More Than a Barn: Jennifer Wallace and the Heart Behind Hollybrook Farm

Episode Title: More Than a Barn: Jennifer Wallace and the Heart Behind Hollybrook Farm

Horses don’t just teach, they heal, empower, and transform lives, a truth Jennifer Wallace has witnessed firsthand throughout her decades in the equestrian world.

In this episode of Honestly Speaking, hosts Rachael Manners-Pratte and Chris Ann Sarrubbo sit down with Jennifer Wallace, owner of Hollybrook Farm, to discuss her 30-plus years in the equestrian world, her passion for teaching, and the vision that has transformed Hollybrook Farm into so much more than a riding lesson program.

Jennifer shares stories from her journey through dressage, horse training, judging, and mentoring, while giving listeners an inside look at the many programs offered at Hollybrook, including riding lessons, camps, Pathway Program, Equestrian 4-H, after-school programs, and beginner-friendly trail experiences.

The conversation also highlights the farm’s newest initiative, the Hollybrook Farm Pathways Program—an Equine Facilitated Learning program designed to support children with disabilities, including autism, sensory-friendly experiences, and military families. Jennifer explains how horses help build confidence, emotional awareness, communication skills, and self-regulation in ways that continue to amaze her.

One of the most touching parts of the episode focuses on several beloved former Seven Lakes Stables horses that have found a second home at Hollybrook Farm. Jennifer shares how these retired horses continue giving back to the community by teaching, comforting, and inspiring a new generation of riders and participants.

Filled with laughter and heartfelt stories, this episode celebrates the remarkable partnership between horses and humans and reminds us that every horse and every person has the potential for a meaningful next chapter.

Whether you’re a lifelong horse lover or simply curious about the healing power of these incredible animals, this is an episode you won’t want to miss.

Honestly Speaking – For Residents, By Residents of Seven Lakes when the truth matters.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome back to Honestly Speaking. Today we're talking horses, community, and the incredible impact one person can have when passion meets purpose. Joining us is Jennifer Wallace of Holybrook Farm. Jennifer brings more than 30 years of experience in the horse industry, including training, teaching, judging, competing, and mentoring riders of all ages. She's also become somewhat of a guardian angel for a number of horses that have found their way to Holybrooke Farm over the years, giving them a wonderful place to land and continue making a difference. Jen, we're glad to have you here. Thank you for having me.

SPEAKER_02 0:33

Welcome. I'm excited about this one especially because anytime I get to talk about horses and not something to do with the HOA, it's already a win. Absolutely. Jennifer, let's start with your story. Horses just don't become a career by accident. How did all of this begin?

SPEAKER_01 0:51

Um, I drove my parents crazy from the time I could speak about horses, and uh my parents were city folk and did not know what to do with me. So um they caught me going under the fence to the neighbors that had horses, and I would go play with uh the neighbors' horses, and then the neighbor took me in and taught me about horses, and then when I was five, my mom started taking me to riding lessons. Oh wow.

unknown 1:18

Wow.

SPEAKER_02 1:19

Now that's kind of how you get the bug. Yes, and then you grow up with it. Yeah, like at four years old, you were sneaking under the fence.

SPEAKER_01 1:26

Yeah, I was scaring the death out of my parents. I would go through the woods to go be with Izzy the Arabian and play with him. And um, his owner and I are still friends to this day. Oh, yes, and she she took me under her wing.

SPEAKER_02 1:39

Jen, who was your first horse?

SPEAKER_01 1:41

My first horse was um a Morgan Thunder, very shortly after I got um Doc, who was an Arabian. So, like within two months, I had two horses, and um it was a surprise for my 13th birthday. Oh yeah, it was very sweet.

SPEAKER_02 1:57

Your family finally invested in your hobby. Very much so, yes.

SPEAKER_01 2:00

My parents were very, very invested, and it was a real gift um that they were willing to do that.

SPEAKER_00 2:08

You've spent more than 30 years in the horse world. That's enough time to have seen every kind of horse rider and probably every kind of horse-related disaster imaginable.

SPEAKER_01 2:18

I'll be honest, you know, with horses, um, I would tell you that no. Um, there's so much to learn and see and do that there's not enough time in a lifetime to see all the things. Um, so you're never bored, and there's always something new, and unfortunately, um, you know, new disasters crop up too. Um, but yeah, I've seen a fair share.

