The Story Behind Strides to Excellence
From Horses Heal to Strides to Excellence—and the experiences that shaped the work.
Long before Strides to Excellence became part of Magic Valley Horses, the journey began in Southern California through a program called Horses Heal.
For years, we facilitated ground-based equine-assisted learning and counseling experiences for individuals and groups working through challenges involving communication, confidence, relationships, and addiction recovery.
These weren’t riding lessons or horsemanship sessions. Participants worked with horses through guided activities designed to create opportunities for awareness, reflection, communication, and personal growth.
Again and again, one thing became clear:
Horses respond to what’s real.
They don’t care about job titles, carefully chosen words, or what we intended to communicate. They respond to what is actually happening in the moment—our body language, energy, clarity, consistency, and behavior.
That honest feedback became the foundation for everything that followed.
A Look Back at Horses Heal
This archival video was created in 2009 during the Horses Heal program in Southern California, around the same time the first edition of Hoofbeats to Recovery was written.
The video captures some of the real equine-assisted counseling and learning work that helped shape both the workbook and the philosophy that later became the foundation for Strides to Excellence.
While the programs, locations, and participants changed over the years, the underlying principles remained the same: meaningful interaction, honest feedback, and learning through experience.
From Horses Heal to Strides to Excellence
The experiences gained through Horses Heal eventually became the groundwork for Strides to Excellence.
Over the years, the work expanded into different settings and populations, including team building, personal-development experiences, and programs incorporating 12-Step recovery principles.
The format might change, but the process remained remarkably consistent: create an experience, observe what happens, talk about it, and connect what happened with the horse to situations in everyday life.
Some of the most meaningful moments were not dramatic breakthroughs. They were quiet realizations—a different way of seeing a situation, recognizing a familiar pattern, or understanding how one’s own actions influenced another person.
Those are the moments that often stayed with participants long after they left the arena.
From Experience to Hoofbeats to Recovery
During the years we facilitated equine-assisted counseling and learning through Horses Heal, we began creating activities that connected experiential work with the 12-Step recovery process.
Those sessions eventually became the foundation for:
Hoofbeats to Recovery
First created in 2009 and released in an expanded second edition in 2026, Hoofbeats to Recovery grew directly out of real sessions and years of hands-on facilitation.
The workbook was designed to help professionals guide structured, horse-based activities that encourage reflection, discussion, communication, and personal growth.
Who the Workbook Is For
Hoofbeats to Recovery was created primarily for professionals and facilitators, including:
- Equine-assisted learning and therapy practitioners
- Counselors and recovery-program facilitators
- Coaches and group leaders
- Educators and experiential-learning professionals
It is especially useful for those looking for practical activities that encourage participation, insight, and meaningful conversation through interaction with horses.
Rooted in Real Experience
The activities in Hoofbeats to Recovery didn’t begin as theoretical exercises.
They grew from actual sessions conducted through Horses Heal, were refined through experience, and ultimately became part of the philosophy behind Strides to Excellence.
The approach has always been simple:
- Meet people where they are.
- Create an experience.
- Make space for awareness.
- Allow the experience to become the teacher.
Continuing the Journey
Today, Strides to Excellence continues through Magic Valley Horses, with its active programming focused on corporate team building and experiential learning with horses.
Hoofbeats to Recovery preserves another important part of that history, allowing the lessons and activities developed through years of hands-on work to continue helping facilitators and the people they serve.
