Mary Boles, Owner

Working with horses has been Mary’s dream vocation since she was a junior in high school. She graduated from college in 1983, with a double major Bachelor of Science degree in Equestrian Science and Business Administration. From there, Mary became a professional groom for two renowned hunter/jumper barns before opening her own barn, boarding horses, teaching riding lessons, training hunter/jumpers, and running summer camps. In addition, she was active in breeding and racing New Mexico Quarter Horses. From 1997 to 2007, Mary became involved in teaching therapeutic riding lessons to handicapped adults and children. In 2001, she created a nonprofit therapeutic riding program called Strides Unlimited Therapeutic Riding in Abilene, Texas.

Mary was introduced to equine psychotherapy in 1998, when she attended an Equine Facilitated Mental Health (EFMHA) workshop in New Hampshire. At that time, equine psychotherapy was just emerging as a new therapeutic approach in the mental health field. In 2001, she participated in an Equine Psychotherapy clinic called Adventures in Awareness (AIA), given by Barbara Rector. Mary was inspired by the experiences of the workshops, particularly the transformative power of horses as metaphors for experiential learning, healing, and self-discovery. In 2013, Mary went back to school, after 30 years, in order to become a Licensed Professional Counselor. She completed her degree in December 2017. Mary recently purchased The Ranch at Trail End and her next step is to apply the training and life work to make her ranch a place where people are welcome to come and experience the healing growth and development with the transformative powers of the horse.