SPEAKER_02 2:42

What has uh one lesson taught you, or the most impacting lesson that horses have taught you?

SPEAKER_01 2:50

You know, I think I'd have to say um it stems about control. Um horses are very honest and natural healers, and they make you realize very quickly that control is a false idea.

SPEAKER_02 3:07

Um Do you mean controlling the horse?

SPEAKER_01 3:09

Yes, and yourself, even you know, the control aspect that we all try to place upon our lives is um something that I think makes a lot of us miserable in the end. And you learn that the control is really just controlling yourself, and horses keep pointing you back to that. To become a better horse person, you have to learn to control yourself. Um your emotions, um, understand yourself better, um, and your intent.

SPEAKER_02 3:39

Well, I know that you've competed in dressage, I know you've trained horses, I know that um you've judged competitions and you work with riders at every level. Looking back at all of these accomplishments, is there one accomplishment that you look at that was the most defining for you or that you're the most proud of?

SPEAKER_01 3:58

That is such a tough question. Um, I think that there's a number of defining moments that I'm so appreciative of. I think my first horse that you brought up, you know, those two horses in my childhood were real defining moments. Um, you know, the first farm I owned and created, um, we're certainly learning lessons there. Um, and then, you know, even the stables more recently was a wonderful experience. Very proud of what we brought there. Um, and now to Holybrook, where we're really able to take the reins and move forward with community service and um education.

SPEAKER_02 4:39

That's fantastic.

SPEAKER_01 4:40

Tell us about Holybrook Farm. What's your what was your vision when you created it? So we had moved here during COVID, and um when I first saw the farm, I the word that came to mind was sanctuary, and I really had a feeling that I wanted to share my farm with others. Um, so that's kind of where the the foundation was. Um, and so I started thinking of programs that would reach the community and you know, started to get to know the community. Um and yeah, so it was really more of a project of, you know, what can we bring to people to have them learn about horses in a way that's more empathy-based versus um, you know, a lot of people have a mindset of using, like I I got to ride and you know, I used this horse in the program or whatever. I really wanted people to have more of a partnership empathy-based mindset.

SPEAKER_02 5:36

So it's you're it's to me what I'm hearing is you're op offering opportunities for a community and you're you're instilling this through the use of developing relationships with horses.

SPEAKER_01 5:49

Okay, yes.

SPEAKER_02 5:50

And so when people hear Hollybrook Farm, they have to understand this is not just a lesson barn.

SPEAKER_01 5:57

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 5:58

And along those lines, I don't know if people understand all of the programming that you offer, and I would just like to touch on that. Can you list some of the programs that you're offering right now, currently?

SPEAKER_01 6:09

Sure. Yeah, so besides lessons, we offer Pathways, which is equine facilitated learning programs. Um, we offer a helping hooves uh after school program for children. Uh we offer um you've got 4H going right. We got 4 H going, yeah, which goes year round. Yep, so that's uh bells and bows, 4-H. Um I saw that you can use trail riding? Yeah, we do trail riding through our programs. They don't offer it as an open-ended, it's for people to progress into. Um, we have people that do leasing that want to have more of a relationship with one horse. Um we invite therapists to come in and work with the horses and and people.

SPEAKER_00 7:00

And that that Chris Ann, because you had mentioned um Yeah, I love the opportunities for people who have never touched a horse before. Not everyone starts out dreaming of a Olympic dressage and you know, people just trying not to fall off. It's like me, hello.

SPEAKER_02 7:19

Well, speak for yourself, Chris Anne.

SPEAKER_00 7:20

I mean, no, I absolutely am. I absolutely am. I was on a horse 20 some odd years ago, and then I got on a horse at Jen's farm and I felt so comfortable. And before I was petrified.

SPEAKER_01 7:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 7:33

This was an adult camp, right? I did. It was about overcoming that fear. Yeah. I it was just really for myself.

SPEAKER_01 7:38

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 7:39

But you could just see what it does for other people too. And now I'm hooked. My husband brought me riding boots, uh, a hat, he brought me everything.

SPEAKER_02 7:49

What was your biggest takeaway from your adult camp experience at Holybrook?

SPEAKER_00 7:54

When I got on top of that horse, I rode Vulcan, who's like what, between 1400 and 1500 pounds?

SPEAKER_01 8:00

He's he's yeah, yeah, he's a big horse. I'd say he's probably 13.

