ABOUT
Mary Ann Simonds
Educator • Speaker • Author • Coach • Consultant • Facilitator
For
Equine Behavior Equestrian Psychology Interspecies Communication Consciousness Human-Nature Interactions
Producer Researcher Innovator Thought Pioneer Catalyst for Consciousness
Just a girl who loved horses and nature who never gave up the magic of communicating with other forms of life. Whether speaking, facilitating, training, consulting, writing, or coaching, my passion has always been to empower and inspire as many people as possible in as many disciplines as possible to better understand and connect to all life. With horses, nature and other animals as my teachers, I researched and studied the interconnections of humans interacting with other species and pioneered the fields of EcoPsychology and Equestrian Psychology with a strong academic background in wild horse social ecology, human-animal interactions and resource management.
Professionally, I have worked for over 40 years consulting and educating people primarily in the horse and natural resource industries. However, my unique natural whole systems background blending science, business and psychology has allowed me to work with a variety of organizations assisting with marketing, organizational development, and creativity.
My undergraduate degree (B.S. University of Wyoming, 1976) in Wildlife Biology and Range Management evaluated how the observer influenced the outcome of observational studies while doing whole natural systems evaluations and recording functional equine social behaviors. I obtained my graduate degree is in Interdisciplinary Consciousness Studies (JFK University, 1990) with a specialization in Organizational Development and Leadership. My research focus was in developing the fields of Nature (Eco), Interspecies and Equestrian Psychology investigating human-animal-nature interactions and the role consciousness plays.
Integrating science and intuition, I have developed various models, techniques, stress management products, educational material, and programs to help people have more collaborative relationships with nature, horses, and other animals. I have given hundreds of talks/lectures, facilitated numerous group retreats/trainings and coached thousands of people. An international publisher author, speaker and clinician, my focus now is targeted primarily to educating professionals in order to pass on the knowledge and skills.
By sharing this knowledge and “real life” examples, I inspire people to shift and grow their practices, train their students, share with others, or just feel more excited and comfortable about connecting, communicating or collaborating with nature, people, horses, and other animals.
Having developed a number of brands such as Equines by Nature, Humans by Nature, Mystic Horse, Horsewomen, Eco-women, Wellington Equestrians, and Horse Tribe, I am now stepping back and mentoring younger collaborators to take knowledge out into the world, traveling less and learning expanded virtual skills. Moving from in-person to virtual may not be as engaging, but it does offer more opportunities for people to learn and thus we are all adapting and evolving together.
I invite you to read on or Contact Me. And if you just want to see what other people say, then click to What Others Say About Me.
HIGHLIGHTS
Educator
Over 40 years of creative teaching.
I have always been an educator, teaching and inspiring people to learn about themselves, horses and nature. While the professional titles may change, my vision to empower, inspire and transfer knowledge to people has been the same. Whether consulting on community development or land use planning, or teaching a class on horse behavior or inter-species communication or coaching a professional on how to expand their practice or start a new profession and find their joy, my passion is helping others.
As an educator I have written, taught, produced videos and cds, coached, facilitated, consulted, marketed ideas and brands and developed innovative products to help horses and people. I have developed and taught hundreds of courses, classes, workshops, and helped thousands of people find better connections with nature and animals and discover a deeper sense of purpose and joy in fulfilling their own passion.
Speaker
Professionally speaking since 1984.
My talks have included small and large groups, government and academic organizations, numerous non-profit organizations and a variety of businesses. I have specialized in outdoor and interactive talks engaging the audience to learn. Talks have included such things as “Managing Stress in the Work Place” and How to Make Money Protecting Nature” to “Interspecies Communication” and “Stress Management for Horse and Rider”.
I have also done a number of talks for young people and youth groups inspiring them to develop self-leadership skills. See more below in my Brief Bio or ask me about my talks.
Author - Producer
Authored numerous articles, books, papers & produced videos, CDs & other educational content.
While I am an international published author and have several books published and hundreds of articles ranging from wild horses and horse-human interactions to Eco-Philosophy and leadership, I feel writing is like speaking – a skill all educators much have to communicate. I love to communicate, write, speak and teach. My first video “The Art of Buying a Horse” was produced in 1985 and I continued to produce and collaborate in a number of films and TV productions See my Brief Bio or the Education and Resource Section for more on my articles, videos, and published works.
COACH
Coaching and training coaches for over 35 years.
