Since 1991, the concept of DreamCatch Equine has been forming in the mind of Director, Kathleen Gowl-Almony.  Then a fledgling instructor, Kathleen was amazed at the emotionality and deep connectivity of the horse and rider within the lesson process.  The human/horse association is one of logic vs. emotion.  Humans strive to create and embrace a logical existence and, as a result, develop deep disassociations with the emotional side of our psyche.  The horse, whose language is emotion-based, is a natural channel through which we are allowed to reconnect, rediscover and restructure our emotional core.

As a youth, Kathleen’s equestrian experiences started in 1965 when her parents bought their first horse, an old, chestnut trail horse, “Socks”.  This was just the first of the Gowl acquisitions and the beginning of a pattern of producing quality riding mounts for pleasure and competition. Since the age of 10, Kathleen trained and competed both horses and ponies in the local and nationally rated hunter circuits.  Traveling with her parents and five siblings, the Gowl family showed from Florida to Canada throughout the year.  As well as being a seasoned competitor, Kathleen has considerable experiences training young horses, as well as retraining spoiled or ruined mounts.  After a 15 year absence from the industry, she returned in 1991 to reconnect with her childhood passion…the horse.

As a riding instructor, teaching became a second passion and impelled Kathleen to further improve her techniques, approaches, and strategies in the arena. A certification was sought through American Riding Instructors Certification Program.  As this was obtained, Kathleen continued with her education to get a Masters Degree in Leadership in Teaching from The College of Notre Dame.

The development of the relationship between the equine and the equestrian has been the focus of the DreamCatch program since its inception in the late 1990’s.  Goal focused lessons and objectives tailored to specific rider/horse combinations create continuous positive progress.

Over the years, the DreamCatch team has grown to include individuals from all ages, genders, and cultural backgrounds.  We embrace our individualities and uniqueness as we work together to learn all that our equine partners can teach us.  We consider it a privilege and a pleasure to introduce this amazing creature to individuals of all ages; those who seek entry into the world of the horse…our world…we welcome you!

DreamCatch Equine is now offering horseback riding lessons in dressage and hunter jumper as well as competition coaching. Our Summer Horsemanship program runs weekly from June through August.