SPEAKER_00 8:04

And I was a little intimidated when Brittany told me, Oh, you're gonna ride Vulcan, and I just kind of stood there for a second and said, Okay. And I got on that horse and I just kind of felt like my blood pressure dropped a little. I felt so comfortable and at ease on it.

SPEAKER_01 8:20

You're experiencing co-regulating.

SPEAKER_00 8:22

And I'm like, they're like silent therapists because that day I went home and I told my husband, I I have to do this. I have to, I have to take riding lessons. And then he says, Oh, I want to buy, why don't we buy a horse? And then he spoke to um a few husbands uh with you one day, and he we get went home and he said, No, we're not buying a horse. And I said, That's fine with me. I will go to Jen's farm and ride all different horses. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 8:51

You know, Jen, what I love is um when the horses land with you, regardless of their backstory, whether it's um a horse that's stepping down from a full-time lesson program or a horse that just needs a little extra time in evolving and learning. Your door is open. You manage every horse independently and uniquely. And for those who don't know what we're speaking about, like co-regulating, um, I really would like for you to touch on that because I want people to walk away with the main message um from Hollybrook Farm is that it's the relationship between horse and human. It's not about just getting on a horse. There's an actual relationship, an interpersonal relationship that I'd love for you to touch on.

SPEAKER_01 9:40

Yes. So we have a lot of um different types of horses at the farm. Some are, you know, as young as two, some are as old as, you know, 25 plus. And each of those horses bring beautiful gifts. Um, and they also bring, you know, a weakness to that, um, just like people walk through the door and they have their strengths and weaknesses. And we try to pair riders and ground people with the right horses to learn from. And, you know, some of these older horses they do require a lot of extra care, they require medications, they require less work or a very specific type of work. Some of them can't be ridden, but that doesn't mean that they don't have a place. You know, they can offer therapy on the ground, um, they can offer people an outlet. For instance, I have one mare that has some physiological issues, and sometimes the people that come, those issues are mirrored in them. And there's a way for a path to empathy of, oh my goodness, so this horse suffers with some arthritis, this horse is getting very similar therapies to what I get. I can really understand where this horse is coming from. And the horse can feel that you are recognizing the need. You don't need to be a, you know, quote unquote horse person. You can walk in front of a horse and they're gonna take you wherever you're at. And they're gonna know if you see them. And if you see them and recognize, like, oh, you don't like that, that bothers you, or oh, you do like this. You're starting to do that dance now of learning a partnership and a relationship with each other rather than coming at it from I want to come and ride and go on a trail today. You're coming at it from, you know, maybe I would like to get to that place, but there's a lot of steps between when you walk through the door and getting to that goal and doing it in a way that's ethical and respectful.

SPEAKER_02 11:38

I love that. And you know, along those lines, um, one of the things that really touched me um when I was reviewing the program at Hollybrook Farm is some of the former Seven Lakes horses who have found a farm at Holly, excuse me, have found a home at Hollybrook Farm. I love that within our community, the people who bonded while those horses were at Seven Lakes, you're just a stone's throw away. Yes. And they can continue that relationship if they choose to do so. Yes. When some of the horses that retired stepped into your program at Holy Brooke, can you tell us how that started?

SPEAKER_01 12:18

Sure. Um, so when I worked for um Seven Lakes for the HOA, um, there's some horses that came in that I put a contract on from the very beginning. I wanted to make sure that I could orchestrate a smooth landing for those horses if it ever was required. Um, some of the other horses um just ended up needing a smooth landing. And, you know, it was great that the board was willing to work with the staff, you know, at the time and even after the time, um, to know that that was really the best home for these horses, and that's what they wanted. You know, they wanted to make sure that the community's horses had the best care that they could get, um, that the community would still even be able to see these horses or come work with them if they wanted to. Um, we've done a few different um events with, say, Star, for instance, and Nacho, um, so the community could still have fun with them.

SPEAKER_00 13:15

Um, we did the derby party. We did the derby party. That was a great day. The kids, the kids enjoyed it so much. Yes. Christmas. You guys did something.

SPEAKER_01 13:24

We did Chris, yeah, and we're also looking forward to doing some more work with our memory care unit up um in Seven Lakes. Um, that's something I really enjoy with the ponies. Um, so you know, it's I'm glad that we were able to do that. I think it was a win for everybody involved. Um, and the horses are doing awesome, and we love being able to steward them through this next stage of their lives.

SPEAKER_00 13:47

Oh, it's a nice place to land.