Coaching professionally since 1985. Received my graduate degree in 1990 in Inter-disciplinary Consciousness Studies with a focus on coaching with horses, nature and other animals. I also did a specialization in Organizational Development and Leadership and have developed a variety of coach training tools and models for working with people in nature and with animals.
A blend of EcoPsychology and Equestrian Psychology my practice has focused on people and professionals in the human-animal fields, veterinarians, equestrians, and health professionals coaching them to develop more meaningful and successful lives. Through the years I have offered certificates of completion for various coach training programs such as Interspecies Life Awareness Coach, Consciousness Coaching and HeartMind SPEAK coaching
Consultant
From wild horses to sport horses and from environmental assessments to community development
Consultant – 1976 – current – Natural resource and ecological assessments for various projects such as mining reclamation, ranch/range management, wildlife/wild horse management, organizational development, eco-tourism, and community development. Worked with such companies as Atlantic Richfield, Utah International, Century Testing Labs, Dave Newton Engineers, Navajo Nation, Warm Springs Tribe, Brooks Resources, and many other governments, organizations and businesses.
Consultant 1976 – current – Equine behavior, equestrian marketing, equine product research and development, expert witnessing on equine behavior and “standards for the horse industry”, farm design, welfare standards, and equestrian leadership. Ran the Whole Horse Institute and Equines Ltd consulting and teaching. Clients included numerous horse trainers, equestrians, breeders, horse organizations, universities, the Bureau of Land Management, the US Forest Service, the US Fish, and Wildlife Service, and other professionals.
See my Brief Bio for an overview of some projects.
Facilitator
Guiding people toward collaboration, success, and sustainable futures.
Facilitating groups and organizing events since 1976. EcoVision Associates and Natural Encounters worked with business groups outdoors in nature conducting “conflict resolution”, leadership training, meetings, and strategic planning. Organized numerous events from Earth Day activities to Wild Horse Adoptions. Have facilitated a number of community groups and non-profits including the International Alliance for Animal Therapy and Healing and JustWorld International.
Much of my facilitation work has focused on retreats, clinics, and guiding workshops/share shops. I have facilitated hundreds of groups using a learning model that empowers, educates, and inspires people to collaborate. I currently have mentored other facilitators/clinicians on how to use these models working with horses and nature and other species.
MY VISION
Horses
To raise awareness and bridge scientific knowledge into equestrian sports for improved horse welfare.
To educate professionals and horse enthusiasts on the natural lives of horses and how to apply the understanding of equine biology, ecology, and psychology to improve horse-human relationships, care and performance.
To collaborate, share research and teach knowledge on the emotional lives of horses interacting with people and implement tools to help create better relationships for both.
People
To inspire and educate people how to create a more collaborative and compassionate world by integrating their hearts and mind.
To help people develop their innate ability to connect, communicate, and create with all forms of life recognizing how their inner natures reflect the outer nature we observe.
To expand consciousness through educating people on how beliefs, thoughts and feelings influence not just the individual, but the entire system offering opportunities to adapt and evolve.
My Short Story
Growing up “hearing” the thoughts of nature and feeling the emotions of other animals, I wanted to know “how I know what I know” and why everyone else could not hear and feel the same. Fortunate enough to start riding before I was five years old, my love continued throughout high school showing jumpers in California. At the same time, my love of nature kept me hiking the forests, paddling the rivers and swimming the Pacific Ocean. Nature and horses were my teachers until I went off to the University of California, Irvine and then the University of Wyoming to study wild horses, range management and other wildlife.
Recognizing the limits of science in studying behavior, I conducted studies to show how our thoughts and feeling affect the outcome of our observations in wildlife research. Not a popular topic, but my study showed that when we slow our brain waves down and look “with” rather than “at” wildlife and become a part of the whole system without judgement, we can have a much higher and more accurate assessment of nature and wildlife.
Graduating with studies in Wildlife Biology and Range Management my research continued as I worked in the natural resource industry for a number of years. Spending weeks in the field assessing various habitats and ecosystems I was able to conduct range management studies, develop reclamation standards, assess wildlife, including wild horses in 10 states, and develop natural system models for interpreting various ecosystems. I worked with Tribes, various levels of state and federal governments and natural resource companies.
Founding Equines Ltd a horse brokerage and marketing firm in California in 1981 and the Whole Horse Institute in 1983, I was equally immersed in the horse industry selling /rehabbing horses and teaching behavior, as I was consulting and teaching in nature.
