About Us!

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Mission Statement: Divine Equine Assisted Therapy Center helps facilitate the connection between horse and human to provide confidence, belonging, and independence beyond the diagnosis.    

Kristy felt a deep affinity with horses since pre-school and has worked professionally with children for 20+ years earning the nickname, "The Child Whisperer". 

When she was introduced to therapeutic riding in 2015, Kristy was immediately called to dedicate her future to being in service through equine therapy. 

Since that initial spark of inspiration, Kristy volunteered at various centers for riders with special needs, received formal training in western and English riding, and completed an accelerated program to become a PATH certified instructor. 

Kristy immediately began teaching and supporting students with disabilities. With a grand vision of being intentionally inclusive and serving broader and more diverse populations, Kristy began her efforts towards creating her own Center. With her love of horses and calling to provide a space to empower people through experience with horses, her non-profit, Divine Equine Assisted Therapy Center was born. 

Kat began at Divine Equine in February 2021. Kat fell in love with horses as a little girl and started riding lessons at 12. While she began in jumping competitions, as she learned more, Kat developed a deeper understanding of the horse/human relationship, drawing her toward natural horsemanship. Kat would bring children to a barn for a special day out as a nanny. 

There, she observed the horses' effect on the children, calming and creating a peaceful presence within them. Witnessing the deep connection between the animals and humans led Kathryne to her work in equine therapy. Observing an adaptive riding lesson one day, she was moved by the serenity and joy she saw among the participants. She decided then that this should be her life's work. She is grateful every day for the opportunity to see the impact therapeutic riding has on her students and to be a part of the Divine Equine community. 

Kayla joined Divine Equine in August of 2021. She began as a certified therapeutic riding instructor in December 2019. She taught at Giant Steps Therapeutic Equestrian Center and Halleck Creek Ranch before teaching at Divine Equine. 

She loves being a positive influence in her riders' lives and enjoys all her time in the arena with the horses and the people she works with daily. She is honored to be a part of the team at Divine Equine and is very proud of the work we do!

• Home: A space where humanity lives and where we aim to show up in our student's world, rather than asking them to show up in ours. A diverse space where everyone is seen, respected, and heard. 
• Outstanding: Inspiring excellence in everything we commit to. We have realistic high expectations of our students. We see them as humans, not as their diagnosis. What's your goal? Okay, let's get you there!  
• Relationship: Providing an inclusive environment and experience focused on bringing our community together.
• Safe: A community focused on an environment built on the commitment of belonging. A supportive place to push limits to attain self confidence and experience freedom. Both physical and psychological safety is necessary to bring out everyone’s potential.
• Equality: Everyone is equal when they are at Divine Equine. Staff and volunteers are empathic towards the varying needs of each student, which helps encourage the emergence of the clients’ authentic self. 

We are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all members of our staff, students, volunteers, subcontractors and vendors. Divine Equine Assisted Therapy Center does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations. These activities include, but are not limited to, hiring and firing of staff, selection of volunteers and vendors, and provision of services.

Kristy is a member of PATH's national Diversity and Inclusion Council charting centers to promote social justice and racial equity. The first goal is to provide more access to lessons for those who may not know we are here for them. Our action is to partner with community groups and provide scholarships where needed for new students. We are creating an Inclusive Language Guide for our staff and volunteers. We are putting together a report to be transparent about our intersectional diverse makeup and will continue to have diverse representation among our staff, vendors, suppliers, volunteers and especially our students. 

Watch an interview with a parent about therapeutic riding

Kristy's interview on the podcast, Mother's Guide Through Autism

Kristy's interview on Talk of the Bay

Divine Equine helps rescue animals in the Santa Cruz wildfires