Grounded & Growing

Stable Space Origin Story

I inherited my love of animals from my mom. She sustained a small “zoo” throughout my childhood with pet birds, fish, gerbils, a rabbit and two dogs. It was my dream come true when I learned we’d be acquiring our biggest pet yet: a horse! My sisters and I had been frequenting the barn and scooping out stalls in exchange for horseback riding lessons, but I had never expected we’d have a horse of our own.

Ollie joined our family in his retirement era, after a long career as a show jumper, barrel racer, and beyond. Though advertised as a reliable and kid-friendly mount, we quickly learned that he had a strong resistance to being ridden. Whether physical or psychological, we could never quite get to the root of the constant head toss he’d express while under saddle. But on the ground, the head tossing and resistance was gone. He was a calm, curious, and affectionate creature that would follow us around with his nose on our shoulder.

My sisters and I (far left) with our horse, Ollie.

Because riding wasn’t the focus of our relationship, it emphasized to me that horses are more than just a vehicle, more than something we use for our enjoyment. By simply spending time together, Ollie communicated a deep wisdom and helped me start unlearning the traditional, dominance-based horsemanship that told equestrians to “show the horse who is boss.” Ollie showed me the inherent value he had just by being himself, which was a greater gift than being able to ride him.

As I grew up, other interests and duties took priority and I lost touch with horses for a while. I moved away to school and studied to be a school psychologist. While in graduate school, I volunteered with a therapeutic riding program and remembered the magnetic draw of horses and their ability to provide joy and healing.

I loved school psychology in theory, but in practice it wasn’t the right fit. I longed to work with children and families, however within the constraints of an overburdened and sometimes out-of-touch system, I quickly experienced burnout.

Cue a years-long identity crisis. What value would this expensive degree hold if I didn’t use it as intended? Or scarier yet, what value did I hold with nothing to show for myself but student debt and self doubt?

While still deciding if I should move away from school psychology, a dear friend asked me “what brings you joy?” I instantly knew, “horses.” Horses, community, and as trite as it sounds, helping people. Slowly, the seed for Stable Space began to grow.

Eight years later, Stable Space is becoming the place I wish had existed when I was younger — a space where people of all ages can connect with horses, nature, and themselves. is grounded in relationship, rooted in respect, and guided by the belief that healing happens through connection. Whether it’s a one-on-one session, a group retreat, or a camp for kids, everything we offer is built around the same lesson I learned from Ollie: we are inherently worthy, not because of what we can do, but because of who we are.

Grounded & Growing will be a space for stories — from the pasture, from the people we work with, and from the winding, beautiful process of building something from the ground up. I'm so glad you're here!

Kathleen