Living in Aiken, SC since 2000, Julie has been very involved in her community. The late Alan Corey is the reason Julie moved to Aiken as he encouraged her to come help with STAR, the therapeutic riding program that he founded. Without an instructor, STAR had not been serving students for 8 months. As a PATH Advanced Instructor, Julie restarted and ran STAR, with the help of Alan and his Board of Directors. Although no longer teaching with STAR, Julie is a strong advocate and supporter of STAR. For more information on STAR, visit https://starriding.org/
In 2013, Julie met Chris Power who offered horsey retreats for Women Beyond Cancer. Julie joined their team and several times a year offers a unique horseplay experience for those attending these retreats. Through working with horses on the ground, participants connect to horses in an uplifting and empowering way. For more information, visit https://womenbeyondcancer.org/index.html
In 2014, Julie was approached by Bob Nevins and Saratoga War Horse to help them create their first satellite program for veterans in Aiken, SC. Classes began in the fall of that year and are now offered twice a month for those suffering from symptoms of PTSD. With the great team of people staffing Saratoga War Horse-Aiken, Julie really enjoys sharing the amazing rescued Throughbreds with the veterans for the life-changing round pen experiences. The program takes place at the Equine Rescue of Aiken and works with off the track thoroughbreds who are being retrained for forever homes. For more information, visit https://www.saratogawarhorse.com/
Around Christmas time, Julie can be found joining the fun of the Annual Christmas Parade and Horseback Caroling in downtown Aiken. It’s an Aiken tradition not to be missed if you are in town the second week of December. In this 2014 picture, Julie is riding her American Horsewoman’s Challenge partner, Carolina Moonshine who was 4 years old at the time. He was a rock star and worked the crowd as if he had been a parade horse all his life!
