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Where wild hearts are free to healLearn about our 6-week Connection-Focused Equine-Assisted Therapy Group Programs! →
We are now open for business and accepting new clients!Please see our Ready to Get Started? section for information on how to begin the application process.
We look forward to hearing from you!
∙ Licensed Professional Counselor ∙ PATH Int’l Certified Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning ∙ Trained in Natural Lifemanship Trauma-Informed Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy
An east coast native and Austin transplant of 16 years, Hadley Hill has been working in the mental health field for 11 years and has merged her experience as a Licensed Professional Counselor with her lifelong experience as an equestrian and all around horse lover to forge a career path that she sees as a marriage of her two passions. Hadley has had the privilege of working with a wide variety of clients in the field of equine-facilitated psychotherapy (EFP) – including at-risk youth as well as adults struggling with trauma and addiction – and witnessing how transformative this work can be for all of them. The focus of Hadley’s work with clients centers around the importance of relationship and connection to our survival, for both humans and equines alike.
∙ PATH Int’l Certified Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning ∙ Trained in Natural Lifemanship Trauma-Informed Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy
Born and raised in Arkansas, Sarah Beth knew from a very early age she had a passion for horses. At 13 she finally convinced her father that it was more than the average little girl’s fantasy. He bought her two mustangs that forged her path in life. The relationship she built with those horses allowed significant healing and growth. Having had such a life-changing experience she knew she wanted to help both horses and people. Initially going to college with the intention of becoming a veterinarian, she ended up choosing to pursue a different way of working with horses. She learned about PATH International, and then through volunteering at a therapeutic riding facility she was introduced to Equine-Facilitated Psychotherapy. It seemed the perfect fit, because it mirrors the experience she had with her own horse. Now she enjoys being a part of other people’s healing and growth by partnering with horses to help them navigate their own relationship patterns and struggles in a way that allows them to thrive.
I’m Georgia, and I may be the very first friendly face you meet at the ranch! I am Greeter of Visitors by day and Guardian of the Herd by night. I’m a 5 year old Anatolian Shepherd, and I came from a very large working cattle ranch where I was picked on by the rest of the working dog pack and didn’t really get the chance to shine. When the Unbroken ladies learned this they scooped me right up, brought me to the ranch, and I’ve been thriving ever since! When I’m not greeting visitors with a wiggly butt, you can usually find me looking out for my herd, inserting myself in therapy sessions, romping in the grass, or snoozing on a hay bale.
∙ Certified Reiki Practitioner ∙ PATH Int'l certified Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning ∙ Trained in fundamentals of Natural Lifemanship Trauma-Informed Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy
Laura E. Trione received her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Texas Woman’s University in 2013. She completed her Usui Reiki Certification in 2016 with Karen Hutchins. She acquired her Master of Arts Degree in Counseling from St. Edwards University in 2018, with focuses in Human Development, Systems, and Complex Trauma. Laura has over 5 years of experience in equine therapy and completed her certification as an Equine Specialist in Mental Health in 2019 through PATH International. Her education and experience allows her to work with both groups and individuals in this work.
∙ Trained in fundamentals of Natural Lifemanship Trauma-Informed Equine-Assisted Psychotherapy ∙ Trained in Trauma-Focused CBT, Nurturing Parenting, and Gottman Method Level 1
Savannah Wright Arizmendi grew up horseback riding and barrel racing on her family's ranch in Elgin, Texas. She obtained a Master's in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with an emphasis in marriage and family therapy from Texas State University in 2021. In January 2022, Savannah completed level one training as an equine assisted psychotherapist (EAP) through Natural Lifemanship. Savannah is also trained in Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Nurturing Parenting, and Gottman Method level one. Savannah has provided group, individual, and family therapy through Williamson County Juvenile Services, Phoenix Center Ranch, and Integral Care's school based program.
We are located on 14 green and serene acres on County Road 463 in quiet Elgin, Texas. We have ample parking, as well as two beautiful ponds on the property. Our two large pastures include shade/wind shelters and will be the site of most of our therapy sessions, weather permitting. The tranquil country setting provides a sense of peace and privacy, and is very conducive to the therapeutic experience. We invite our clients to relish the small escape from the hustle and bustle of life closer to the city and allow it to help them access the quiet place within themselves.
We have a 4-stall barn which also includes an office, restroom, small kitchen and comfortable waiting lounge. While the vast majority of therapy sessions take place out in the pastures or occasionally in our round pen so that the horses can be at liberty to move around as much as possible, the barn provides a nice option in the case of inclement weather.
Our therapeutic work at Unbroken centers first and foremost around the importance of healthy connection and relationship to the survival of not only ourselves as humans, but of our equine partners as well. We draw largely from the Natural Lifemanship trauma-informed model of equine therapy, but also draw inspiration from other models as well as incorporating some elements that we have developed on our own over time. We provide clients with some psychoeducation to help them understand their own brains better and put a lot of emphasis on emotional regulation throughout the session. We believe our clients are the true “experts” on themselves and already have their own best answers within them; we are simply here to guide and facilitate their process, provide a safe space in which to do so, and offer tools to help them along their journey to empower them to live lives beyond what they thought possible for themselves.
We see clients age 14 and up who are struggling with the emotional, behavioral and/or psychosomatic effects of trauma – whether the nature of that trauma is physical or emotional, recent, ongoing, or from long ago. We work primarily with individuals, but also reserve several time slots a week for group sessions with clients from treatment centers or outside therapists we contract with.
∙ All sessions are unmounted - clients will interact with the horses on the ground and will not be riding ∙ Duration: individual sessions will last 90 minutes and group sessions will last two hours ∙ All sessions will be conducted by both Hadley and Sarah Beth, as this type of therapy requires a mental health professional and an equine professional working together to maximize physical and emotional safety of the therapeutic space
*If you are another mental health practitioner or treatment facility interested in bringing your clients or residents for group sessions, please inquire about contracting with us.Full payment is due at time of service with no exceptions. We accept credit card, check or cash. We do NOT currently accept Venmo or PayPal due to HIPAA compliance issues.Insurance: We are not on any insurance panels, however clients may choose to see us out-of-network. We will gladly provide you with a coded receipt (“superbill”) upon request which you may then submit to your insurance yourself for reimbursement. As insurance companies and policies differ in their out-of-network benefits, we strongly recommend you check with yours ahead of time to find out how much they will reimburse you for.
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays:
9:00 AM – 6:30 PM
Thursdays:
9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Please use the link below to fill out a brief form answering a few basic preliminary questions about yourself. Once we receive and review your form we will send you an email inviting you to join our client portal, and we can move forward from there!
Intro Questionnaire
A program like ours here at Unbroken can often be a wonderful next chapter for older horses who are perhaps slowing down a bit and ready to retire from a riding program, but are still otherwise healthy, enjoy having a job and getting to engage their brain, and love connecting with people.Feel free to check out our Equine Donation FAQ to learn more! If you have an equine you are looking to rehome who you think might be a good fit for an unmounted therapy program like ours, please either complete and submit our Equine Donation Questionnaire or simply reach out to us via email or phone so we can discuss further!
