Meet Rachel Ferriter

We recently connected with Rachel Ferriter and have shared our conversation below.

Rachel, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.

I have developed a lot of confidence and self esteem through my journey as a horsewoman. I have been independently responsible for caring for and training my own horses since I was 16 years old. Horses respond to true confidence and honesty and good communication instantly. They don’t care about or respond to shallow external signs of “confidence” like appearance or conformity to trends. As a licensed professional counselor, one of the concepts that I’ve learned matters most around confidence and self esteem is locus of control: when you feel you are in charge of your life and decisions you have an internal locus of control and it makes you feel powerful, hopeful, and capable of influencing your path. This is a concept that also applies to training and riding and working with horses – you create confident happy horses when you give them a sense that they can control pressure by thinking, responding, and trusting. I believe that confidence comes from taking action, making the best decision you can with the information you have, and continuing to stay present and grounded even when you make mistakes. Horses remind me every day that its not about the mistake but about what you do with it. I can lose my temper one day and be too quick with a correction but if I show up differently tomorrow my horses will gladly meet me where I am and respond to the present patient version of me I bring today.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I’m a licensed professional counselor, a horsewoman, and an entrepreneur. Two and a half years ago my family and I purchased a horse property where I now live and care for our family herd of horses full time and work remotely as a therapist, an equine nutrition advisor, and equestrian life coach. Two years ago I launched “Salty Mare Equine Nutrition” – an independent equine nutrition consulting business where I help horse owners solve problems and create balanced diet programs for their horses. I learned the skillset from one of the best in the industry, a PhD Equine Nutritionist named Dr. Rachel Mottet who teaches us how to apply the scientific knowledge to practical real world problems to help horse owners feed their horses balanced diets. I apply my skillset as a therapist who has helped people manage anxiety across all areas of my life – as many horse owners are very anxious about how and what they feed their horses, many equestrians struggle with confidence and anxiety, and riding and training my own horses means I also apply psychology principles to training and to my own rider journey. I have just recently (this month) launched an equestrian life coach business, as I want to devote time to helping equestrians learn how to manage their thoughts and emotions in a way that helps the reach goals and aspirations as well as feel connected to their values and to their horses.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

One of the most important qualities that has supported my journey as an entrepreneur is my ability to manage perfectionism and show up as imperfect, learning, and open. My journey as a horsewoman learning and training dressage has brought up this message a lot, and I find it applies really well to taking brave steps to start something new. “Do it anyways, do it messy, just do it” is a mantra I use when things get sticky and the careful, anxious, perfectionist in me is struggling with whether its ‘good enough’.
The next most important quality I want to emphasize is humility. I think that being willing to be humbled by how much you don’t know and remaining open to learning is absolutely key to growth. In both my roles as a mental health professional and a horsewoman I have always highly prioritized learning, continuing education, expanding my horizons, and remaining willing to admit “I don’t know” and asking good questions.
One area of knowledge that always serves me well is my understanding of how both horses and humans learn and what motivates them. Both people and horses learn best in an environment of trust, opportunities to expand their comfort zone incrementally, and with a foundation of safety and community.
I think that when people are early on in their journey would be well served by trying new things, prioritizing learning and experiences, and building a network of trusted community ready to support and encourage you in this particular season.

Alright, so before we go we want to ask you to take a moment to reflect and share what you think you would do if you somehow knew you only had a decade of life left?

I love existential questions because they are so grounding and so quickly connect me to my values and priorities. If I knew I only had one decade of life left, I would prioritize my time and center it around connecting with my husband, my family, my close friends, my horses, and my dogs. I would single in on my ideal client so that my time spent working was really helping the people I want to impact the most. I would want my legacy to be helping people live more authentic lives, and celebrating the way that horses remind us of what matters most: connection, authenticity, and joy.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Sarah Griffin

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems,
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Highlighter Series
What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?

Coffee? Workouts? Hitting the snooze button 14 times? Everyone has their morning ritual and we

Highlighter Series
What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?

Our deepest wounds often shape us as much as our greatest joys. The pain we

Highlighter Series
Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?

Culture, economic circumstances, family traditions, local customs and more can often influence us more than