She believed She Could, So She Did. Join our extraordinary guest, Michele Arana, as she shares her great love for horses and what she did to turn her passion, knowledge and research into a successful equestrian program. Michele's story is one of determination and creativity. A Life Story to Empower Your Mind.
The Journey: From growing up in New York to moving to South Carolina - Creating personalized horse training and equine rehabilitation programs.
Time Stamp:
00:18 Meet Michele Arana
05:46 Journey to creating In Stride Equestrian Training and Rehabilitation Programs
10:53 From New York to Aiken, South Carolina
11:54 How Everything Started
13:55 Parents Encouragement
18:05 Understanding Horses
20:37 It Takes a Team
22:08 Visiting In Stride Equestrian: What to Expect
23:42 Tips to Pursue Your Dreams
26:17 What's Ahead
27:15 Social Media and Contact Information
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In Stride Equestrian: https://www.instridequestrian.com
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'Cause life is better when we live it at 100!⠀⠀
ROSIE, HOST
Welcome to Season 2 of Life, 100 Podcast. In this season, we share inspiring stories on how our guests turned an idea into a successful reality. And today our special guest is Michele Arana. She's going to share with us her great love for horses and what she did to turn her passion, her knowledge and her research into a successful educational program. Hi Michele, how are you today? I'm doing great. I'm doing great. How are you? I am so happy that you are with us because you have a story. You have a story for all of us. Tell me a little bit about yourself. Tell me about your journey, what you do and why you do it.
MICHELE ARANA
I am originally from New York and I now live down in South Carolina. I started my own riding and training business down here on a farm. And I have always just been drawn to horses, something that my mom always said to me and a cute little story that I loved when she first told me was, we grew up in Queens in an apartment complex. We were lucky we had some parks nearby, but yes, it was in the city, and there weren't around horses at all. As a two year old, my mom said all I wanted for Christmas, for my birthday was horsey this, horsey that, any horse toy, I could get my hands on. And every picture, every book, every movie with horses in it, I was just completely drawn to. And whenever we would go into Manhattan, I would always want to go to Central Park and stop and say hello to the carriage horses. They are so beautiful. My mom was like, where are you getting this horse from? Because it's not like we live near horses at all. Right? So she always thought that was kind of funny, but I've just ever since I can remember, I've always been drawn to horses.
ROSIE, HOST
Every opportunity you had to be around horses, you took it. I can imagine every drawing that you could make, you did it. And every time that you go to the library, every opportunity you had to get a book about horses, you took advantage of it.
MICHELE ARANA
Yes. I cannot tell you how many horse books I have gone through as a child. But yeah. And then as I got older, started asking more and more and asking for lessons and I just want, I just needed to be around them. So my mom caved in, and took us for horseback riding lessons and that was my foot in the door.
ROSIE, HOST
So how was that experience for the first time to going horseback riding? I know, I remember mine is something that you will never forget. How was that experience for you?
MICHELE ARANA
I just remember it being one of the happiest moments of my life. I remember having a smile from ear to ear and I remember thinking I don't want it to stop. I don't want it to end. I want to come here all the time. I wanted to live in the barn. I was one of the few kids that was willing to pick the poop out of the stalls so that I could be there longer.
ROSIE, HOST
Right. What else can I do to stay around here longer? And I can imagine you're walking around that stable and seeing these magnificent horses and, what went through your mind at the time?
MICHELE ARANA
It was almost like being in a whole other world. It seemed to be like, I knew it before I even got there, but it was like a safe place for me. I felt like I could be myself. That was how it all really started. So as time went on, everything just slowly progressed. I moved out and I moved upstate New York and I decided to buy my first horse. I had always taken lessons. I had always written and I even was on the equestrian team when I was in college. It was very casual, but I was still there. So that passion just stayed. It never went away. So when I was out on my own, I decided that I was going to save up my money and buy a horse. And I worked, I worked very hard. I worked seven days a week. I got a horse and a ball was set in motion.
ROSIE, HOST
And, you were in love. What is the name of the horse? Your very first one?