I started EcoVision Associates and Natural Encounters which led business professionals to think more creatively, often facilitating meetings out in nature. My consulting on stress management and communication to corporations and governments paid for much of the research I was conducting with horses and people under the Whole Horse Institute and the Institute of Integrated Sciences.
Realizing human systems operated differently than nature, I went to graduate school to better understand people in the late 1980s. This led me again to dive into various research while obtaining my graduate degree in Interdisciplinary Consciousness Studies at JFK University including human-animal interactions and healing, eco-psychology, equestrian psychology, coaching, and organizational development and leadership. It was a great place to test the models I had been developing for humans interacting with nature and horses. Having a solid foundation for the exploration of consciousness, quantum thinking and “real world” application, I continued working with horses and nature with a focus more on teaching than consulting.
Meeting kindred spirts and living in the Bay Area, I became involved in helping to set up Animal-Assisted Therapy guidelines being a key note speaker and facilitating numerous trainings with various groups and learning institutions. At the same time, I was helping establish various horse-human interaction, learning and healing programs as well as participating in “think tanks” as the token ecologist in eco-psychology and eco-tourism groups. Organizations like the Institute of Noetic Sciences, the Elmwood Institute, HeartMath, The Delta Society and The Institute of Animal-Assisted Therapy were all exploring human-animal relationships and it was fertile ground to network with amazing like-minded thinkers bringing a more nature-centric perspective to human interactions with animals and nature.
Continuing my research on wild horses, I consulted with the BLM and Forest Service throughout the Western US states and was asked to serve on the National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board and helped to produce a Strategic Plan for Management in 1992. My professional work continued to bounce back and forth between horses and nature. From Flower Essences Conferences in Scotland to Marine Tourism Conferences in Hawaii, I spent a lot of time sharing research, giving papers and collaborating.
At the same time, I was researching and developing products to help manage stress in horses. Natural Vibrations, magnetic therapy and vibrational remedies was licensed to Toklat Originals for a number of years until Mystic Horse was formed with several partners to develop additional products as well as produce educational products.
Busy doing clinics and demonstrating at horse fairs like Equitana, Hampsferd, Equine Affairs, The Mane Event, etc, I sought to build collaboration among professionals to better represent equine welfare in horse sports. Many of my talks and demonstrations showed how easy it is for people to feel compassionate and empathize with horses, thus reducing their stress under stressful circumstances such as horse shows and events.
Using my Organizational Development & Leadership skills I helped facilitate a number of organizations including equine rehab centers, the EcoTechnology Group, JustWorld International and the International Alliance for Animal Therapy and Healing and I served on a number of Advisory Boards to assist non-profit organizations.
While managing a horse farm is a fulltime job, I did manage to conduct clinics regularly at Wisdom Stone Farm and in Europe, primarily Germany and the UK on equine behavior working with Olympic riders, veterinarians, breeders and horse-human interaction centers. The facilitator and educator part of me organized numerous educational symposiums partnering with horse organizations and universities. I continued to guest lecture at various academic institutions and often had students come to Wisdom Stone Farm for training where they could experience both horses and nature in a more conscious setting.
Through the years I worked with governments in California, Oregon and Washington to help establish equestrian land preservation and protect nature. I organized a number of community groups, drafted ordinances and outlined sustainable district overlays to protect nature and still allow development. Working with developers, communities and governments, I built collaborative teams guiding successful outcomes for all.
Finally, when the last horse was put to rest at Wisdom Stone Farm, we moved full time to Wellington, FL where I had been going back and forth working for over thirty-five years. I still teach and ride regularly, run the community sites of Wellington Equestrians, several LinkedIn Groups and moderate facebook groups.
I still serve on several committees such as the Steering Committee for the EcoLinguistic Society and the USEF Safety and Welfare Committee as well as continuing my advisory board role with JustWorld International.
I continue to write, teach, speak and look for opportunities to collaborate with and inspire others.
My Brief Bio
Education: BSc University of Wyoming, Wildlife Biology & Range Management, 1976
Wild Horse Ecology/Ethology, Whole Systems Analysis focus
MA John F. Kennedy University, Interdisciplinary Consciousness Studies, 1990
Human/Animal Interaction, Eco-Psychology and Equestrian Psychology focus and an Organizational Development and Leadership specialization.
