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Healing and Horsemanship

Healing and Horsemanship

Written by: Shannon Ray Riley
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A podcast exploring the many healing paths we walk with horses. Join us as we journey into the vast, growing world where horsemanship and healing intersect.

 Alternative & Complementary Medicine Hygiene & Healthy Living Relationships Social Sciences
Episodes
  • #17 Adapting to the Horse and Adventures in India with Leah Van Dinther

    #17 Adapting to the Horse and Adventures in India with Leah Van Dinther
    Jun 29 2026

    Leah is a horse trainer based in the Sierra Nevada foothills of Central California. Her practice is rooted in natural horsemanship and she works to develop better relationships between horse and human through communication and prioritizing consent.

    Some people are talented in working with horses. Other are talented in working with humans. Leah is one of the rare few who is very skilled at both. With nearly fifty years of experience in the horse world, Leah talks passionately about horses’ unique personalities, how to truly listen to the horse in front of you, and the importance of addressing fears and taking your time every step of the way.

    In this interview we talk about:

    - Working with very different horse personalities and finding what motivates each individual

    - How culture informs horsemanship, and the difference between primitive and evolved horse cultures

    - Leah’s background in the traditional English riding world in Philadelphia, PA and her experience working with top level three day eventing horses

    - The traumatic riding incident that broke her tailbone, but didn’t break her love for horses

    - Leah’s return to horses after a break during college when she lived in Montana and raised a fiery chestnut filly from birth

    - The influence of birth on foal-mare bonding, Dr. Maddigan’s squeeze, and developmental work

    - Her experience training horses in India and how it all began with wanting to learn about Marwari horses

    - How deeply rooted misconceptions are around stallions, and why we need to reexamine our beliefs about them

    - The problem with getting back in the saddle after taking a fall, and how to respond to your fears about riding

    - How when you’re really listening to your horse, you begin to see that they are not “misbehaving,” but rather that they are asking for help

    - The life-changing practice of showing your horse how much you care

    Resources

    This show is supported by The Herd, a holistic horse community. Herd Members gain access to the Herd Members Only Group at The Wild Side, along with my ever-growing Health, Wellness, & Horses resource library, and much more.

    Check out the transcript for this episode, ‘Adapting to the Horse and Adventures in India with Leah Van Dinther’ on the blog.

    Links from this episode:

    Get in touch with Leah

    Dr. Madigan’s Squeeze

    Hold Your Horses Therapeutics (Equine Developmental Work)

    Wild Willing

    Wild Willing on Instagram

    The Herd Membership

    Podcast cover photo by Tricia Mogensen
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  • #16 Attunement, Attention, and the Biology of Relating with Horses with Rachael Bouch