SPEAKER_01 13:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 13:50

A lot of people think retirement means a horse just goes out to pasture and it's the end of the story. But that's not what happens at Holybrook.

SPEAKER_01 13:58

No. Um, you know, horses like people, they need a purpose, they need to know that they're loved and cared for, um, and they still need physical treatments or care or specific things, even if they're not a riding horse anymore. Um, so you know, all of our horses have their own individualized programs, needs that are delivered to them. And, you know, retirement can mean a lot of things. It can mean retirement from riding, it can mean retirement from a type of riding. Um, it can just mean that a horse wasn't a fit for a certain program, but is actually great for another program. So retirement rarely means just out to pasture and and that's the end of that. It's it's usually the beginning of another phase.

SPEAKER_00 14:45

It's not like being stuck like it, you know, take an old person, stick up in a nursing home.

SPEAKER_01 14:48

Absolutely, yeah, no.

SPEAKER_00 14:50

They're they're still serving a purpose, even if if they can't be ridden anymore. It's just having that human contact.

SPEAKER_01 14:56

And it's not even just the contact. I think they really still provide a resource to people. You know, a lot of horses that are no longer ridable seem to fall in easily to the gift of bonding with people on the ground. I have people that come that just want to go for a walk in the woods with the horses and they just want to work on grounding themselves. They've been through, you know, we have some military people. They have PTSD, and you know, they just need some quiet time, and that horse is able to hold space for them. What a gift that is. Yeah, you know, the horse doesn't need to do more than that. The horse doesn't owe anybody a ride.

SPEAKER_02 15:34

Of the horses that um have found a second start with you at Holybrook. Which horses um have impacted you the most?

SPEAKER_01 15:50

Oh, that's so they've all really had a kind of a large impact. Um, you know, Starr had tremendous issues with um founder before I was hired, and she was nursed through those episodes. Um, and she is one of the smartest uh ponies I've ever met. Um and to see her become well to get sound um to be a bit sassy, and to be very sassy, um, it just makes you smile, you know. It just makes you happy that she feels so good. Um, Nacho.

SPEAKER_02 16:29

These are all in hand things that you're doing.

SPEAKER_01 16:30

Yeah, we've just started doing some riding again with her now, um, but we're doing more independent type riding with her, less pony rides. We think she's really enjoying a little bit more of a um a child that knows a little bit more and she can have a little more fun, you know, and um so she's doing a little bit of trail riding. Um Nacho, who had some, you know, issues with digestion and different things, to see him, you know, come around, get healthy, get a good body weight going, um, to see the two of them enjoy heading down the trail together and stuff, uh, is just it's a gift. It's a lovely thing to see. Bo, who had, when I first came on, we weren't sure he was um salvageable. Um, it was, you know, an ethical choice to try everything, throw everything at him and see if we could get him there. He was able to work for the community for a while, and then you know, he started slowing down. He is older. Um he he rejoining Bulcan, who he had been with for many years, um, and you know, Rico, who he had been with for years, to see them together and enjoying this time and still helping, you know, people, like Bo enjoys giving a pony ride. You know, he's capable of doing that, so that's what he does. And then they're back amongst those their friends.

SPEAKER_00 17:47

Yeah. They seem to recognize each other.

SPEAKER_01 17:50

They absolutely horses have incredibly long memories, and to see them um, you know, reunite. I have some videos of that and stuff, it's really touching. Um, so it's yeah, it's been a really wonderful time to spend with those horses.

SPEAKER_02 18:04

So after Seven Lakes, they're still giving back to the community in a different way, but still very much. Absolutely. Even if they're older.

SPEAKER_01 18:10

Yeah, even if they're older or they're not able to be ridden, there's other avenues for them to still help. And they want to. They come to the gate. They're not trying to horses give subtle signs that they are not capable of being with you. They might turn their you know back end to you, they might, you know, kind of hide a little bit in a corner or something. All of our horses come to the gate and are like, oh, pick me, take me out.

SPEAKER_00 18:37

Would it be fair to say that some of these older horses become the best teachers?

SPEAKER_01 18:41

Absolutely. They've been there, they've done that, and we know them really well. We have many years of seeing them, working with them in lots of circumstances, and I think that's really important when you're working with beginner people. You need to know your horses inside and out.

SPEAKER_02 18:56

There's really something special about a horse that has spent so many years taking care of people. Do you find that the participants connect differently with the older horses?

