We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Susan Parker. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Susan below.
Susan, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Is there a heartwarming story from your career that you look back on?
Daisy is the namesake and inspiration for Daisy Chain Sanctuary. She was born in my arms in a snowstorm in December of 2007, just the cutest little filly with a heart for a blaze(the white spot on their face is called a blaze). When she was 4 months old it was determined she had cerebellar abiotrophy and would never be rideable- to most horse people that means she would be useless. Some told me to put her to sleep, others said to sell her before we could prove it, neither of which I could do. So she became my very expensive pet. At the time even the horse rescues I reached out to told me they couldn’t take on another horse that was hard to rehome. We were boarding out at a ranch in Longmont, but I didn’t have the time to spend with them that I would have liked, so I thought finding a place where they could be on pasture with some other horses might be better for them. I found a wonderful ranch in Evergreen, a place I had always wanted to move to, that had 300 acres and about 40 other horses boarded there, It seemed like a horse paradise to me and when I did get up to see them, we could ride striaght from the ranch to beautiful places. There was some concern that Daisy might not do well with her handicap, with the fences and the creeks. You see, she is clumsy, she walks with a little bit of a sway, and she has an intention tremor, which means when she focuses on something her head shakes, similar to cerebral palsy. We walked the fence and I took her by the crevice and the creek. She seemed non plussed by them, and I always just wanted her to be a horse so was willing to take the chance so she could live in this beautiful place. This leads me to one of the most heartwarming stories of Daisy and her intuitive, loving, personality. A woman named Holly worked at the ranch a few days a week and I had become friends with her, she adored Daisy and told me so every time we saw each other. One day she came up to me to tell me a story about her neice, Katie who had cerebral palsy. Holly had been bringing her out to see the horses for many years but she would always just wait in the car, she never had any interest in even petting a horse, until this one day when she saw Daisy in the pasture. Daisy was about 500 feet away from the gate that the car was about 200 feet from. To Holly’s surprise, Katie opened the door and asked “Aunt Holly, what is that horses’ name?
Holly looked over and said, well Katie, that is Daisy, and called Daisy’s name. Daisy looked up and saw Katie, and Katie called her name too. Daisy turned and did her clumsy walk to the fence, while Katie also clumsily walked to the gate. I guess Katie stayed at the gate with Daisy for at least an hour while Holly finished her chores. Holly was in tears when she told me the story a few days later. This story made me realize that it wasn’t just me who thought Daisy was special, and was yet another thing that pushed me to start Daisy Chain Sanctuary.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Susan Parker and I am the founder of Daisy Chain Sanctuary. Our mission is to provide a loving sanctuary that empowers people to grow in compassion and confidence through connection with horses, the earth and each other.
I think the best way for you to understand me and where Daisy Chain came from is to share with you the why that I read to myself on a regular basis.
I love horses. It could be as simple as that, but every horse that has walked through my life gave me something special and made me who I am today. I feel the need to name each one here, AppleJack, Misty, Woody, Button, Roper, Little Mist, Sea Roper, and now Bobbie and Daisy. I love the way they smell. The feeling that comes with that deep breath of earthy goodness is something I cherish every day. I love sharing the specialness of these animals with everyone I meet, especially kids.
It all starts with Daisy;
Daisy was born in my arms in a snowstorm in December of 2007. When she was four months old it was determined she had cerebellar abiotrophy and would never be rideable- to most horse people that means she would be useless. Some told me to put her to sleep, others said to sell her before we could prove it, neither of which I could do. So, she became my very expensive pet. At the time even the horse rescues I reached out to told me they couldn’t take on another horse that was hard to rehome. This made it clear that there is a need for a sanctuary for “useless” horses. Horses have so much more to give than just a ride or a race or an event! So, we give them a job, horses do love a job.
Why kids? I love kids and believe every kid should at least meet a horse in their lifetime. I love sharing my horses with my friends and their kids, and I have seen some of these kids open up and smile and get more confident in just one interaction with a horse. Kids are the future, and these days I believe they have lost a sense of connection. With themselves, each other and the planet that keeps us alive!
My experience starts with forty years of caring for, training and riding horses, but I am most proud of the certification I received in 2020. I am a Certified Equine Assisted Learning Facilitator, where the horses are the teachers. When you come to one of my programs you work with a horse through obstacles on the ground (we don’t ride our teachers) developing a relationship with the horse, your teammates and yourself. These curriculums increase confidence, teach verbal and non-verbal communication, and are a fun way to connect and build skills for a lifetime.
