If I am forced to arrive at a single takeaway from my conversation with Leeanne Gardner, it would be authenticity. It’s not often one encounters someone like Leeanne. She’s an open book, as cliché as that sounds. Whereas in today’s world, closed or slightly ajar books are typically the norm, Leeanne embraces her true character and is unwavering in her desire to bring about the same in everyone she meets.
Leeanne is the “Chief Everything Officer” (we love this title!) of Unbridled Pathways, an Arizona-based non-profit that provides equine-inspired experiences for individuals and organizations. The crux of her work centers on creating more authentic connections with the assistance of horses.
Q: Thank you for sitting down with me today, Leeanne. To begin, while I have heard of the larger world of equine therapy and how beneficial working with horses can be, I am rather ignorant of how it works in practice.
Leeanne: It’s my pleasure, and don’t worry, many people are! Horses are large, powerful animals, but they are also highly sensitive. So, while powerful, horses are prey animals and keenly aware of their surroundings at all times. They prefer to live in herds and this provides an instinctual sense of security as they can feel the energy of others around them. This allows horses to act accordingly.
Q: Does this sensitivity and level of high alert feed into why working with horses is so beneficial for many people?
Leeanne: Absolutely! Horses exist in a constant state of awareness or presence for their instinctual safety. They prioritize the here and now and that is about as authentic as it gets. While humans exist on multiple frequencies of brainwaves, horses resonate at a much lower wave. They are calm by nature and shift to alternative states based on external stimuli but return to their natural state of calm as their baseline.
Q: On the Unbridled Pathways website, you don’t state it outright, but you get the sense that you feel we’re living in an ever more disconnected world. This is strange in a way because we’ve never been so interconnected, mostly via the Internet.
Leeanne: The Internet has been great, don’t get me wrong, but our interconnectedness is now virtual and less personal. It’s hard to be authentic on Facebook. It’s hard to be authentic and in the present if you can’t see, feel, and touch the person. We’re interconnected, but not in a natural way. And don’t even get me started with AI.
Q: What is your personal connection to horses?
Leeanne: I am the youngest of 6 and grew up with horses. I had fabulous memories of my early childhood with horses, but when my parents got divorced, I was forced to sell my horse, and that ripped my heart out. This was a stressful time, and I subsequently built a series of walls to deal with the loss. For years after, I had no connection with horses whatsoever to protect me from the pain of that loss.
Q: What did you do before forming Unbridled Pathways?
Leeanne: I worked in the corporate world working for American Airlines as well as Lowes Loews Hotels, and had a great career, to be honest. But I noticed during that time that something was missing. I reconnected with my passion for horses after about 16 years of being away and discovered what life balance was all about. In 2008, I left my 25-year corporate life to help others learn how to reconnect with a passion as I had done and then created Unbridle It, LLC. I lost my soul horse in 2016, and in 2020, I realized the other things around me weren’t working.
Q: What other things were those?
Leeanne: I was in an unfulfilling relationship, living somewhere I didn’t want to be, and in a nutshell, not living the intentional life that I knew I wanted to live. So I ended a relationship, moved back to Cave Creek, and once again aligned with my purpose of helping others with horses. I wrote a best-selling book about the experience that is based on lessons I had learned from horses and applied in my life. I began hosting connection events to help people learn the art of authentic connection, as only horses can show us. This set the scene for what would eventually become Unbridled Pathways.
Q: Tell me about those first interactions clients have with your horses.
Leeanne: Energy is a powerful thing. The minute you enter into an area, or any space, with horses, they will pick up on your energy. They’ll pick up on your true emotional state.
Q: Do you have any examples?
Leeanne: So many examples! Once, we were working with a couple who were going through some thorny marital issues. The couple agreed to work with us to help them lessen the stress. We asked each of the participants what they could commit to for a successful mediation. He was on edge most of the time, with a commanding energy, and the first encounter with one of my horses, Jake, did not go well. I pointed that out and brought it back to the mediation agreement, where he agreed to be more patient and listen instead of steamrolling his ex. He was bringing that hostile energy into the exercise.
Q: In a way, Jake’s energy showed him first-hand the effect of what he was bringing into the conversations with his ex.
Leeanne: Yes, but better yet, once he could see this, he understood how it could be impacting people in his life. Horses don’t usually hold grudges. Remember, they live in the authentic present, so during the subsequent session with Jake, our client tried again in a more grounded manner, and Jake responded and began to walk with him. The outcome was a more peaceful interaction so the couple could more productively continue their mediation process.
Q: That is something!
Leeanne: It is, I absolutely love it. We work with couples, organizations, women’s and men’s groups, and some families working through traumatic experiences. Last year, I was working with a group of men, including some veterans. As I was explaining about the power of our energy, I had them join 3 to 4 horses in a large area. After about a minute, I asked the men to engage in some breathing activities to help them become more grounded. The shift to the lower energy was an invitation for the horses to engage, and it was beautiful to watch as a big Clydesdale mare approached and walked between them.
Q: It would appear you’ve found your calling.
Leeanne: It took a while, but I realized I learned so many lessons from the horses, and those, coupled with skills I learned in corporate America, can be applied in this work. I feel that without these experiences, I wouldn’t be able to have the impact I am having, especially working across the various groups we serve, such as couples, teams, companies, etc.
Q: We need healthier communities and relationships, Leeanne. Thank you for everything you and Unbridled Pathways are doing. We encourage our readers to visit the website and get in touch.
Leeanne: Thank you. I enjoyed our conversation.