MICHELE ARANA
My first horse, her name is Mandy. And I still have her. She's very special and she knows it. She knows she's special.
ROSIE, HOST
And she knows she's your first baby. So definitely she's spoiled. And she has all the attention in the world because it took a life journey to get to this point for you to have your first horse.
MICHELE ARANA
Of course, my parents, I think were wonderful. I had a wonderful childhood, even just having the opportunity to have backriding lessons when I was younger, that was never not given to me, but horses weren't in my life. Like through my family, it wasn't something that was just readily available. It wasn't something that I could take advantage of. I had to work very hard and really put myself out there even to get my first horse, but then to progress it into growing a business.
ROSIE, HOST
It takes dedication and discipline, passion, commitment, and believing in yourself. Even if others don't share the same dream. So how from moving upstate and having and caring for your first horse, how did that translate in the educational programs that you have now in In Stride Equestrian?
MICHELE ARANA
While I realized several things, the first thing being that for however long we are on this planet, wherever life takes us, why do something that makes you miserable every single day? Why not do what you love and chase after what you love, what you enjoy to do? Yes. Obviously being able to support yourself is very important, but if you can enjoy doing what stabilizes you and supports your life, why not do that? Why not bring to the table so much that you've learned and have been able to almost realize and help other people and love what you do everyday. So that's what made me want to push to doing this professionally. In the beginning, I didn't quite know what, but I knew that this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I love being outside. I've worked in offices, I've worked in buildings. I've felt like a zombie.
ROSIE, HOST
Probably like you are trapped somewhere that you don't want to be.
MICHELE ARANA
Yeah. And I've always been a person that felt the safest and most connected to nature, always loved being outside and connecting to animals, plants, and the elements, all of these things. Being able to feel different energies of living things.
ROSIE, HOST
That is so important that you have that connection. And the connection that we have, that we came to that realization. In your case that you disciplined yourself, that you put yourself in that position. So you can build something from there. From that point of realizing, this is what I want to do with my life. And then what did you see? What did you notice that needed to be done? What was the dream that you had from that point?
MICHELE ARANA
I wanted to work with the horses and as someone who's always been very compassionate, I wanted to be able to help people help their horses because so many times I would talk to people or see things or experience things and realize that so many of the issues or things were because of a lack of education, lack of knowledge, and understanding. I thought, why not connect the dots, fill in the gaps for people. Get that understanding on a foundational, fundamental level for people so that they can grow and be the best versions of themselves for their horses so that their horses could be their best as well. And not just like, you're a good rider, but being able to understand the physical, mental, emotional aspects of courses, as well as horsemanship and riding, and care. And so many people want to do right by their horses.
MICHELE ARANA
They want to do the right thing. They want to be able to provide certain things. But again, there's a disconnect and a lack of understanding and knowledge because so much of what we do with our horses is just so outdated. Of course, now we have so much more research and data and information that is out there. But so many of the practices that people continue to do almost seem like they're set in the stone ages, but this world is based on tradition. And so it's almost like people feel like, well, if it's always been done this way, isn't that the right way to do things, but that's not the case. So looking at it from an analytical standpoint, if we have all this research and data telling us that what we're doing is the opposite of what we need to be doing. How can we help people start to make those shifts and make those changes? And so that's where I decided to come in and step up and create a program for horses, for people be able to provide living situations and boarding and training and rehabilitation for horses so that we can provide this base of information and explain it to people in a way that's easy to understand and conceptualize.
ROSIE, HOST
It's a combination of your compassion and analytical data so that the horse and the person could have the right connection and the right experience.
MICHELE ARANA
Exactly. Because the way I see it, even if you're taking tiny baby steps every day, if you can take those steps forward and not have to take any steps back, why not continue to just progress, if it's a little slow that's okay. But at least you're still progressing forward instead of taking a big leap forward and maybe 10 steps backwards
ROSIE, HOST
Moving forward. Absolutely. So how was that transition from New York state to move into South Carolina?