Personal Profile:
Mary Ann Simonds has worked as a researcher, educator, coach and consultant for over 40 years in the fields of human and animal behavior, communication, consciousness and ethology. Ms. Simonds has lectured in Japan, Canada, Europe, and the US and has consulted from Australia and South Africa to France and the Middle East in the fields of animal behavior and human-animal interactions. Her work blends the application of science with cultural issues finding solutions for adaptive co-habitation of people and animals.
Currently living in Wellington, FL she has retired from a rigorous teaching with the Institute of Integrated Sciences and the Whole Horse & Equestrian Science Institute to focus on writing and speaking. Ms. Simonds’ pioneering work has focused on stress management in animals and how humans influence animal behavior both in the wild and in captivity. Integrating a whole systems approach to interspecies psychology, Mary Ann has worked with governments, communities, businesses, non-profit organizations and universities. Her research and consulting work spanned both public and private sectors with such projects as:
*Assisting in the development of stress management techniques for the US Federal government for gathering and capturing wild equines to reduce injury. (BLM 1975-1993)
*Designing habitat for captured and exhibited wildlife to reduce viewing stress -High Desert Museum, Bend, Oregon 1980.
*Education of visitors to enhance visitor experience while reducing stress on native populations of wildlife – various projects including the County of Hawaii
*Identification of emotional stress factors leading to physical problems in captive marine mammals, horses, companion animals and wildlife various consulting projects.
* Implementing techniques to reduce stress in breeding mares, decrease injury and increase breeding success, various breeding farms.
* Researching the application of electro-magnetic fields on animals and developing a line of magnetic therapy products for animals. Natural Vibrations© for Toklat Originals.
* Planning developments to minimize negative impacts on wildlife and reduce domestic/wild exposure and interaction of animals, various consulting projects.
* Implementing wildlife rehabilitation techniques that increase survival rates and adaptation of animals back in to natural habitats, Alexander Lindsey Museum, CA
* Solving wild predator issues with domestic livestock, various consulting projects
* Investigating the effects of natural supplements on animals and developing a line of non-drug stress management formulas for various species. Product development research for various clients including the development of the Natural Vibrations line for Toklat Originals.
* Facilitating numerous conflict resolution meetings between federal, state, regional governments and public dealing with biodiversity issues, ESAs, habitat protection, wild horses, logging, marine protection, and other community and natural resource issues.
*Facilitated various organizations development such as JustWorld International, and a number of other non-profit, government and small businesses.
*Equine Behavior and Equestrian Psychology Coaching and Consulting. 1985-2021
University and Organizations
Ms. Simonds has lectured and conducted training clinics for Universities, governments, and organizations such as the University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, Washington State University, Nippon Animal Science University (Japan), United States Combined Training Association, United States Dressage Federation, SPCA, EQUITANA USA, the US Bureau of Land Management, the US Forest Service, USDA Research and Extension, and US SeaGrant, as well as many private organizations. Ms. Simonds co-founded the Washington State University Horse Symposium and the International Alliance for Animal Therapy and Healing and has taught a number of CE collaborative courses on human-animal interactions and equine behavior.
Television, Media and Expert Witness
Outdoor Life and ESPN 2 television featured her 22-part series on horse behavior and natural health management. She has appeared on local and National TV programs and in documentaries as an “expert” discussing such issues as wild horse management and the effects of development on wildlife. Ms. Simonds has served a number of times as an “expert witness” on animal behavior and equine & equestrian issues.
Advisory Boards
She was appointed by the US Secretary of the Interior to the 1990-1992 Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Board, which made policy recommendations, identified research needs and recommended management. She currently is on Advisory Boards for several non-profits including JustWorld International. Regionally she has served on several county, state and federal task forces and boards concerning wildlife, horses, livestock, animal control, transportation/trails and ecosystem management.
Collaboration/Facilitation
From putting together the first business/non-profit partnerships for Earth Day in the Bay Area in 1982 and assisting in the early development of Eco-Tourism as an economic solution to protect wildlife habitat, Ms. Simonds collaboration and facilitation work spans over 40 years. The following lists a few:
Earth Day Contra Costa County, CA – 1983- 1987, Facilitated partnerships between businesses and non-profits leading to funding and education.
EcoVision Associates 1984 -1992 – A consulting group building innovative partnerships between economic and ecological interested parties from EcoTourism Development on island communities to city/county/regional trails and wildlife corridors.