    #16 Attunement, Attention, and the Biology of Relating with Horses with Rachael Bouch
    May 23 2026
    Rachael is an Osteopathic manual therapist with a multi-species practice based in Northern California. She specializes in working with babies and youngsters, supporting healthy attachment and optimal developmental processes by working with the physiology and the nervous system. She works with all ages and has been in practice for over twenty years. I’ve had the honor of watching Rachael do manual therapy with horses, and it’s something to behold. The transformations are astonishing, even after the first session. I knew right away meeting Rachael that she brings a very unique, powerful skillset to the table. Rachael and I connected through horses and have been friends now for years. We have long said, “we need to record this on the podcast!” And finally in September of 2025 we sat down and recorded our first interview together. It’s taken a while to get the final episode out into the world, largely because Rachael and I are heavily fueled by inspiration and have three big collaborative projects in the works, which draw out our attention in many directions. So this long-awaited interview is something we’re both proud to put out there, and I hope that you enjoy hearing about Rachael’s story and the amazing work that she does.I encourage you to reach out to Rachael to connect with her more deeply. If you’re in Northern California, or a nearby region, and feel called to schedule a session, do it! When you do, you will know why I am blown away by this incredible woman.In this interview we talk about:+ Rachael’s early interactions with horses which helped shape her sense of self and provided a source of comfort through the turbulence of adolescence+ Her first career as a musician teaching music in special education classrooms offering nonverbal and mobility challenged children a way to engage and express themselves in a meaningful way+ Rachael’s bodywork studies and therapeutic education and her capacity to discern subtle things happening in the body early on+ How vices that horses develop may be adaptations from early interruptions including developmental delays, neglect, confinement, inadequate socialization or early imprints from birth / attachment injury+ Nervous system and weaning injuries with horses and the connection between problem behaviors and or disruptions in bonding and attachment + How the attachment experience shapes our capacity to inhabit our own body and form relationship + The importance of consent as a relational practice when doing manual therapy with horses+ How we can reorient to what is important to horses through noticing and taking part in their routines and rituals+ The question of what’s on offer in the horse-human relationship and how to be a good herd mate to your horseGratitude and Acknowledgements by Rachael:To my teachers and mentors who have guided and shaped my growth and development over the years. To my clients and students who continue to support me to put into practice and refine this work. There are a few people who I wish to name, and give special recognition to: Andrea Pfeiffer who watched me march purposefully out into the pasture as a young girl, to catch my lesson pony, holding a halter upside down in my outstretched arms. Thank you for believing in me and guiding me in the first decade of my riding and horsemanship journey. Elsa Sinclair for providing endless insight into the most subtle forms of listening and learning from horses. Because of you I have learned how to listen more deeply and recognize small cues and information with the horses in my life. You have helped me become a better parent and friend to my young horse. Your dedication to inquiry and exploratory spirit are an inspiration.Cyndi Lukk for saying YES and allowing me to learn from your herd of therapy horses. I cannot imagine a more well-suited bunch to guide my hands and my understanding in developing this work. My Parents for continuously and wholeheartedly supporting my dreams - even to this day. The gift of your love is immeasurable, and is with me always. To all the horses I have loved, thank you for all the life lessons… From my first pony Sky, to Boston Blackie my first eventing pony, and finally GT the gentle tall grey who helped me know myself more deeply. To Solstice for trusting me to be his mama, modeling how to meet adversity with creativity and curiosity, for bringing a spirit of peace and reverence into my life, and for calling me forward into a more powerful, coherent, steady, devoted version of myself. ResourcesThis show is supported by The Herd, a holistic horse community. Herd Members gain access to the Herd Members Only Group at The Wild Side, along with my ever-growing Health, Wellness, & Horses resource library, and much more.Check out the transcript for this episode, ‘Attunement, Attention, and the Biology of Relating with Horses with Rachael Bouch’ on the blog.Links from this episode:Resonant BodyworkResonant Bodywork on ...
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  • #15 Restorative Horsemanship and New Beginnings

    #15 Restorative Horsemanship and New Beginnings
    Dec 31 2025

    Over the past year so much has changed. The podcast has been quiet, but under the surface, so much has been happening. Let’s get caught up!

    This episode is about big 2025 happenings, and an evolution that’s occurred in my horsemanship. Time is a scarce resource in my life as a mother of two little ones. And most recently, as a homeowner and land steward working to build my dream horse property from scratch, it has become even harder to find a sustainable routine to continue this work and put out new episodes. Out of necessity, time I get with my herd has become more restorative, as I sink into slow, relational skills that prioritize mutualistic horse-human relationships. And also out of need to embrace a more sustainable lifestyle, this year has changed my work and caused me to decide what I want to go all in on, and what I need to let go of.

    In this episode I talk about:

    + The need to let go of things that are causing us to fight the tide, and embrace what is in alignment with our purpose and returns the greatest joy

    + Our physiological need for connection and the pillars of support we all need in our lives

    + How horses are built for social connection and thrive when they have herd members as their layers of support

    + Why the grind cultures view of productivity is damaging and how true productivity is fed by rest just as much as effort and drive

    + The wild horses I got to work with this Fall who reminded me where my greatest passion lies and how they reignited my purpose

    + How the gentling process has informed my practice of restorative horsemanship

    + The importance of being a good herd member, and how to gain clarity about our role as a layer of support for another person or a horse

    Resources

    This show is supported by The Herd, a holistic horse community. Herd Members gain access to the Herd Members Only Group at The Wild Side, along with my ever-growing Health, Wellness, & Horses resource library, and much more.

    Check out the transcript for this episode, ‘Restorative Horsemanship and New Beginnings’ on the blog.

    Links from this episode:

    Medicine Stories Podcast episode ‘Reshaped by Parenthood: Families, Fathers, and the First Year - Rachelle Seliga’

    Wild Willing

    Wild Willing on Instagram

    The Herd Membership

    Podcast cover photo by Tricia Mogensen
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    Less than 1 minute
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