. We had our first camp in the summer of 2019 and it was a great success! The parents and children were apprehensive to a camp where they weren’t going to ride the horses, but at the end every parent said their children were more confident and compassionate to the world around them. We offer camps, retreats and programs to humans of all ages and raise money to not only adopt more horses but to give these camps and programs to the less fortunate who will benefit from them. We offer our programs to anyone for a fee and give our programs to kids in foster care and Veterans. Why? Because like the horses we are adopting, kids in foster care are there by no choice of their own, and most feel as though they don’t belong anywhere, that no one cares or would understand the trauma they’ve endured. This is the same with veterans, they serve our country, sometimes put in situations by no choice of there own and are forced to survive and protect. Then when they return, they don’t feel as though they belong in the society they were protecting and that no one cares or would understand the trauma they’ve endured. Horses help a person feel a sense of belonging without judgement or pity.
I am passionate about eating healthy food and living a life that gives back to the planet. Horses and horse rescues are not sustainable without proper planning and the use of regenerative practices. We instill our core values on our participants while teaching them how to live a life that doesn’t burden the planet.
In April of 2015, I attended the Earthship academy in Taos, New Mexico, where I lived in an Earthship and learned all about sustainable practices and how to build Earthships. In the summer of 2015 I helped build a large Earthship in Salida Colorado and the experience sparked an idea of a sustainable farm where people can come and stay in an Earthship or other off grid style cabin. This while having an experience with a horse and healing themselves while learning ways to help heal our planet.
Although we do not have our own property at this time, it is our goal to have a place like this in the next five years.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
In 2017 I rented house in Lakewood that had room for the horses and a geodesic dome greenhouse. I could run an Airbnb out of the house while working for Lyft and starting camps on the property, but 6 months in the landlords decided to sell the house due to the political turmoil at the time. This led me to try to find an investor to buy the house and a lawyer friend offered to help me apply for our 501(c)(3). We got it quickly, although, we did not find an investor or angel donor to help buy the property. I ended up moving in with a friend and boarding the horses at a small farm in Wheat Ridge. It almost seemed all was lost, but how could I give up now that I had the 501(c)(3)? I also had the support of some great people to keep me going. Amber Tarver from Myceliohm was a big help and still is, to be honest I don’t know that I would be where I am today without her support. Colleen Murphy has also been a huge supporter, she was there the day we filed the application for the 501(c)(3) and helped me come up with the name Daisy Chain, LTD. I knew I needed a board of directors but had no idea how to pull one together, until one day in my Lyft a very nice man said he had done it, and would love to help me, so I gave him my card and he actually called me! He was the one who really lit a fire under me to have the meetings and get the ball rolling. I think we had our first board meeting about two months later in November of 2018. Three of the people on the board were passengers that I had kept in touch with and five others were friends and family who were ready to help. It is hard to believe we have come so far! We got our website up and after several months had our first camp of nine kids in July of 2019. It was phenomenal to see it come together and be so successful. I couldn’t have done it without the help of Amber and Richard from Myceliohm. Now we are raising funds to do more camps, clinics, and retreats.
Have you ever had to pivot?
I have a degree in Microbiology and had a wonderful career in science for twenty years, doing what I thought was research for the greater good. Then the rug was pulled out from under me in 2012 when I was laid off from the lab that I had moved back to Colorado in 2007. It was a shock and unfair circumstances that put me there but was the best thing that ever happened to me. While I was on unemployment, I did try to find another position but was considered overqualified for most of the positions that were available at the time. It was disheartening but at the same time I realized I had lost my passion for science and was weary of the politics and lack of integrity that I found working in the lab over the years. This led me to working in restaurants and nannying to make ends meet. This was barely getting me by until I learned about a new service coming to Colorado called Lyft. I was one of the first one hundred drivers in Colorado in 2014 and drove for them and Uber right up until March of 2020 when COVID19 changed all our lives. Driving gave me the freedom to set my own hours and made pursuing the dream of Daisy Chain a reality. The networking, ideas, and support that I received from complete strangers in my car fueled that pursuit tenfold. I will be forever grateful for the opportunities and experiences that driving for Lyft and Uber granted to propel me into starting Daisy Chain.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://daisychainsanctuary.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daisy_chain_sanctuary/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DaisyChainSanctuary
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/daisy-chain-ltd
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/DaisyChainSanct
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQmjG3UivDLKlRMUWBAFSkQ
Image Credits
IImages were taken by Susan Parker