08/21/2026
FAQ FRIDAY IS BACK 🖤
For the first one back, I thought I would start with a question that is a little more personal.
“What’s your why?”
My why started with my own horse.
Nearly seven years ago, I stepped into this industry because I wanted to learn how to better help my own personal horse standing before me. What began as a desire to understand and support one horse ultimately grew into something much bigger, and along the way, three individuals became the foundation of MDR.
M is Marquise.
Marquise became my lesson in Maintain. As he grew older and his needs changed, so did the way I supported him.
D is Duke.
Duke became Develop. He came to me carrying the residual effects of being treated poorly. Helping him move beyond those experiences taught me the importance of patience, trust, and meeting the individual where they are. Development is not always about moving forward faster. Sometimes, it is about creating the foundation that allows forward progress to happen at all.
R is R***r.
R***r needed something entirely different. He needed Restore. His needs pushed me to look deeper, learn more, ask more questions, and completely rethink how I approached supporting the individual in front of me.
Maintain • Develop • Restore.
Those were never simply three words chosen for a business. They represent three individuals who shaped the way I work, the way I learn, and ultimately the kind of practitioner I wanted to become.
Over nearly seven years, as my education, training, and experience have continued, my “why” has evolved too.
It grew to include the misunderstood horse. The senior horse. The horse receiving palliative care. The horse labeled difficult, reactive, or “untouchable.” The complicated ones. The ones carrying histories we may never fully understand. The ones whose behavior is communication rather than something to overcome. The ones who may never step into a show ring or earn a ribbon, but whose comfort and quality of life matter every bit as much.
That does not mean every horse I work with fits into one of those categories. I have the privilege of working with horses across disciplines, ages, levels of performance, and walks of life.
But they are the foundation of how I meet every horse.
Before the discipline, the performance goals, the expectations, or the labels, there is an individual standing in front of me who deserves to be listened to.
There is a genuine passion and love behind what I do, and my commitment to the horses and owners I work with extends far beyond a single session. Sometimes that means continuing my education, asking more questions, or collaborating with the rest of a horse’s care team. Sometimes it means recognizing that I am not the person they need and referring them to someone better suited to help.
Because the needs of the horse have to come first.
I did not step into this industry for clout, recognition, or to be known as the best. And frankly, I believe that when recognition becomes more important than the horse in front of you, you have lost sight of what this work is supposed to be about.
I stepped into it because I saw a population within the horse community that was deeply misunderstood and too often underserved. I wanted to serve those horses, and that purpose has only become stronger as I have continued to learn.
They are why I continue my education. They are why I keep asking questions. They are why, on the hard days and through the tough goodbyes, I keep pushing forward.
And underneath the education, modalities, credentials, and everything else, my why remains remarkably simple:
Every horse deserves to have a voice.
Every horse deserves to be heard.
And every horse deserves comfort and relief.
That is my why. 🖤
