The Touch of a Mustang | Wild Horses and Healing With Nature

How do you deal with with the loss of your sight during one of the most significant periods of your life? At the age of nine, Laura was diagnosed with an eye disease and faced the difficult reality that she would become blind. Over the next ten years she experienced the traumatic transition of adjusting to life without sight. She is the author of the book, Harnessing Courage. Laura founded Ubi Glo...

Chiara Maria's instagram account "grow_with_horses" embodies all she is and the conversation we have. Chiara learned from a young age that she would not be content following the traditional path society laid out for her. She chose to walk off the path and build a life with horses. Spending time in traditional horsemanship, before realizing her horse Descot needed something different,...

What does it take to dedicate your entire life to wild horses? George Brauneis has been fighting for mustangs since before he could walk. As one of "Wild Horse Annie's Kids" who wrote letters to Congress in 1971 to pass the Wild Horse and Burro Act, George now cares for 26 mustangs using a philosophy he calls "Becoming Catchable To Your Horse." At six years old, George was one of tens of thousands...

What if a horse could not just teach you patience, trust, and presence in ways nothing else can, but change your entire world for the better? Cheryl Olsten, a Pennsylvania-based children's book author, shares how horses transformed her from a reluctant rider into a passionate advocate as she has felt personal transformation and care from horses. She has also witnessed the miracles they play a...

This episode is an emergency release, as it is anticipated that aerial culling of the Snowy River Brumbies will begin by the Australian government on June 9, 2026. Perhaps like me, you grew up watching "The Man From Snowy River," in which the wild Brumbies were a central point of conflict in the story. Sadly, the hate towards the Brumbies and the desire to rid the land of them has not ended. In th...

What if the thing you need to begin healing is to spend time with a horse? Kathleen Saucier is the co-founder of Samson's Strength Sustainable Veterans Project , a nonprofit dedicated to rescuing horses and pairing them with veterans who need the same kind of second chance. The Touch of a Mustang a 2026 Horses for Mental Health Ambassador, in Support of Samson's Strength Sustainable Vetera...

"Working with horses, I didn't think about addiction at all. Not for days after. There's just something about them—I was completely free from it." Ray Guidone What if the addiction you've been fighting for years could lose its grip—not through willpower or another program, but through standing in a pasture with a horse? Ray Guidone is a licensed massage therapist with nearly 30 years of experience...

What if the principles you use with horses is the blueprint for transforming your life? In this episode, horseman and author Justin Dunn shares how co‑creating experiences with a horse reveals the truth about our thoughts, habits, and character, and why character ultimately shapes our destiny. We talk about modeling “tension then relax” in everyday events, playing the larger life “game” better ins...

What if the the answers we are searching for come in the form of a horse that forces you to face yourself as you really are? Lynn Thomas is a mental health professional who co-founded Horses for Mental Health , a nonprofit that supports equine-assisted mental health programs across 36 states and 6 countries. Lynn didn't grow up with horses. She grew up in the city and knew nothing about them u...

What if the story you've been telling yourself about being broken isn't true? Madison Orlando never knew her father—he died four days before she was born and then her mother went silent. Madison was raised by her grandmother, who couldn't walk. She got pregnant at 15, worked multiple jobs to survive, and spent years believing she was a mistake. But somewhere along the way, Madison disc...

Most people think training horses requires dominance. Michael Sanchez learned it's more about patience. Michael Sanchez works at a barn in Leeds, Alabama that has gentled hundreds of wild Mustangs. He didn't grow up dreaming of working with horses—he was the maintenance guy, the one picking stalls and fixing fences. But one day he was asked to hold a horse, and that was the start of many m...

What if the therapy program that saved a veteran's life had to close because they couldn't afford a vet bill? David Vieira is an Army Afghanistan veteran and founder of K9 Equine Alliance , a nonprofit that provides financial support to organizations offering service dogs and equine therapy to veterans struggling with PTSD, TBI, and MST. After building the first Afghanistan and Iraq Vetera...

How do you handle the loss of two of the closest people in your life? First, her mother passed, who she thought would outlive everyone. Then cancer came and took her sisters as well. When she talks about the experience today, it is with gratitude and strangely, with beauty. Britt has walked through grief and not only come out on the other side, but found the good in it. Britt Michaelian is a frequ...

