About Libby
About Libby Neily
Yes, I am one of those crazy horse girls…
Owning and showing horses for nearly 40 years, I grew up a proud “barn rat”. I spent my days watching the horses in the pasture playing and interacting, but not quite sure what they were saying. Equally as fascinating was the WHY of horses. Why were humans so drawn to them? Why could horses reach places within us that human connection could not? I have spent decades learning how to better connect with them and develop a partnership based on compassion and trust.
After all of these years, I am still in complete awe of their strength, honesty and their ability to forgive. They have made me a better mother, wife, friend and neighbor. They have been my constant companions, my greatest teachers and have given me peace and stability in my life when I needed it most. I am so grateful for what they have shown me and am passionate about sharing their gifts with others.
In 2015, I attended my first mindfulness class. I have always had what I called a “talking head.” My mind couldn’t and wouldn’t stop talking. That first night, the teacher shared this vital piece of information. “You are not your thoughts” I had a choice! This study of mindfulness finally helped me address the chatter in my head. I started to realize that in general, my mind was either in one of two places…thinking about what happened or worrying about what could happen. The act of living on purpose and really being present in my life has allowed me to find all of the nuggets of good that this world has to show us. I chose to become a mindfulness facilitator to share the benefits of mindfulness with my community.
After years of teaching students to ride, my desire to develop a program beyond riding that combines the two worlds of horses and mindfulness has been a passion project of mine for many years. The Mindful Equine Program is a unique and enriching way for humans to experience the magic of horses through mindfulness.
Libby is a Certified Advanced EAL (Equine Assisted Learning) Instructor and is a Certified Mindfulness Facilitator for the Mindfulness Without Borders Ambassador Council Program.