We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Laura Shadburne a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Laura, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about serving the underserved.
I became certified in a program called Stable Moments created by Rebecca Britt (LCSW). This program is designed for trained equine specialists, & foster youth in any community around the U.S. This program is intended to provide greater support for foster youth and families through a team of trained volunteer mentors and horses, offering a stronger backbone of community. This demographic of foster youth is extremely underserved as they are technically the State’s responsibility whom is over capacity in number of children in the system. These children rely on faithful homes to help support them, but the ratio of willing homes and expectant children is large. There is also a huge lack of support in counsel and life skills training for both foster youth and foster parents. There are too many working parts in the system of the State, all of which do not communicate with each other. Consistency is the greatest gift families connected to the foster care system can receive.
Our brand is available for ALL qualified equine professionals. There is no need to have a social work degree or PATH certification although greatly useful. The model of this program is to train as many willing advocates as possible so that more and more children are reached. To mobilize support in neglected communities would be monumental for individuals in foster care.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I attended Asbury University for my undergrad, receiving a degree in Equine Facilitated Wellness. This double major of psychology and equine management was practically made for me. I was an only child living with my mother who was a severe alcoholic. The pain of being parentified at a young age and grieving the longing of a nurturing mother is what drives me and connects me to so many at risk youth.
I sought out every internship opportunity I could that had to do with faith, horses, and kids. I put in a 16 week internship at Fisj n’ Cross ranch in Colorado leading trail rides and life skills games for youth. I also put in about two years worth of time serving at Stormhaven Youth Ranch- a ministry for at risk youth using broken horses for their healing. Through every opportunity, I soaked in who is most important, and how we can best reflect Him- Jesus.
Through a journey of seeking my faith in Jesus to firmly committing, my road to healing began. I gained new skills in how to help with my lack of emotional control and my triggers. Without my own healing journey and firm understanding in how I walked through these difficult changes, none of my work would be beneficial for anyone. Horses cannot heal people themselves, but rather partner with us in healing. All everyone needs is an advocate to point out where the blind spots are and guide us through them. Horses are great tools for humans because we are very similar. We are capable of becoming damaged by trauma and subsequently healing from it just as they are.The way horses are trained and treated can reflect powerful analogies in our lives to help us understand our own stubbornness, insecurities, or even shame.
Not only does our model connect people to horses, it connects people to people. This is extremely important in the healing journey as that is where most of the pain comes from- another person (or people) has hurt us. Stable Moments follows a 1:1 mentorship model for 1 hour a week for 10 months. This continuous journey with another trusted mentor impacts youth greatly as they may have never trusted another adult in their life.
The most beautiful part of becoming a mentor for the program is that you don’t have to have horse experience. It’s a beautiful thing when two individuals learn something new together. It opens a space for vulnerability and true connection.
The reason I am so excited about this as a program director is because I don’t have an extensive background in the equine industry. I never showed, owned, or consistently rode horses growing up. This is my calling and I am being faithful to that! It was always a distant dream that I finally began to fulfill in college. And even now, there is so much to learn!
What sets our program apart from any other is hopefully just the unique experience that each individual who volunteers brings. We honestly hope many farms add this program to their repertoire! The more children served, the better.
So far I’ve been blessed to hire and train 6 wonderful volunteers who each have unique talents, and a deep genuine love for each mentee they serve. Some had horse experience and some didn’t, but we all made a wonderfully committed team who were focused on our kiddos and their family.
Although we are trauma informed and trained, we do not seek to change the kiddos that come, but rather take a non-punitive approach. We set goals in certain life skills uniquely fashioned for each child, but we do not press the end goal.
Our main goals are that the kids feel safe, loved, encouraged, and supported- as well as their families. Being a refuge is far more important to us than the actual tangible change a child may display, though very wonderful!
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
I’m actually smack dab in the middle of a pivot. I’ve always felt that I wanted to open a nonprofit, but for financial/hiring purposes I very quickly opened an LLC called Hosanna Farms. This is currently the business that I own and run Stable Moments under, as well as beginner riding lessons. I am also a mother of two young girls, 3 & 1, who are my absolute world, and I was really starting to feel the weight of both priorities as I pressed into each.
Being a mother is my top priority, but I felt that I needed (and wanted) to be faithful to this calling of mine. I juggled the two for awhile and soon realized I’m forcing myself into too much responsibility for this season. And being the horse person I am, I remembered “forcing” anything isn’t going to work. And also, if I wanted God to be at the center of whatever business or ministry I run, I needed to wait on Him and not run ahead.
So my pivot resembles a major step back in speed. I am currently offering beginner lessons 1-2 times per week and pausing with Stable Moments. My goal is start it up again next fall when I can put a substantial amount of hours in recruitment for staff and participants, and fundraising!
Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?
I’m still learning how to be a good leader, but the examples I’ve had in the past really set the bar.
When I feel genuinely loved by the people above me, and admire them in a way I want to imitate, they have my whole heart. It helps if you’re all unanimously seeking the same overarching goal and your leader sets a beautiful example of how to follow that goal. For me, it is loving Christ and seeking to become like Him. When I had leaders who blew me away at their relationship with God and how they lived their life, I wanted to do everything they asked of me. Some things were harder than others, but at the end of the day I took note of what I struggled with and explored that with curiosity about myself rather than resentment toward my boss.
Some practical things I did this past season leading my group of 6 ladies was thoroughly and clearly communicate to everyone about any changes, updates, and things to expect. I kept things as organized as I possibly could with physical things like tack, crafts, grooming supplies, and even paperwork. I encouraged extra service opportunities after their initial obligations but did not require, and I always jumped in with them. I tried my best to serve my team and understand where each was at mentally/emotionally that day, or week.
I would say a cheat code is managing who you hire, and really truly getting to know them beforehand. Everyone I hired showed exceptional commitment, high values, and overall dedication to hard work.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @laurashadequine
- Facebook: Laura Shadburne
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-shadburne?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app
Image Credits
@destinyraephotography for feature photo