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Equine Programs

Experience the profound impact of connecting with horses through these unique Equine Programs, designed to foster personal growth and transformation.

With

Polly Macomber

Natural Lifemanship

The most powerful shifts happen when humans and horses meet with honesty, presence, and mutual respect.

It all starts with relationship

Learn More About Me & How I Work

Have you been flying by the seat of your pants with your volunteer program?

It’s super common and understandable, given that most smaller organizations are short on both time and money. But there is another way—a structured Volunteer Training Program that frees up your time and creates more ambassadors for your mission.

The program is rooted in attunement, agency, and emotional intelligence—not dominance or performance. Volunteers learn to read equine body language with sensitivity and respond with clarity and care. From that foundation, everything else unfolds: confidence, connection, ease, and yes, a little magic too.

WildHeart Equine programs serve a wide range of humans—volunteers, veterans, lifelong equestrians, and absolute beginners. What they share is a longing for something real. And what they find here is something unshakably wildhearted.

“Polly knows how to foster an atmosphere of mutual respect and care between horses and humans. Her training often took me out of my comfort zone, but never out of my safety zone!”

— Bet LaRue
Volunteer

As we partner with horses, we start to notice our own held beliefs, fears and limitations. By slowing ourselves down, we can learn to rewire our brains towards a more calm, coherent default state of being.

Experience the profound impact of connecting with horsesthrough these unique Equine Programs, designed to foster personal growth and transformation.

Programs

Volunteer Training

Volunteer Training

Comprehensive, empowering, and farm-tested for over 4 years. I partner with nonprofit equine facilities to train volunteers who are attuned, kind, and confident with horses.

Learn more

WildHeart Journeys

WildHeart Journeys

A 4-hour private retreat for those seeking insight, healing, and grounded transformation in the presence of horses. Your journey is unique to you — let’s see what unfolds together.

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The Unbridled Hour

The Unbridled Hour

A 1-hour experience for anyone curious about horse-human connection. Learn how to interact with horses while honoring their sentience, your own nervous system, and the relational space between you.

Learn More

What People Say

My name is Michele R Johnson. I am an Army Vet and retired Law Enforcement.

When I was young my family would go horseback riding, that was my exposure to horses.

50 years later I began a healing journey that included Equine Therapy; however, I was not comfortable around the horses, they seemed big and scary and I didn’t trust them to behave.

I had attended many different places that used equine therapy but the one that totally changed my view of horses was when...

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Michele J.
Army Veteran, Program Participant

My name is Michele R Johnson. I am an Army Vet and retired Law Enforcement.

When I was young my family would go horseback riding, that was my exposure to horses.

50 years later I began a healing journey that included Equine Therapy; however, I was not comfortable around the horses, they seemed big and scary and I didn’t trust them to behave.

I had attended many different places that used equine therapy but the one that totally changed my view of horses was when I worked with Ms Polly and her horses, which I did twice.

Ms Polly has a way of calming you and presenting the horses to you in a way that was very comforting and not challenging to me.

In the beginning I didn’t even want to touch a horse let alone brush one and riding wasn’t ever a thought.

Ms Polly taught me to just breathe and relax around horses as they can feel your energy, that single lesson made it so much easier to engage with the horses.

I can say that today I will love on a horse, brush a horse and RIDE a horse, thank you Ms Polly for helping me overcome, I appreciate you and the horses.

