Testimonies
Thank you to all the members of the Spirit Horse community who were willing to speak to their experience and the impact that this work has had on them. -Kaia
"I have known Kaia both professionally and personally for many years. She has a passionate heart, strong intuition, and is overflowing with wisdom and compassion. She is a true horsewoman with a deep understanding of the relationship between horses and humans. I always leave our time together feeling empowered, connected, and with a better understanding of myself. Kaia is able to use horses in a way that deeply touches every aspect of my life. Our sessions have strengthened my relationships, interpersonal skills, developed my self confidence and helped me become a leader. The impact of these sessions goes deeper and is unlike anything I've experienced before. I would highly recommend Kaia to everyone." -Steven
"I have been working with Kaia for several years and I can say she is a tremendously warm and insightful therapist. She has helped me develop unique relationships with horses that undoubtedly carry over to my relationships with humans. And, learning about horses and being in relationship with them, has given me a new perspective on being in relationship with myself too. She is also kind and has a great sense of humor. It's been my privilege to work with Kaia, and I know we have uncovered lessons that I will have with me throughout my life." -C.G.
"Kaia has been a transformational teacher for me in many areas of my life. I’ve worked alongside her in lessons, clinics, and Spirit Horse sessions for over eight years. She seamlessly blends psychology, horse whispering, and spirit searching into profound growth opportunities. The way Kaia works with horses is quite unique and is focused intently on the joy and well-being of the horse. This intrinsic support of the horses in her practice allows them to become valuable teachers, mirroring whatever it is we show up with energetically and emotionally. I’ve learned how to ride well, be it over fences, through dressage movements, or galloping across a cross country field, but the most special work for me happened on the ground. That is where I played with horses at liberty or in a neck rope and fine tuned my body language and energetic communication. This freedom of the horse, granting them the ability to say “No.” was what really made me fall in love with Kaia’s teaching style. I can honestly say the play and relationship building I did with the horses under the mentorship of Kaia changed the trajectory of my life. It boosted my confidence, brought me more in-tune with people, horses, and land, and allowed me to delve inwards with safe guidance. Not only did I learn how to communicate and interact with horses, I learned it in a way that instilled skills of heartfelt connection and relationship into the non-horsey areas of my life. I even utilized my Spirit Horse skills for personal and relational growth in my past two years living in a different town, attending college, and healing from chronic illness. Returning after my hiatus, I can say my sessions with Kaia are always very individualized and focused on exploring possibilities and staying present, instead of pushing hard for an “end goal.” She makes me laugh with her great perspective and ability to observe life with a sense of humor. Kaia has a great amount of compassion, and she’s not afraid to give me a nudge if I’ve gotten caught up spinning a story or disengaging with myself or the horse I’m working with. My time working with Kaia is always special, and I walk away with tangible skills with which to explore the world. I love this lady!" -R.V.
"I have been in search for a Spirit Horse guide for many years. Working with Kaia and my mare, has been an answer to my prayers." -M
"I looked all over the area for riding lessons for my daughter, a young teen. She struggled socially and needed to build her confidence, as a rider and as a person. Then we found Kaia. What Kaia is offering is so much more than learning to ride horses! Kaia is engaging, giving lots of individualized attention.. She understands what to focus on and what to ignore, and while demanding, gives lots of praise and encouragement. The most important thing we see is that Kaia 'gets it' when it comes to interacting with people, particularly teenage girls. Her background gives her unique insight not just into the technical instruction of horsemanship and athleticism of riding, but the psychology and dimensions of the interaction between people and horses. It is a powerful combination! Her personalized approach nurtures the whole student on many levels, and is also incredibly beneficial to the horses for their well-being and understanding. I have really seen the positive results of Kaia's work and interaction with my daughter, who has gained so much not only in riding skills, but with insight, confidence and a sense of accomplishment and belonging that has been so gratifying. We are very grateful that we found Kaia! Her special approach has been so beneficial to my daughter, and has opened up my eyes even more to the possibilities for horsemanship beyond pure performance. It has been an extremely positive and rewarding relationship we value very much." -Christy, Mother of a client
"My husband and I have been struggling for some time now and have tried several therapists with little change in our dynamic. Someone recommend Kaia, and even though we were not interested in working with horses, we liked the idea of being on a farm. We went and I can't tell you what a change it made for us. She uses education of the brain and our nervous system while also helping us get to our core pain that breaks us apart. We have learned to become closer when we disagree and has helped our marriage from the brink of divorce. Our work also helped us be better parents to our kid. This work is amazing and you can tell Kaia is an exceptional therapist." -C.C., couples & individual work
"I have been a horse person my whole life and thought I knew every style and way of working with horses - but Kaia blows it all out of the water. Her ability to understand horses and people and facilitate connection between them is like nothing I have ever seen. She has unraveled something, I think, all horse people, maybe all humans, secretly yearn for which is to be truly listened to and seen. This woman is the real deal if you want to see change in yourself and find harmony in your life." -L.S.
"It's hard to put into words the shifts I've experienced since I started attending [Of Women & Horses] group. The best I can do is to say that I've never noticed before how powerful the difference between "simple" and "easy" really is. Kaia is truly brilliant - her insight, exercises, and way of holding space for healing and growth and facilitating connection and sisterhood are profound. There's rarely a day that goes by that I don't think about one of the exercises we've done or something she said. The work is by no means easy, but Kaia truly makes it simple. What happens in this group really is magic. " -C.H., 'Of Women & Horses' group work
“I started working with Kaia in 2011. Over the years since meeting Kaia, I have seen this young woman stretch, transform, and create a beautiful healing practice with horses. What she is able to see and help people work with goes far beyond their mental health and addresses their emotional, physical, and spiritual health as well. Her practice is a great opportunity for her clients to really change and heal on a deeper level than I often see with therapists. My own son, who is now 7, has been working with Kaia and I love how she combines play, insightful themes, and connection to humans/horses/the earth in her weekly sessions with him. Kaia has taken the heart of good medicine and has created a practice and space for others to learn from.” -Imetai Henderson, author of ‘Falling Together: Returning to the Source’ and owner of Source Medicine