Victoria Bleeden is the Founder of The Empowered Herd - a specialized equine guided program created by women, as a means to support women in reclaiming their authenticity. Victoria was the quintessential horse crazy child. Her passion for horses began at the age of three when her mother, a lifelong, devoted horsewoman, took her to the pony rides. The shaggy, dwarfed creatures with the all knowing eyes and powerful spirits found their way into her heart. Obsession was sprung, and it knew no bounds.

In this week’s new episode Victoria shares the story of how her horse, Tater, saved her life and ultimately inspired her to start The Empowered Herd. Victoria spent nearly thirty years as a competitive equestrian. She had spent the majority of her life riding and competing. She had owned nearly a dozen horses, and competed from CA to NY. Riding was her persona. She was confident, able, and at home on the back of a horse. To be robbed of that, all that she knew, all that she relied upon for comfort, was agonizing. In the blink of an eye, she was no longer felt accomplished or talented.

Today, Victoria’s mission is to inspire other women to find healing through working with horses. Her work as an equine assisted coach utilizes activities involving horses to create metaphors that reflect real life. The approach is non-directive, allowing for opportunities to problem-solve and be creative. All sessions are conducted in a closed arena.

“It is impossible to hide fear from a horse and so I allowed myself to become vulnerable, truthful, and transparent with my feelings in his presence. To my surprise, when I revealed my true, ugly self to him, something changed. He softened, and soon became not only trustworthy again, but a safe haven. I came to find my emotional pain, loss, and sadness did not push him away but rather drew him to me. He let me be real.”

— Victoria Bleeden

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7bZHrtjAzbksbLWNaak1NM

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stories-of-inspiring-joy/id1510488632

To connect with Victoria and learn more visit her website www.theempoweredherd.com and on Instagram @theempoweredherd and on Facebook @theempoweredherd

Stories of Inspiring Joy is a production of Seek The Joy Media and created by Sydney Weiss.

*Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this episode are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Stories of Inspiring Joy.