E116: Equine Therapy Turns Trauma into Triumph at Horse N Soul

What makes Pamela Venarre with Horse N Soul a good neighbor? 

Step into the arena with us and meet Pamela Venarre, founder of Horse N Soul, where equine-assisted therapy and riding lessons help people heal, lead, and rebuild confidence. Pamela shares how her own history of trauma led her to horses when talk therapy alone wasn’t enough, and how that turning point became a 20+ year mission to create a safe, non-judgmental sanctuary for growth. You’ll hear how gentle, structured work with calm, carefully selected horses teaches emotional regulation, boundaries, and leadership- often before anyone ever climbs into a saddle.

We explore two moving transformations that show the power of small, courageous acts. A teenage survivor, struggling with an eating disorder, found steadiness by grooming, touching, and learning to lead a horse that responded to her energy. With her therapist and parents engaged, that progress carried into daily life. 

A grieving widow, paralyzed by paperwork and fear, learned to pick up a horse’s hoof- and discovered she could lift heavy things outside the barn too. These stories anchor a conversation about why horses are such effective partners in trauma recovery: they’re non-judgmental, exquisitely sensitive to body language, and they mirror our inner state with honesty that’s firm but kind.

We also tackle common myths about safety and explain how Pamela builds sessions around trust, time, and clarity, from first touch to trail rides across 118 acres. Beyond the barn, Pamela’s heart for service, mission trips, and family shines through, fueling the compassion she brings to every client. If you’re curious about equine therapy, leadership training through groundwork, or the practical steps that help fear turn into forward motion, this conversation offers insight and hope.

Ready to learn more or share this story with someone who needs it? Listen now, subscribe for new episodes, and leave a quick review to help neighbors find local businesses making a real difference.

To learn more about Horse N Soul go to: 

https://horsensoul.com/

Horse N Soul

724-288-6088

Transcript

Meet Pamela From Horse And Soul

SPEAKER_00 0:00

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Lila Carter.

SPEAKER_01 0:12

Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Are you in need of equine therapy and riding lessons? Some might be closer than you think. Today I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, Pamela Veneri with Horse and Soul. Pamela, how's it going today?

SPEAKER_02 0:30

It is going well. Very well.

SPEAKER_01 0:33

Awesome. Thanks for being here. We're excited to learn all about you and your business. So please tell us more about your company.

SPEAKER_02 0:42

The company started in 2004, and it started so that I could start lessons and building the business. So ultimately, what I wanted to do was do the equine therapy. I've been certified with it, certified teacher. And it's been going on, well, it's going to be about 22 years this year that we've we've been uh moving ahead.

Personal Healing Through Equine Therapy

SPEAKER_01 1:08

Amazing. Excellent. And so, how did you initially get into the business of providing equine therapy and writing lessons?

SPEAKER_02 1:17

Well, you tell me when I need to stop because it's a long story. But when I was young, um I went through a divorce with my family, and there was um sexual abuse with me. And um I went to therapy, and really sitting behind a desk wasn't doing it for me. So a friend told me about equine therapy working with horses, and I'd always worked with horses anyway, so I thought, okay, well, I'm gonna give that a try. And it just opened a world, a blessing to be able to be healed from all that was going on.

unknown 2:00

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 2:01

And my idea was I gotta pass this on. The Lord wants me to pass this along. I want to help others.

SPEAKER_01 2:10

Yeah, I just got chills. I think that you're truly in the right spot to be helping people. Thank you so much for what you do.

SPEAKER_02 2:20

Thank you. Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 2:24

So as you're helping people through these different struggles and everything, and really able to relate to them, um, I'm sure that your whole world has opened up and seeing people transform through these experiences. Um, would you like to share any story that might stand out?

SPEAKER_02 2:45

Well, let me I'll share one. Oh, I can share a couple, but I can't mention any names. But I have um a young girl that um was sexually abused and had a major eating disorder. And she came to stay uh to work with me for a long time. And the idea behind it was she just was amazed at how the horse, touching the horse, moving the horse, um, being with, I mean, she hugged him all the time, all the time. And it was a transformation like I never saw. So keeping in contact with her sitting-down therapist and her parents, um, they kept me updated on how things were working. But um, she was she walked out a different young lady. And that's a hard thing to overcome, is sexual abuse, very hard. And I have a few right now that I'm working with. But one of the other ones that I want to share is an older woman that lost her husband, and she had no idea how to take care of her um all the all the bills and everything that he left behind. And so she thought, well, maybe this equine therapy can help me. So she was working, and uh, by the way, the horse is very big, and the way people approach a horse is the way they approach the big things in life that are scary. And so the way it works is you approach it, you see how it's approached, and then you work through it. So this woman, she um was a little standoffish with horse, big horse. And we started working for a while. It was it was great to watch her just I don't know another word, but you know, heal from the loss of her husband. But what really did it was the day I told her or asked her, I want you to pick up the horse's foot and pick it. And she was scared to death to do it, but she did it and she walked out of there like she had just gotten the world off her shoulders because she did something that she never thought she could do is pick up something big and start moving on. And it helped her to start taking control of things that were head home that were worrying her. So those are the two major stories that you know um that help everybody because it's older people and not just kids.

Why Horses Heal And Common Myths

SPEAKER_01 5:26

Absolutely. Yeah, I think most people can benefit from this kind of therapy just because of how empathetic the horses are, and they can understand emotions sometimes better than people can. Um so are there any myths or maybe misconceptions in this industry that you'd like to talk about today?