SPEAKER_01 19:07

I do. I think that there's a trust level that's almost instant because these horses know how to approach beginner people and they're comfortable doing it. Whereas, say, like my two-year-old does not know how to do that yet and could make someone who's a beginner feel a little bit overfaced or afraid because it's intimidating. It's intimidating. They're big. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 19:32

Even though it's a young it's a young horse, it's a big horse.

SPEAKER_01 19:35

Right. Where these other horses are older and they know to even what's really beautiful to watch is someone like Bo, who's very tall, lower his head to like a toddler and and quietly present himself and be like, I am I am saying to you, go ahead. Yes. Yeah, it's really sweet. It is really sweet.

SPEAKER_02 19:52

Getting down to the the that level. That level.

SPEAKER_01 19:55

Yeah, and and knowing that, oh, I need to be still and I need, you know, they just innately know.

SPEAKER_02 20:00

I just love that. It's an unspoken communication that you're really focusing on.

SPEAKER_01 20:04

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 20:04

You know, one of the programs that I'm most excited about, um, I knew so little about it and realized this is a program that the community really needs, and that's your Pathways program. One of the newest programs at Holybrooke Farm right now. And I'm incredibly impressed when I learned about it because it goes well beyond just writing lessons. Can you tell us what inspired Pathways and what exactly Pathways is?

SPEAKER_01 20:30

Sure. Um equine facilitated learning is a little bit of a newer field where we're having horses partner with humans and utilizing their natural abilities to co-regulate. So we have a real uptick in autism and other neurodivergent issues, ADHD, etc. All these issues come from executive functioning and lack of regulation. Um, as a mom of uh, you know, three of my children are um, you know, autism. Um and they I over time learned there wasn't a lot of places that you could go that would be understanding of the need that, you know, hey, this is too loud, hey, this is overstimulating. And it leaves a lot of people feeling um alone, um, you know, and with children, that's not a good place to be. So for me, um, I was coming from the place of I saw a need, it's something I do with my own children, and I wanted to bring it forward to the community and and hopefully, you know, give a place for families too, not just the kids themselves, but it's it's a family program. So we don't charge by, you know, just the child. It's we want the whole family to come and experience it and other families and perhaps build a little bit of a network for people. People and friendships.

SPEAKER_02 22:02

Well, that's strengthening the family bond, actually, because every family member is part of it. Uh part of it, yeah, exactly. I love that. It's something they can all do together.

SPEAKER_01 22:11

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 22:11

And all of their needs are different.

SPEAKER_01 22:13

Yes. And we keep it small because, you know, a lot of people can become overstimulated pretty easily and then they lose the benefit. So the farm has a lot of different areas that we can utilize. And I found that for a lot of kids, you know, access to a safe woodland area just in and of itself is calming. And then you bring the horses into that and you kind of step back and watch the magic unfurl in front of you. It's not that you are actively pushing a big agenda or a big curriculum. It's a very basic curriculum that changes in the moment because the horses are bringing something, the children are bringing something, the parents are bringing something, the siblings, and you're rolling with that. And that's kind of where having the ability to have a social worker like Sarah step in, that's her strength. My brother, who um is a nurse practitioner and psych, um, you know, he also has a military background. So having him step in for specific military offerings, um, that's that piece where, you know, we fill in as the subject matter expert for the horses. And then we bring in experts to help the people and we work together on a program.

SPEAKER_02 23:29

So kind of what you're saying is um the idea is in utilizing EFL, an equine facilitated learning program, is that horses are naturally going to mirror human behavior and energy. Correct. And the Pathways program provides this in a very safe and peaceful but a supportive environment. Correct. And in Pathways, you've specifically geared this toward children with disabilities, including autism, while providing a dedicated sensory day and special opportunities for military families who just need that reprieve.

SPEAKER_01 24:06

Yes. We also have adult offerings separate of that because that was another thing that came to my attention that after 22, a lot of people that are on the spectrum or have disabilities, um, a lot of the funding, the help, everything just drops off. Um, so we wanted to make sure that we had um the ability to offer something for adults as well and their families because a lot of the time the families are still supporting the young adults.

SPEAKER_00 24:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 24:34

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 24:34

Yeah. The one thing that I really love is that it isn't crowded, it's not overstimulating. You know, you take kids to these other places, you know, like gyms and things, and there's just so much going on. And there's some kids that just are not comfortable in that environment, they can't handle it. Um to be there with the horses, it sounds like they can just like really connect with the horses and the nature and just the whole environment.

