I’m soon turning 6o, which I find astonishing. The years have flown by so fast, creating an amazing journey that has brought me to this point in my life. Everything up until now needed to occur before I could begin writing the book I’ve always intended to write. Everything in the Universe always happens for a reason and in its perfect timing, and this book’s timing is now.

I cannot remember a time in my life when I haven’t been fascinated with animals – all types of animals. When I was very young, my folks took my brother and me to see “Patty the Porpoise” on a Florida vacation. I fell in love with the bottlenose dolphin and I begged my parents to go every night. It was as though I’d reconnected with an old friend. Eventually, the attraction owner took pity on them and waived the entrance fee.

I came out of the womb with an innate love of horses, which no one in my family understood, since there were no horse people in our family. My love for dogs was no surprise, because both my parents loved dogs: we had Collies for many years and then Labradors.                

My folks were willing to give me riding lessons, but our local park system’s stable had a minimum age requirement of eight years old. It seemed an eternity until I turned eight. From the age of six, my mom would take me to gaze longingly at these magnificent creatures. I imagined one day riding into the sunset like Roy Rogers & Trigger. Happy trails to me….

Five years into my riding lessons, my dream of a horse of my own was realized for my 13th birthday. I’ve had one or more horses ever since, and each has contributed immensely to the person I am today. The sense of responsibility I learned from caring for my own horses has served me well throughout my life. I wish more kids could have a horse to teach them, but horses have become very expensive. I’m extremely grateful that I grew up when I did.

            From childhood through college, I successfully showed my jumpers and hunters, as well as others’ horses. Training and jumping horses was my passion from the start. It is the one constant in my life that always brings me great joy no matter what else is confronting me. There is no better therapy for me than being on the back of a horse.

            After high school, I choose to follow my father and grandfather into pharmacy. This was a mental decision based on my belief that as a pharmacist I’d always be able to support my horse. I thought I’d made a very mature decision that would chart the course for the rest of my life. I decided against a career training horses because I never wanted to jeopardize my one joy in life. I never wanted to resent going to the barn.

            My pharmacy career robbed me of spending every day at the barn. Luckily, my heart knew I was meant to work with horses and put me back on target when I fell in love and married an equine veterinarian. I left pharmacy to manage our vet practice, equine hospital, and horse farm in central New Jersey. I was back where I needed to be, whether I knew it or not.

For the next 27 years I worked alongside my husband to care for our practice, hospital, and farm; our horses, dogs and cats; and our clients’ horses. Working with horses is an all-consuming occupation, a lifestyle. Even during the most stressful of times, I was happier than I’d ever been working as a pharmacist. My heart was so right about where I belonged.

In the early ’90s, I was shown my true path by one of my husband’s patients, a Quarter Horse filly foal named Because Of Love. Love helped me uncover my abilities in animal communication and healing, which changed the course of my life forever.