SPEAKER_02 5:50

Um, well, really, I think most people are worried about being around a horse because they're worried that they're gonna get hurt. And um, it depends on the place that you're at. But being able to um find horses on my own that will work with this business is the most important. So the myth that you're gonna get hurt, well, yeah, you could get hurt by anybody. You could get hurt by crossing the road and getting hit by a car. But in some cases, or in most cases here at the farm, um, I allow them to take their time, just take their time, touch the horse, brush the horse, see how you feel about that. I even take them by the hand to touch the horse and brush the horse. And um, so the fear is gone. But I think the biggest myth is people need to be or think they should be afraid of the horse because he's so big. You really don't. And by the way, horses are very non-judgmental. They have no no judgment.

SPEAKER_01 7:01

Yeah, and they're like trauma-informed beings too. They understand whenever someone's a little bit more scared, and I think they just respond in the way that a gentle giant would, you know?

SPEAKER_02 7:14

Yeah.

Marketing, Referrals, And Heart

SPEAKER_01 7:15

Very sweet. So as we think of marketing as the heart of any business, how are you currently reaching your target customers and attracting them to the business?

SPEAKER_02 7:28

Most of them for years, and I I don't think I've advertised anything except maybe a little bit on Facebook. They they read about us on Facebook, but it has always been through referrals, always been through referrals. People, you know, if they if they walk away loving what they've gotten done or what they did, they they spread the news. I've never had yeah, I've never had anything on Facebook or YouTube or anything like that. And I I never really thought about it, to tell you the truth, because I get so busy. I I it's like I can't do it all. So when you gave me this opportunity, which by the way, thank you very much. Um, this was just a great way so that people could see my heart, that I do know what it means to need equine therapy. That was the biggest draw. So if I can market that, if I can help them to see that I am a person that has gone through the same thing as they have, I think that's what brings them in.

Life Beyond The Barn And Family

SPEAKER_01 8:32

Absolutely. So, as we're thinking about how much there is to learn about the benefits of equine therapy and the different kinds of lessons that you guys offer from jumping and showing to trail rides. Have you ever thought about maybe doing your own podcast to help inform people and get the word out?

SPEAKER_02 8:55

If you want to teach me, I would love it. I've never done it. No, I've never done it. I've had friends tell me I should do it, but oh, it would be excellent.

SPEAKER_01 9:09

Yeah, it I think it's a misconception that it takes a lot of time and energy, but we could certainly help. So outside of work though, Pamela, what do you do for fun? What do I do for fun?

SPEAKER_02 9:21

I love to go on um two missions trips. I just recently went to Panama to be with um uh the poverty-stricken kids from ages seven to twelve to be able to put on a vacation Bible school and help these kids to learn. And to me, that is one of my favorite things to do. I love to do that. I love to be with my family. I have eight grandchildren and I spend time with every one of them. Um, that's my next favorite thing. Uh, I love to go on trips with my husband. Um, he doesn't like the beach. I do, but he goes just to help, just to give me that little bit of okay, hon, we'll do it. But those are the things I loved, I love to do.

SPEAKER_01 10:14

Oh, that's such a sweet mission that you get to go down there to Panama. And I just love that you get to spend all the time with your grandkids. Are they also interested in the horses as well?

What Horse And Soul Stands For

SPEAKER_02 10:27

Yes, my two oldest granddaughters are into horseback riding, actually. My oldest granddaughter teaches for me now, and then I have the boys, they come out and they every one of them helps around the farm because I have I have 118 acres, and by the way, I do have acres that you can trail ride on. Um, but they they help take care of cutting the grass and all that kind of stuff. They just love to do that.

SPEAKER_01 10:53

I love that it's a family effort that's so special.

SPEAKER_02 10:57

It is, it is.

SPEAKER_01 10:58

So, Pamela, please tell our listeners one thing that they should remember about horse and soul.

How To Learn More And Closing

SPEAKER_02 11:08

Oh, let's see. Horse and soul is there to help teach leadership skills, life skills, really, and do it without judgment. Um, families do not have to worry about um people telling them they're doing something, you know, wrong or anything like that. We build them up when they come out of that arena. My first thought is okay, before you leave this arena, I want to hear what you did well today. I want you to, that's what I want you to leave with. So I want them to know that they're coming to a place where people truly care about them and will not let anything harm them in any way.

SPEAKER_01 11:56

That environment of support that you offer people is indispensable and truly priceless to the people who especially are suffering from different things in their life. Yes, and I just know that whenever they come there, it's like a sanctuary for them. Just by talking to you, I can feel that energy. Yeah. So, how can our listeners learn more about horse and soul?

SPEAKER_02 12:24

How can people learn more? I have a website. You can um look under um horse and soul www.horseandssoul.com. Um, it'll give you the whole story of it shows you where we are. And then there's a link that you can push on that talks about the equine therapy and how that all works. So just one place will get you every place.

SPEAKER_01 12:50

Excellent. Yeah, that's horse and then the letter n soul.com, just for our listeners who know that it's not typed out A N D, it's just the letter N. Um, and well, Pamela, we very much appreciate you being on this show today. Thank you so much for all of your efforts towards helping our community with equine therapy and writing lessons, and we wish you and your business the very best moving forward.

SPEAKER_02 13:20

Thank you so much. Again, thank you for inviting me to do this on Good Neighbor.

SPEAKER_00 13:27

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnppittsburgh.com. That's gnppittsburgh.com or call 412 561 9956.