SPEAKER_01 24:57

It's catering to that. Yes, and and we purposefully keep it small because in order for it to provide what's needed, it it can't be big, it needs to be personalized and smaller.

SPEAKER_02 25:14

So you had mentioned that um you have some uh individuals that are supporting you. Can you tell us about um Sarah, your clinical social worker and your APRN Edward Lyons?

SPEAKER_01 25:27

So um Sarah um has worked for the last six years, I believe, in social work, um specializing in um women's needs. Um and so she's kind of bringing that expertise to us, and then we provide the horses and the setting. Um, my brother has worked with adolescents as well as adults in his career. Um, and then he brings that military side as he was a service person, and um, you know, we try to you know, collaborate as we build these programs because it's a seasonal thing. It's like, okay, we're gonna be able to offer a military offering, say in the fall, you know, we'll have a meeting together, collaborate what we're trying to accomplish. We usually send out um, you know, some surveys to see, like, hey, you know, what are these people dealing with that they would like to address? And we just tone it from there and create a very simple curriculum. Um, and again, you know, we we let the horses lead the way. Um, and then we just use that that basic backdrop of that curriculum to deliver what we're trying to do to help. Um, and a lot of what we deal with is anxiety, um, you know, post-traumatic stress issues, sensory issues. Those seem to be the most prevalent hyperactivity, too.

SPEAKER_00 26:54

Have you witnessed any moments where you thought this is exactly why we started this program here?

SPEAKER_01 27:01

Yes, I've had a few people come through. Um, it's interesting, with children who have been exposed in utero to drugs. Um, grandparents who have taken over custody, or the single father took over custody, what have you. And, you know, these kids are dealing with a different type of neurodivergence. And yeah, and I think a lot of people feel isolated with this problem. There's a lot of shame associated with the problem. And, you know, it we try to encourage people to understand that, hey, okay, that happened. That's also over. Don't keep carrying it forward. That happened, you're here. This child has these gifts, this child has these areas that we need to work on. And, you know, let's get together and do that and just leave all of that at the door. You know, yeah, come here and and heal and know that okay, that's a piece of your story, but it's just a very small piece of your story. And there's so many people that are walking around sharing that story. And that's the biggest thing I've seen in that particular group is how many people don't realize that I'm not alone in this at all. There's a lot of people dealing with this. Who knew? You know, so finding finding a community uh within that, I think, is one of the best things that I'm seeing.

SPEAKER_02 28:24

I love that um people are learning that horses can be a part of your healing, but also that they can have such a profound impact on people.

SPEAKER_00 28:34

Yeah. What's fascinating is that horses don't care what your title is, how much money you make, how many Facebook arguments you've won. Especially the last one. Yeah, yeah. They're completely unimpressed by your resume and your accomplishments. And it's just it's like I the experience that I had was I just felt so calm.

SPEAKER_02 29:04

And it's it was just Was it your place to get away and just focus on you and regrow yourself? Yeah, that's wonderful. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 29:13

Well, they've proven that, you know, even being within, you know, four to five feet of a horse, they're gonna try to regulate your heartbeat. You know, they're gonna try to co-regulate on that level with you. And they've done a number of studies on it, and it's fascinating to see. So just being in their presence that way is having an effect on you, and it's having an effect on them. They know what you're bringing forward, they know what your intentions are before sometimes even you do. So it's a wonderful reflection of, hey, where where am I at? You know, and and even as a professional, there's days where if I've had a bad day, I'm not necessarily going to bring that to my horse. I'm I'm going to go get myself right first and not burden them with that. You know, um, I've had other times when horses have sought me out in that moment, but that was their choice to seek me out. I did not put that on them. So I think as you grow in your horsemanship, you start getting to that point where you're really wanting to bring your best self to them and allow them to show you where you're still needing to heal, where you're still needing to work.

SPEAKER_02 30:26

That's again then working with your energy and mirroring or absolutely mirroring you. I like through that process you develop trust. But you know, one of the things that I I feel like um a lot of the youth, but even adults, uh, lack confidence. And I love the interaction, helps them to build confidence. And just from my own personal perspective, I feel like so many people are lacking in confidence.