What if you don't need to be born into horses to build a career training wild Mustangs around the world? Grace Thompson, 25-year-old colt starter and Mustang gentler , is the owner and founder of GET Horsemanship Wild Horse Training Facility in Eastern Tennessee. Grace didn't grow up in a horse family—she had zero experience when she convinced her parents to let her adopt her first Mustang...

What if the reason your Mustang isn't progressing has nothing to do with the horse? Brittany and Jana continued to see the same problem, individuals who adopted a Mustang, but didn't know where to turn when it became difficult. Sending the horse off to the trainer was often ineffective because, while the horse progressed, the owner stayed the same. Jana Leniger, owner of Chasing a Dream Eq...

What if the key to feeling successful with your horse isn't about finishing the ride—it's about how your horse feels at the end? Gillian Larson, backcountry thru-rider and founder of Gillian Larson Wilderness Horsemanship , has completed over 15,000 miles of solo riding including four Mexico-to-Canada journeys on the Pacific Crest Trail and Continental Divide Trail. She cultivates an ethos of eque...

When your horse misbehaves, the most common approach is to increase control. But what if that's making everything worse? Avery Sullivan, Liberty Horsemanship Trainer and Co-Founder of Gamilah Unbridled and Equine Liberty Organization, rescues and rehabilitates horses through trust-based, bridle-less training and natural horsemanship methods. In this episode, you'll discover: • Why control...

Struggling with anxiety, panic attacks, or feeling stuck in survival mode? Discover how nervous system regulation can transform your life—even in the midst of chaos. In this episode of The Touch of a Mustang , Shalyce talks with Hailey Coleman, The Psychic Nervous System Coach , a trauma-informed intuitive coach who specializes in nervous system regulation and emotional healing. Hailey has a backg...

In this episode, Ruby shares her transformational journey of unraveling her trauma that arose despite years of helping others do the same. Finding a spiritual connection with horses helped Ruby navigate her dark night of the soul. Ruby dives into the power of horses in trauma resolution and shares just what they did to help her from their non-judgemental presence to subtle cues that unlock buried...

What if pain isn't something to avoid—but a sacred doorway inviting you back to yourself? In this conversation, Baiba Wisse shares her journey from 15 years in corporate to discovering her sacred purpose through somatic movement and deep inner work. We explore how to reconnect with your inner wisdom, balance masculine and feminine energies, and give yourself what you didn't receive in chil...

In this episode, I sit down with Kat from KatjaCaptures to talk about the power of horses in art, and particularly in photography. Images of horses often stay with us long after we’ve seen them because of the way they resonate within us. Kat shares how she approaches photographing horses fully in their own state and how that impacts the presence felt in her photography. Katja's images exudes the p...

In this episode, I talk with Kathleen Saucier, case manager and co-founder of Samson’s Strength Sustainable Veterans Project, about the work being done to support veterans through connection with horses. What started as a personal experience for Kathleen and her husband grew into something much bigger. We talk about how horses helped them navigate stress and life after service, and how that experi...

What if the passion driving your nonprofit is also the thing that's going to burn you out? Rob Harter, nonprofit leadership coach and consultant, has spent over 30 years in nonprofit leadership and social impact work. He now coaches and consults with nonprofit organizations and individual leaders in three core areas: fundraising, strategic development, and leadership development. Rob also works wi...

In this episode we enter the world of horse medicine and intuitive guidance with Chloe Elgar, a psychic medium and intuitive guide living on her ranch outside Austin. After more than a decade helping humans navigate their own healing journeys, Chloe created the life she had always envisioned—welcoming a magical herd of horses, including her mustang, Sahara. In this episode, we explore the evolving...

What if the "magic" you feel with horses isn't magic at all—but measurable, repeatable science? Dr. Leanne Nieforth, Assistant Professor at the Center for the Human-Animal Bond at Purdue University , has spent her career studying how humans and animals interact, with a focus on equine-assisted interventions and service dogs for trauma survivors. With a PhD in Human-Animal Interaction...