MICHELE ARANA
I had an opportunity to come down here and live on a farm with a trainer to put my foot into the waters for in the equine world as a professional. I had not been around that and I knew I needed to put myself out and I needed to be in an area where there was a large equine community and Aiken, South Carolina has a very large equine community. So that's where I went. It ended up not working out with where I was living in. So I kind of, for a couple of years, hopped around from different place to different place and meeting new people. And of course continuing my education. I feel like we can never learn enough. I'm just always learning and learning myself. I feel like there's never a good place to stop with that. If you feel like, you know, a lot, keep reading, keep researching.
ROSIE, HOST
A forever student. So when In Stride Equestrian was formed? Was it in New York or it was in South Carolina?
MICHELE ARANA
It was in South Carolina. So I didn't start my business until about three years ago. And I have been down here for seven years now. And so I spent the first several years just getting to know the area, getting to see and meet people, see what the needs were for people, see what the needs were for horses and kind of where I fit into everything, because it took quite a bit of time to really figure out exactly what I wanted to do and how I wanted to do it. I had the idea in my head, but it just seemed like a giant mixed up jigsaw puzzle. It wasn't a beautiful picture quite yet.
ROSIE, HOST
An that's what I wanted to ask you. How did you process and how did you evaluate all these ideas to develop your teaching programs?
MICHELE ARANA
It started with a property. I found this farm, I want to say about four years ago and it was, and still is a huge fixer upper. It is endless project after endless project, but something in me absolutely fell in love with it. And it was clear as day that that's where I was supposed to be. I felt at home there, I felt at peace, everything just felt incredible about that place. And so I pursued that property. It's a 33 acre farm and I've been there ever since that property, as well as the people is the foundation to this program.
ROSIE, HOST
And this is so inspiring because you are a very young woman. And the beauty about this is to show that if we have the opportunity to act on what give us purpose in life, what a great thing is to go ahead and take steps towards that.
MICHELE ARANA
Yeah. I had such supportive parents. My dad always used to say to me, you can be anything you want to be so long as you put your mind to it. And my mom was, has always been there every step of the way, cheering me on and telling me how proud she is of me and having those hard conversations on days where I was like, God, what am I doing? Like this is crazy then that all that fear and doubt and insecurity those pop in of course. So I'm still human. I'll have that talk with my mom and my mom's like, listen, that's totally normal. When you run your own business, you work for yourself. You have so much on your plate and sometimes it's going to get very overwhelming, but you do know what you're doing and you are very good at what you do. So don't doubt it.
ROSIE, HOST
The importance of an environment that supports you because it's human is human for us to feel sometimes like, am I doing the right thing? Is this I'm supposed to do? Is this where I'm supposed to be? That's why it's so important to have people around us to provide that environment of support, to let us know that these are going to be tough times, but they know that we have what it takes to make it happen. Because every time that you start something new, something that has never been done, if you are the first in the family, in your case to move from upstate New York to South Carolina, you know, you're going to have challenges. You know it's not going to be easy, being the first is not easy. Usually because you are in this path that is full of the unknown, what is going to happen, how it's going to be, how I'm going to figure it out. So it's a total challenge and it takes a special person to move forward in so much uncertainty. So Bravo to your parents, Bravo, to the people who believed in you and most importantly, Bravo to yourself because you didn't give up. Yes. And when I saw your webpage, I was just inspired because it tells the story. It shows all the amount of care and dedication and knowledge, the uniqueness of what you do, what made you decide, this is what I want to do. And this is how I'm going to do it?
MICHELE ARANA
I've never felt that I had to conform to doing what I wanted to do the way everybody else was doing it. Horses were and still are something very spiritual for me. I'm a very spiritual person. And that connection between an animal and person, I hold very sacred. The same goes for the connection to the land that we have. I hold that very sacred and I try to live that in everything that I do and everything that I am. And I don't let modern day practices just everyday ways of going about life, subdued that. So many people get so driven in their profession, that the element of that connection, that spirituality holding that animal sacred gets lost. And to me, the reason why I do what I do is because of how important that is, because I look at a horse and I don't see an animal. I see something of equal measure to people and they should be treated with the same respect and dignity that we treat other people. And that connection that so many people lose or so many people wish that they had, but they feel like they can't get, is what I want people to walk away with.
