Horse Medicine was founded in September 2002 by Diane Nash Boehm (Diane), a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor and Nanette Conley (Nan), an Equine Specialist with a Bachelors degree in Social Services.
Diane specializes in assisting clients with issues of depression, trauma and relationships. After a full day's schedule she would often be mentally drained from assisting such patients. Upon arriving at home, she would head to the barn to connect with her mare, Brownie. She would brush her, stand with her and generally just be with her. Diane noticed that within a few minutes her stress was released and she felt refreshed. She believed if just the mere fact of being close to her mare could have this much power, there must be a way she could incorporate this "horse power" into her practice as a mental health therapist.
Nan grew up with horses. When she was old enough to leave home, she toted her mare, Sis, to California from Indiana. There in the midst of the fast-paced life of southern California she found that her mare was the only way she could maintain a semblance of peace. Each day after work, she rode her horse in the hills of California. She met her first husband in California and had two children. Again her horse and her husband's horse were there to keep them sane. In 1996, her husband died leaving her with two young children to raise. Needing to find a more peaceful place to raise her daughters, she moved to Montana with her kids and her horses. Her horse Sis, and her husband's horse Dandy, eased the pain of the loss for both her and her children. Nan's lifetime experience with her horses brought forth an awareness of their ability to teach her how to trust herself, connect with others and grow spiritually.
Diane and Nan came together through their common bond with horses. They designed a program that would provide an alternative and fun experience for participants and one in which the participants could experience the healing nature of the horse just as they had in their lives. It is the innate qualities of the horse, combined with the therapeutic background of Diane and the experiential background of Nan, that is conveyed through the on-the-ground exercises in the Horse Medicine programs.
