Courtesy photo
Robyn Lawrence and her horses help people deal with issues they may not even know are affecting their lives in significant ways.

By Terry Georgia
The Surveyor

At 76, Robyn Lawrence is beginning her third career. Inspired by the fusion of her life-long work with horses, as a psychotherapist. a teacher and a desire to help others navigate life’s challenges, she recently began offering her services as an equine therapist in Berthoud.

Calling her new business Equine Assisted Self-Empowerment (EASE), Lawrence says spending time with horses is a non-threatening form of therapy. “Horses are very simplistic,” she says, “they don’t spend time thinking or over-analyzing. With horses, it’s about being in the present, being honest.” She says the horses have a special way of helping people feel empowered by teaching them what they can control and what they can’t. “They help [people] re-connect with their mental selves,” explained Lawrence, who said she’s had many people tell her “I didn’t know what I was feeling” until making a connection with a horse.

No previous experience with horses is necessary to have a life-changing encounter. Known as very empathetic animals, horses seem to understand when humans are feeling overwhelmed, grief-stricken, stressed, angry or have any number of underlying traumas that can cause both mental and physical problems. Lawrence guides the process, helping people understand “what the horse is telling them and what messages their body is telling them.” She calls it a user-friendly way to expand your thinking on trust, clear communication and relationship development through techniques that unlock your inner truth.

Lawrence remembers working with one little girl who had only seen horses on TV. After spending a little time interacting with the horse, Lawrence asked if the girl was anxious to be so close to a 1,100-pound animal. The little girl’s response surprised her mother, but not Lawrence. “I trust this horse and he trusts me,” the girl said, “I don’t think he’ll hurt me.”
Lawrence says she and her horses can relate well to those who struggle with multi-tasking, grief, worry and other of life’s anxieties. “This is what works for me,” she says, “and I’m going to share it with others. It’s not a job, it’s a passion.”

Robyn Lawrence spent many years as a licensed psychotherapist and 20 years teaching middle school special needs students in the Boulder Valley School District. She has been riding and showing horses for 50 years and has also been licensed in equine massage and Reiki. For six years she has been volunteering with Hearts and Horses, a therapeutic riding center in Loveland. There, she shares the healing capacity of horses with children from the Thompson Valley School District, with veterinary programs, seniors, doctors and people with impairments or physical limitations.
Lawrence invites anyone who wants to learn more about the healing that can come from spending time with horses to meet her and her herd (she currently has three horses), southwest of town near Hwy 287 and County Road 4.

There are no contracts, although Lawrence does recommend starting with at least four two-hour sessions. There are no obligations to continue if someone decides it’s not working for them, but most people choose to extend the four sessions to six or eight. Lawrence tailors the sessions to meet the needs of each participant.
Lawrence has offered a 20% discount to anyone who mentions reading this story in the Surveyor.

Readers can reach Robyn Lawrence at [email protected] to schedule a free introductory visit. Learn more about Equine Assisted Self-Empowerment at: sites.google.com/view/rlease. You can also reach Robyn Lawrence by phone at 303-210-5433.