ROSIE, HOST
Yes. And that is so beautiful because when I moved to Texas, I was fortunate to find a farm here near Austin in Georgetown, which is just 30 to 40 minutes from town. And the person who took care of the horses had such an amount of respect and love for the horse. I mean, that person told us about each horse and the name, the personality, what the horse like what you didn't like also before we got even on a horseback riding lesson, we knew the horse. So what can you tell me about their personality and how they connect to people?
MICHELE ARANA
Oh, I can tell you lots. Just like people, every horse is their own individual. Every horse likes different things. Every horse feels safe in different situations and every horse bonds and connects to people differently. But the biggest thing that people need to be aware of is that horses are prey animals, which means they're flight animals. They're the animals that in the wild are hunted by the predator. So mountain lions, tigers, wolves, et cetera, versus their prey. Even though we've had domesticated horses for thousands of years, we've never been able to basically breed their instincts out of them. So much of them has evolved around this. So they're, they're sensitive animals. They are very aware of their surroundings. Safety and comfort is very important. So if you act aggressive around a horse, it's not just that they're being reactive. They're afraid because you are acting out in predatory energy.
MICHELE ARANA
So it helps keep you grounded because if you're not grounded, you're going to make a horse unsteady they're herd animals. They are very sensitive to the energies of others because when they live out in a hunt together, it let's say there's a herd of 10 horses. And there's one horse off to the side. That horse picks his head up, - his ears up, and he's got his full attention on something. And the other horses without even thinking about it will pick their head up and look the same way. They can feel that energy change is something safe, is something unsafe. So they are in a way, it is very easy if you're receptive to that type of energy to connect to them. But it's also double-edged sword because you can also do a lot of harm with the relationship of your horse. If you're not aware of that and kind of ignore a lot of the signals and cues that a horse gives you to let you know that they're not comfortable,
ROSIE, HOST
They are not comfortable. And that is where education comes. Because one thing that I have learned is that it takes a team of people who care for horses, right? Not only the trainer, but also the vets and other professionals. So tell me about what he takes to have the best experience caring for a horse.
MICHELE ARANA
Yes, you're entirely, right. There's an entire team. If you're putting yourself out there, like a lot of my clients, a lot of people in my program, they want, again, to do the right thing and to do what's best for not just themselves, but their horses. And they are very active in supporting their horse through several different other equine professionals that being their hoof trimmer or farrier, so that's your horses hoof care, body workers, the vet, your farm hands, or people that help feed and take care of your horse, your trainer, yourself, of course. And right there, that's at least six people. And if you have your horse at a boarding barn, I'm sure they're going to be, or they're going to be in situations where there's more than one person that feeds or cleans stalls and different types of bodyworkers. So it might even be more than that.
MICHELE ARANA
And what I recommend to everybody is to have a group of people that are willing to communicate and talk with each other, a group of professionals that let's say something that I would do is if I'm out there riding a client's horse and something doesn't feel right, and I can tell the owner, I think it might be in this leg or in this foot. And I'll reach out to the vet or the farrier or a body worker, and kind of get all, have us all be on the same page of what's going on with this horse and see if we can all work together to fix it.
ROSIE, HOST
So for the person who wants to go to your farm and learn and participate in all the educational programs that you have, what should this person expect from? It,
MICHELE ARANA
Expect it to be an experience and to be very hands-on. I give my students homework, I will. And I tell them, I say, do your homework. And I can tell when they do, and I can tell when they don't, you can't expect to progress, if you're not taking those steps forward yourself. I'm very supportive, I customize everyone's program to the individual. People learn at different paces, horses learn at different paces, and I don't believe in a one size fits all program. I try my best to cater to each individual so that once again, everybody is always taking steps forward. I provide information. I will tell people to go read this book or read this article or watch this video. And in terms of care, I will explain things. So I don't want to just tell my students or my clients what to do. I want them to understand why they are doing.