SPEAKER_01 30:55

Yeah, that's an interesting observation. I think that's really true. Um, and I don't know whether it's um a little bit of a post-COVID effect too. I do think people changed through COVID, and I've seen a lot of um almost like insecurities come out. Um, and um almost like a uh separation of community happened a little bit too, and people are just starting to kind of heal that more now. Um, but you're still left with those echoes of yeah, people who isolation, isolation and and people who have, like you said, lost a little bit of trust in themselves, um, and overall trust, I think, too. Um, so yeah, horses ground you right back to that because it's it's pretty pretty black and white with them.

SPEAKER_02 31:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 31:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 31:44

You know, someone once said to me about a horse, just as an aside, you truly have to look trust in the eye and feel it very deeply because you think about this. You've got a thousand-pound animal underneath you, and you think you're in control. You're actually you're not. You're not.

SPEAKER_01 32:02

No.

SPEAKER_02 32:02

It's the relationship that you're building in that moment with the animal. Um, you know, Chrissanne, you had mentioned the adult camp that you attended. And when I hear about horse camps, they always think, oh, this is for kids. But apparently, children aren't the only ones who need horse camps. Absolutely not.

SPEAKER_00 32:23

I attended the camp back in April, the adult camp, and it was the official beginning of my horseback riding journey. And it it just, I it was out of my comfort zone, out of my box. And it was on my bucket list because I had to get over the fear of the first time I had been on a horse 20-some odd years ago when I was just plopped on a horse and went on a trail ride with my daughter's Girl Scout troop that everybody was going at this dude ranch. What can adults expect when they sign up for a camp?

SPEAKER_01 32:54

So that camp that you attended the first time was a day camp. And that is modeled a little bit more in like a light kind of fun um way where I'm I'm still highlighting some of the things you might see as a child in camp. You know, like, yeah, we're still gonna do some arts and crafts, or we're still gonna do, you know, this nature walk.

SPEAKER_00 33:12

Um, the nature walks are good.

SPEAKER_01 33:14

The nature walks are good. Um, you know, good prizes on those nature walks. We do like to, we do like to have a few adult prizes, yes, out on the nature walks. Um, you know, when I started modeling out what I wanted the adult camps to look like that were more than just a day camp offering, I really wanted it to turn into a retreat. I wanted it to turn into something that was a little bit um deeper. So I thought I'm gonna make this something that's a series. I'm gonna make this build on different um blocks for people that would still include anyone from never touched a horse before to people that own horses. And I wanted it to have the people within the camp work with each other. So the people that know more are kind of modeling and sharing with the people that know a little less. And then, you know, when we had time, come back and realize even though you may not have the same level of horsemanship knowledge, you're bringing some other life knowledge that perhaps your horse mentor didn't have. And it deepened the connection. So it's still all about partnering and connection. So when I assign horses for you know these retreats, you're staying with the same horse because we want you to learn that horse and have a bond and have a connection, and yet you have the opportunity to rotate around and see wow, this horse is very different, or this horse is worried about something and this one is not, and how to how to work with a horse through worry.

SPEAKER_00 34:54

And if you're worried, if you're if you're feeling a little anxious, the horse can feel that.

SPEAKER_01 35:00

And some of them are so good at taking that on and being like, I've got you, don't worry. And others are like, ooh, I can't, I can't handle that for you, you know. So it's it's having the ability to safely dip your toe in the water and feel that and be like, ooh, okay.

SPEAKER_00 35:18

That's exactly how I felt when I did the camp. Because, you know, we we groomed, we did all things, and then when we rode, I was, I will tell you, I was I I felt a little nervous. Of course. But I sat up on that horse and I just kind of went, ah, yeah. And when I got off that horse, I was like, wow, yeah, that was awesome. Yeah. I just got to do this again and again and again. Yes. And that's why they did dig the the retreat, yeah, which I'm really looking forward to.

SPEAKER_01 35:46

Yeah, I'm excited about it.

SPEAKER_00 35:47

I just need a little, you know, refresher of you know what we learned at the day camp.

SPEAKER_01 35:52

Absolutely. Yep, yeah. We meet anybody where they're at. You know, some of the people coming to the camp um I've not met before.

SPEAKER_02 35:58

And this is the retreat you're talking about?

SPEAKER_01 35:59

Yeah, this is the yeah, this is the retreat at the time.

SPEAKER_02 36:01

Is this gonna be an annual thing? It's an adult retreat, or is it just a women's retreat?

