was about to embark on something unusual. She wanted to work with the horses to help people facing mental health challenges. Then she asked: Would I be interested in helping? I had just read The Tao of Equus by Linda Kohanov. This book explores the deep, intuitive connection between humans and horses and how horses can help humans develop emotional intelligence, self-awareness, and spiritual growth. So was I interested? Absolutely! Growing up with horses I intuitively understood even though, at the time, we didn’t even have a name this horse-human helping concept.

Ann asked me to serve on the board of directors for her nonprofit, Chaps Academy, but I quickly found myself drawn into the work itself, providing services and evaluation. Soon my daughters were volunteering and sometimes even my sons and husband! Early on we attended a training. I quickly realized that the method was cookbook and formulaic without a clear foundation. I knew that my research skills could provide the theoretical foundation to guide and enhance. I saw an opportunity to take it beyond therapy, focusing on leadership development and self-efficacy.

During a break, I lay on a hill, looking up at the sky mulling it over. In that moment—my eureka moment—a hawk soared overhead. Pegasus Leadership Consultants was born. That hawk, along with the original three Pegasus horses Joker, Princely and Ginger, became the models for the logo we still use today.

As I shifted toward leadership development and my own business, I remained with Chaps continuing to work in mental health. Those years of discussion and reflection following client sessions with Ann at Chaps and later with my horse handler daughters at Pegasus were invaluable in informing my thinking. As Chaps grew clinicians needed EAL training and Ann asked me to develop a certification program to train mental health staff. I did so intentionally in a generalist form. A process that could be adapted to many kinds of equine-assisted learning. Over the years, my professional journey has taken many forms—University Professor and Department Chair, nationally recognized researcher, licensed Professional Counselor in two states, clinical director, business owner—but the most profound lessons didn’t come from classrooms or clinical models. They came from the horses.

Since 2008, I have developed and refined The Pegasus Approach™, but it wasn’t built from textbooks alone. It was shaped by the deep, intuitive wisdom the horses revealed—about presence, connection, and the power of nonverbal communication. Much like Linda Kohanov describes in The Tao of Equus and what I remembered as a child with my own horses, I found myself experiencing something beyond the tangible. The horses became my teachers, offering insights into emotional depth, energy, and trust in ways no human ever could. They didn’t just help me understand leadership and self-efficacy—they helped me embody it. Through them, I learned to listen on a different level, to be fully present, and to recognize the unspoken wisdom that exists between horse and human.

As The Pegasus Approach™ grew, so did my commitment to understanding its impact. Participants were willing to complete pre- and post-session self-efficacy and other assessments and provided feedback, helping to shape and refine the approach over time. Their experiences, combined with my own research, reinforced what I had long believed—when we listen to horses, they show us new ways to lead, connect, and grow. Now, through The Pegasus Approach™, I share this knowledge—not by imposing rigid methods, but by guiding others to discover their own connection with horses, just as I did. Because at the heart of it all, I believe in horses, people, and possibilities.

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