ROSIE, HOST
Absolutely why they're doing it. And this will apply from the inexperienced to the professional. This is amazing. This shows how a young girl who fell in love with horses now is providing all these amazing opportunities for other people to connect and to care for their horses. So someone out there is listening right now on how can I turn my ideas into reality? So what kind of two tips can you give that no matter where they are in life, no matter their financial resources, they can do and move forward towards that realization?
MICHELE ARANA
The first thing is that nothing is impossible. Even if something feels like it's really, really difficult, it's still not impossible. It just means that you've got to be creative and resourceful. Not everybody handed their life on a silver platter. I know that firsthand again, not that I grew up in any bad situation, but I've had to work extremely hard for what I have now. Again, there have been times where I questioned myself, but I had to keep saying nothing is impossible. So don't put that in your head. Your thoughts are your reality. Think I can do this. Even if it's something small that you can get done to put you in the right direction, you do it every day. Do it little by little. And that feeling of maybe this is impossible, we'll say we'll become well, this is just really hard. And then it will become, it's kind of hard.
MICHELE ARANA
And then it's like, Oh, I see the light at the tunnel. I just need to do X, Y, and Z to get there. And then you get there and it's a whole other story. And the other tip is to no matter what, just do your best every day. And don't kick yourself if your best yesterday, wasn't what you wanted. I will admit that I'm very hard on myself. I might feel like I didn't achieve what I wanted to achieve in this amount of time, but I would wake up every day and do the best that I could. And that might mean I got 15 things done that day and I was a powerhouse and I just got it done. And the next day it might mean having to do the bare minimum because either I'm in physical pain, mentally exhausted, emotionally exhausted, but I will always do my best given that, that circumstance and situation, whatever it is.
ROSIE, HOST
Wise words, wise words. And I am so moved by what you have done, what you have created. And I have such a great respect for nature, such a great appreciation for horsemanship, that relationship between the horse and the person. And I am in awe, for what you have accomplished so far. And I know this is just the beginning because it's going to be Michele Arana for a very long time. So what else is ahead for you? Where do you see yourself going from this point?
MICHELE ARANA
I do have some pretty fun, interesting online programs that are going to be coming out soon as well because of the pandemic, I want to be able to provide access to those who are not quite as capable of being able to travel and move around and be around more people. We still have to be safe. We still have to be cautious. We luckily have the internet and are able to do things that way and aside from continuing to build my business and educational programs, what my heart is set on is starting youth programs for underprivileged children of color in my area, as well as hopefully other areas within the United States, as well as bringing a program out to the island in Puerto Rico for children. That's very long term, but that is my next step.
ROSIE, HOST
Everything that is ahead of you is remarkable. So for the people who wants to get in touch with you, where do they find you?
MICHELE ARANA
There are several different platforms. I have a business page on Facebook under In Stride Equestrian as well as Instagram under In Stride Equestrian as well. I also have a website it's www.instridequestrian.com. Those three platforms are probably the best way to get in touch with me. If you leave a message or a comment, I will get back to you.
ROSIE, HOST
That is awesome. And I want to invite you anytime that you have something that you want to share with the world, you can always come here and use this platform to make it happen, because it is an honor to listen to you talking about your passion and all the programs. I know the significance of bringing opportunity to everyone, to anyone, regardless of their financial background and situation and anything like that. So I invite you to visit her website, to visit her social media, to share this information and to get involved in making this particular program a possibility and a reality for everyone. Right? Well, Michele, thank you so much for spending time with us. I am inspired by your story and I just can't wait to see what the future holds for you.
MICHELE ARANA
Thank you. Thank you for having me here and inviting me to your podcast. I've had a wonderful time. Look forward to talking with you again.
ROSIE, HOST
I'm looking forward to that. What great insights and information Michele shared with all of us, her passion for horses, her dedication and her vision are truly remarkable. So keep listening to your inner voice and dream big because you too can be the one. So until next time, thanks for listening and like, comment, subscribe on the website or on Instagram. Go ahead. Stay in touch 'cause Life 100 Here We Go!