About Us

As a child Anna was fascinated by horses and loved nothing better than to hear her father’s stories of growing up with his own horses in Croatia. When Anna was 17, her father was in a serious car accident leaving him with an acquired brain injury/stroke. Knowing that he’d been an excellent horseman, Anna discovered therapeutic riding and tried all she could do encourage him back into the saddle. Tragically, he’d had his heart broken by the loss of his favourite horse under terrible circumstances during Nazi occupation and he just couldn’t bring himself to work with horses again. She set aside her interest in the therapeutic side of horsemanship for many years. Though her dream of owning a horse never faded, and finally as a mature adult, the idea took hold. She started seriously researching the possibility in the Blue Mountains, where Anna found a wonderful trail riding school and stables in the Kanimbla Valley. The proverbial trail then opened up when she sold a business, decide to take a sabbatical year, and she relocated to the Northern Rivers. She volunteered at a local beach riding stable, happily became the crash test dummy for horses being trained, volunteered at Riding for the Disabled, and rode out with anyone who needed a riding buddy. The money she didn't spend owning her own horse was spent on lessons, clinics, safety equipment, travelling and more lessons. The 'sabbatical' went on for 8 years before she bought Badger, her cheeky playful Quarterhorse. Over the years she has worked with 'old school' teachers, 'new world' teachers, clicker trainers, western enthusiasts, dressage coaches and judges, ground working specialists, natural horsemanship methods, equine body workers, acupuncturists, osteopaths, chiropractors, farriers, animal communicators and vets. The fascination continues, along with the learning curve. In 2016 Anna became a volunteer coach for RDA and has taken on private clients since then. With a Diploma in Leadership and Management, Anna shares her horsemanship and herd experience in a variety of contexts, including individual and group coaching, volunteer training and team building. 

By the time Alisha was 8, she had read just about every book about horses that she could get her hands on. “Horse crazy” was probably the best way to describe her. As an enthuisiastic 9 year old Alisha began her hands on experience. Starting lessons at Port Stephens Riding Academy, she quickly realised that skill and accomplishments in horsemanship took a lot more sweat and tears than she had encountered between the covers of all those books. Immersing herself in weekly lessons at PSRA, local pony clubs & competitions to gain as much experience as possible. Being the crash test dummy for many a naughty pony soon became her favourite past-time. In the years following, Alisha found herself mucking out race stalls, exercising, riding and strapping for anyone who’d have her. Taking a break from the Equine Industry to raise her 3 boys, Alisha returned in 2020. With her experience as a community and disability support worker, she began volunteering at Ballina and District RDA. Alisha delightedly accepted a position with Ability Horsemanship in 2021, where she continues to immerse herself in the horse world and be amazed by the knowledge, strength and resilience of those around her.