Michele J.
Army Veteran, Program Participant
Before taking Volunteer Training, I had only a little horse experience —but Polly’s guidance changed everything. She has a unique and memorable way of teaching that helped me build real confidence and connection with the horses from the ground up. Her passion and support not only helped me grow, they helped me land a job on an equine care team. This experience truly changed the course of my life, and I’ll always be grateful.
Lenore I.
Volunteer hired as Staff
Before taking Volunteer Training, I had only a little horse experience—but Polly’s guidance changed everything. She has a unique and memorable way of teaching that helped me build real confidence and connection with the horses from the ground up. Her passion and support not only helped me grow, they helped me land a job on an equine care team. This experience truly changed the course of my life, and I’ll always be grateful.
Lenore I.
Volunteer hired as Staff
It had been over 35 years since I’d been around a horse, and even back then, I’d never felt at ease due to their size. I sought out Polly for research for my new novel, expecting little more than horse exposure and a few insights. What I didn’t expect was how profoundly it would impact me, thanks to her guidance. In just 45 minutes, Polly helped me connect with the horse by letting go of expectations and focusing on building trust. Through her calm direction, I realized that emotional safety...
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Melissa Trombetta
Author, Program Participant
It had been over 35 years since I’d been around a horse, and even back then, I’d never felt at ease due to their size. I sought out Polly for research for my new novel, expecting little more than horse exposure and a few insights. What I didn’t expect was how profoundly it would impact me, thanks to her guidance. In just 45 minutes, Polly helped me connect with the horse by letting go of expectations and focusing on building trust. Through her calm direction, I realized that emotional safety and true connection—whether with a horse or a person—can’t be forced; they have to be earned through mutual trust and emotional availability. This experience so clearly taught me that vulnerability and trust grow naturally when both sides are ready. It’s a lesson I carry with me every day, and I owe much of that insight to Polly’s support.
Melissa Trombetta
Author, Program Participant
I have known how to handle horses my whole life, but Polly was the first person to teach me how to meet each horse as an individual. She was as patient, empathetic, and conscientious a teacher as our equine partners. I knew about horses, but Polly taught me to know horses.
Heidi S.
Volunteer hired as Staff
I have known how to handle horses my whole life, but Polly was the first person to teach me how to meet each horse as an individual. She was as patient, empathetic, and conscientious a teacher as our equine partners. I knew about horses, but Polly taught me to know horses.
Heidi S.
Volunteer hired as Staff
A stressful event led me to spend time with horses, and it turned out to be exactly what I needed. I had no experience with horses and was nervous around them at first. In fact, I didn’t have much of an interest in horses initially —I only went because a relative brought me. But this program changed all that. It helped me build confidence and connect more deeply with animals. With Polly’s gentle, intuitive guidance, I learned to halter the horses, brush them, put on their bug masks,...
Read More
Curtis Aiken
Program Participant
A stressful event led me to spend time with horses, and it turned out to be exactly what I needed. I had no experience with horses and was nervous around them at first. In fact, I didn’t have much of an interest in horses initially—I only went because a relative brought me. But this program changed all that. It helped me build confidence and connect more deeply with animals. With Polly’s gentle, intuitive guidance, I learned to halter the horses, brush them, put on their bug masks, and understand their unique personalities, likes, and dislikes. Every visit became more and more empowering and deeply meaningful. I cannot thank Polly and all the horses enough for creating such a powerful and lasting impact in my life.
Curtis Aiken
Program Participant
I wanted to build a two way relationship with horses based on trust and respect, not on manipulation and control. Polly showed me how to feel comfortable, safe, and trusting with horses by understanding horses’ natural instincts, behaviors, and their methods of communication. She helped me step out of my comfort zone and positively engage with 1 ,200 pound beings which certainly made other challenges in my life less intimidating.
Chris Barnes
Volunteer
I wanted to build a two way relationship with horses based on trust and respect, not on manipulation and control. Polly showed me how to feel comfortable, safe, and trusting with horses by understanding horses’ natural instincts, behaviors, and their methods of communication. She helped me step out of my comfort zone and positively engage with 1,200 pound beings which certainly made other challenges in my life less intimidating.
Chris Barnes
Volunteer
Polly knows how to foster an atmosphere of mutual respect and care between horses and humans. Her training often took me out of my comfort zone, but never out of my safety zone!
Bet LaRue
Volunteer
Polly knows how to foster an atmosphere of mutual respect and care between horses and humans. Her training often took me out of my comfort zone, but never out of my safety zone!
Bet LaRue
Volunteer
Before starting my volunteer journey, I had some fear around these majestic animals —they are so BIG! Polly is an amazing teacher who taught me to groom, feed, and care for the horses, which has changed my life. I now have purpose and direction at the farm, and understand the importance of the connection on a deep and personal level.
Amy Bogatch
Volunteer
Before starting my volunteer journey, I had some fear around these majestic animals—they are so BIG! Polly is an amazing teacher who taught me to groom, feed, and care for the horses, which has changed my life. I now have purpose and direction at the farm, and understand the importance of the connection on a deep and personal level.
Amy Bogatch
Volunteer
Polly showed me how to be present to connect with these amazing creatures who have SO much to give. It is a tangible and intense feeling to be connected with a horse in this way, and I was moved to tears and at a deeper level than I knew I had. As a therapist, I would recommend this experience to anyone who is exploring their own healing journey.
Edward A. Clower, MA, LPC
Polly showed me how to be present to connect with these amazing creatures who have SO much to give. It is a tangible and intense feeling to be connected with a horse in this way, and I was moved to tears and at a deeper level than I knew I had. As a therapist, I would recommend this experience to anyone who is exploring their own healing journey.
Edward A. Clower, MA, LPC
Never thought vulnerability with a large animal could be so transformative. Gentleness, curiosity, and seeking inner quiet together. A singular experience I would recommend to anyone!
Ben Niese
Program Participant
Never thought vulnerability with a large animal could be so transformative. Gentleness, curiosity, and seeking inner quiet together. A singular experience I would recommend to anyone!
Ben Niese
Program Participant

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The Unbridled Hour

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