Citizen’s Wildlife Habitat Task Force, 1994, Clark County WA –led to the development of a Stewardship Ordinance which rewards developers for protecting and enhancing habitat.
WSU/Equestrian Organizations/County partnership for educating equestrians on key issues affecting the County and solving problems. 1996- 2002
Biodiversity Committee, Endangered Species Task Force to address the ESA issues regionally and in the County/City, WA/OR 1999-2010
Local Communities/Government/School/Business partnerships, Hawaii, CA, WA 2005- 2009
Equine Spa Day – Organize a joint marketing between sponsors at WEF.
Equestrian Planning – 2013 Organized a symposium in Palm Beach County with the Equine Land Conservation Resource to help educate planners on equestrian planning.
Young Horse Development – 2019 Helped organize a “Developing Young Jumper” clinic putting together partners and sponsors.
Sample of Speaking Presentations, Research, and Published Works
Ms Simonds has conducted numerous lectures, courses and has a variety of published works. She is a regular contributor to animal and horse magazines writing on human-animal relationships, animal behavior, and whole systems thinking. See the Education Section for more information. The following offers a sample of her work:
Talks on Whole Systems Thinking and Application relative to developing sustainable solutions in community planning, sequestering carbon (BioChar development), health, community agriculture/forestry, economic development, EcoTourism, EcoPsychology and other disciplines. 2002-2012
Stress Mgt. for Horse & Rider – numerous talks to various equine disciplines, clubs vet students, with special appearances and demonstrations at:
Equitana-2005, Germany, Key note Demonstrator, 2005
Hansepferd– Hamburg, Germany Key note Speaker and Demonstrator, 2004
Stress Management of Food Animals – Unpublished Paper -WSU Livestock Symposium, 2001
Human-Animal Relationships–Lecture Series, WSU Research and Extension, 2001 (taped)
Rehabilitation of the Equine Athlete: Emotional and Mental Stress Management Using
Non-Drug Remedies, published paper, Association of Equine Sports Medicine, 2000
Selecting and Rehabilitating the Equine Athlete: How to Predict and Create a Performance Champion, published paper –Association of Equine Sports Medicine
Temperament Typing Horses: The SAICC Evaluation, The Natural Horse Magazine, 2000
Equine Behavioral Therapy– Guest Lecturer: University of California Vet School, 1989-1990
Preventing Stress in Horses –Guest Lecturer, USCTA West Coast College 1992
Sharing Awareness With Animals – Key Note Speaker and Animal Behavior Panel Member, The Institute of Animal Assisted Therapy Conference 1990, 1991
Behavioral Ecology of Wild Horses: A Non-Stressful Approach to Management –Lecture, Demonstration and Training, Bureau of Land Management one day training program, 1991
Eco-tourism Impacts on Rangelands: Preserving Biodiversity and Heritage-2ndInternational Conference on Eco-tourism, 1990 –published proceedings
Identification of Stress Factors in Captive Dolphins Participating in SWTD Programs, Research conducted for the Dolphin Network and submitted to National Marine Fisheries, 1989-1990
Identifying Functional Social Behavior for Wild Horse Management. Wild Horse Symposium, 2011, Las Vegas, Nevada
Numerous talks and trainings on equine behavior and horse-human interactions between 2008-current including wild horse demonstrations, Horse Symposiums, veterinary training, numerous organizations and events.
Videos, DVDS, CDs, Books
A Horse by Nature, Trafalgar, Horse and Rider Books. 2021.
Wild Horses: Understanding the Natural Lives of Horses -with Barbara Wheeler, DVD, 2010
My Space, Your Space, Understanding Horse Culture, MH/Anticipate Productions, DVD 2004
Was Pferd Wirklich Brauchen – book published in German by Kosmos , 2006.
Stress bei Pferden, (Simonds, Meyers) published by Kosmos in Germany, 2007
Wild Horse Wisdom: Lessons from the Wild, Mystic Horse Productions, (Audio CD) 2002
Giving Up Freedom-Finding Friendship: Wild to Domestic Stress Free, MH Prod., 2002
Enchanted Kinship – Riding Meditation CD 2002
Herbs and Aromatherapy for Horses, Painted Pony Productions, 1999 (video)
Think Like a Horse, Communication Arts, 1993 (video)
The Art of Buying a Horse, Glenn-Craig Production, 1985 (video)
Herbs for Horses, Belvoir Publishing, 1998 (book)
Economics and Ecology –Audio Tape from Conference Proceedings, 1987