SPEAKER_01 36:05

So this is a horsemanship retreat. It's men and women, um, and it's you know, adult-based, and it's set it's six consecutive um offerings. So each month there's a can't there's a retreat offered, and it's a two-day retreat, and it's building on the retreat before. You can still come in and take from you know the beginning, but it's just I wanted to try to bring forth a whole curriculum of really a little bit of equine-facilitated learning through the retreat, so that no matter what level of horsemanship you were at, you were going to come out of this retreat with more knowledge, more confidence, and a feeling of hey, I I really feel like I got from A to B here and I'm excited to go from B to C. You know, how do I get there? Um, so natural progression. Natural progression.

SPEAKER_02 37:04

And it you're not, it it sounds like you're not saying, hey, you have to set this goal. No, you are going to step into this naturally as your next step. And in that touching again on the confidence, yes, but also you're building trust. You know, there was something that um you guys touched on that I thought about was very interesting when you were talking about a horse, riding a horse who could be apprehensive and that they could be feeding off the person. What I really like, and a lot of people overlook, is there's an opportunity. That horse needs the leader, and that's an opportunity for you to step up and become the leader that that horse needs, versus riding a horse that's a natural leader, and you can just kind of relax a little more in the sense of this horse is the leader.

SPEAKER_01 37:49

Right. Yes. I love that. Yep. And we really wanted to create again a sense of community for horse people that they could come and share their talents, and their talents may be outside of the horse world. You know, I've had people come in who are incredible artists, you know, share that. Um, I've had people come in who are already equine professionals and they want to share what their skill set is, and that's beautiful, you know. So it's again, you know, wanting to create a place for horse people to have each other because I'm seeing a lot of division um in the horse world. And I think a lot of people become disenchanted with showing, and that used to be your your gathering place, sort of. And I think there's a lot of people locally looking for, you know, their tribe, so to speak.

SPEAKER_00 38:40

Yeah, so yeah, especially, you know, we get a little up there in our years and we want to try new things, but we're a little bit afraid to step outside that box and to try those new things. But when you have other people that are trying new things, you know, it's their first time too. The other I was in a store last week and I ran into somebody who was at the day camp with me, and she goes, Are you going? I said, Yeah, I'm going, I'm new going. And we were like both like, yeah, yeah, we're gonna have so much fun. Yes. But I'm just gonna like I that was back in April, and I'll need a refresher because my brain, I didn't take notes. You know, you don't take notes as you're sitting on top of a horse, but you know, okay, just pull it, you know, just it pull it this way and it'll do this. I have to kind of start back at the beginning.

SPEAKER_01 39:25

Yeah, but then I want to. It's building blocks. You won't, it's kind of like riding a bike. It's not that you will have forgotten everything, you'll be surprised how much comes back to you, but it is a matter of repetition and exposure. Um, so you know, this will be another exposure for you, and and you'll take from that and build, you know, um, and hopefully just enjoy the moments. And I think that's a huge thing that a lot of us as adults really need is just slow down and take in the moment and not necessarily have a real rigid agenda. It come with an open mind and see what comes because it every day is different.

SPEAKER_02 39:59

It's the journey, it's the journey. It's not, it's you taking the journey, it's not it's not you making the journey. Yeah, that's wonderful. Jennifer, it has been fantastic having you with us today. Thank you so much for time. What you've created at Holybrook Farm goes far beyond writing lessons, and you're creating opportunities to people for people to learn, connect, heal, and grow. And I love that you're giving retired horses meaningful second careers while allowing them to continue to serve their community.

SPEAKER_00 40:30

It's an incredible example of how horses can change lives long after their show days, their lesson days are over, that they still have a purpose. Yes. Like us retirees.

SPEAKER_01 40:41

Absolutely. Yeah, I feel very, very blessed to be in the position to do this and um the gift of the horses themselves and to be able to share that with the local community is really just um, you know, such a huge blessing in my own life. So it's it's really a just such a win for everyone.

SPEAKER_02 41:01

Jen, if anyone wants to um learn more about Hollybrook Farm, the pathways program, your camps lessons, or any upcoming events, um, how should they reach out to you?

SPEAKER_01 41:12

So um Hollybrook Farm um is on Facebook. You can go there or you can go to Hollybrookfarm.bloom.io. Um there's a form, a contact form on there and reach out and love to chat with you all about what we're doing and have you come out and see the farm.

SPEAKER_02 41:29

Thank you again for being with us. And for every thank you. And for those listening, thank you for listening to Honestly Speaking, and we'll see you next time.