It's hard to sum up all of the beautiful moments of a 20+ year career into a short paragraph. I left a successful mobile practice to build the first equine rehab therapy barn in Oklahoma. Every horse that walked into that barn taught us something. Every person that came into that barn left a lasting impression on our hearts. Every business class you take will tell you to develop your mission statement which will ultimately define your business.

 

Starting out my mission statement was simple... Provide quality therapy at a price the average horse owner can afford. I wanted to help rehab injuries and get those equine athletes back to performance. That mission statement was a reflection on my past as a competitor... I've been the person up at 2am icing legs only to have to scratch the next day. I've been the anxious owner sitting in the surgery waiting room praying for my horse. I've been the person with the EPM horse, the PSSM horse, the wound horse, the colic horse.... I also know what it's like to lose your heart horse. 

 

Most times we build a business on accomplishments and our resume.... I built mine to honor those horses I couldn't fix and to celebrate the ones that healed. My career has taught me that the proudest wins aren't always the ones in the arena. 

 

My mission statement changed again when the focus for Superior Therapy became less about "I" and more about "We"...

 

From being a solo therapist... to training interns... to hiring a full staff... To teaching students... To over 250 graduates through my certification programs...

 

The memories we've made, the horses we've helped, and the education we've been able to provide has given me more of a purpose than anything I could have ever achieved on my own. My life became less about my work as an individual and more about becoming the driving force behind the pursuit of the availability for therapy education for the equine industry. 

 

Through teaching we are able to help so many more horses than we ever could during business hours at our facility.

 

We spurred Superior Therapy forward into the spotlight of education through our social media, educational videos, interviews, appearances, and certification courses. We got to collaborate with other professionals, work with tons of vets and surgeons, and have the opportunity to learn from the bests in the business. 

 

I had the best staff I could have ever asked for and their stories have become embedded in these courses that I teach. We worked long hours, laughed together, cried in the tough times, celebrated every small victory, and ate our weight in Mexican food. It was kinship closer than family and it was amazing to see the girls start to venture out on their own, providing services and education to shows and through farm calls.

 

I'm thankful to each of them for the heart, effort, and dedication given to make Superior Therapy both welcoming and inspiring. Our journey together may have only been a stepping stone in their path, but I hope the memories we made bring them as much joy as they've brought me. 

 

Through the healing of horses, we found moments of healing within ourselves. We overcame being hit by a tornado, my catastrophic health crisis and surgeries, covid and the horse industry coming to a halt... We experienced loss, grief, healing, laughter, and positivity as a chosen family beneath that barn roof.

 

Closing the facility doors was probably the single hardest decision of my life, but as the saying goes.... "One door closes so another one can open."

 

I purchased an RV, packed up therapy equipment (dogs & horses too), and hit the road taking therapy to areas of the U.S. that needed us most. I returned to my mobile practice roots and have a whole new concept that I call the Interactive Therapy session where I combine my therapy skills with owner education. I have now worked on horses in 36 states across the US, so naturally I have a goal to eventually work in all 50 states.

 

My courses still needed an onsite training location so those are now fulfilled by my past graduates welcoming new students into their facilities. This helps give them the spotlight to assist me with teaching, find their own interns, and grow their businesses. I have several amazing assistant instructors that help me deliver the course material to students and share their experiences as therapists. 

 

Talk about a full circle moment... I think that's the best thing you can strive for as an instructor, boss, or mentor... To witness the growth from a student with a dream to a professional working to inspire the next generation of dreamers. 

 

These are the moments when you realize all of the long hours, exhaustion, tears, highs, lows, heartaches, and celebrations come together to create an experience that is much larger than yourself.

 

Life is a journey and our highways may lead to different destinations, but if we do things right... The horses helped will always be what keeps us driving on. Here's to the next 20 years...

 

Happy Trails y'all!

 

- Summer Nicole Terry

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