Emma Kinney, CSW

     I still remember the first time I rode a horse, learned to care for them, and hit the trails. Teacup, the Pony of America, I rode as a young child became a favorite place to be as a young girl and taught me more about myself then I could imagine. Through horseback riding and care management, I learned responsibility, trust, and self-confidence. Sweet Teacup showed me how to achieve my goals and understand how to communicate. 

      While this was my personal experience, I have seen it time and time again. I have taught horsemanship and horseback riding lessons and seen these same skills and so many more develop in the kids I have worked with. While the expectation is to jump in the saddle and go running off into the fields, it rarely starts that way. Through relationship building, communication skills, body awareness, trial and error, we can step by step learn how to ride off into the sunset. 

      As a clinical social worker by trade and horsemanship instructor as a passion project, I am able to bring these two worlds together and help kids see the power and ability of working with horses to help develop self-confidence, responsibility, critical thinking, and communication.