Tara
Equine & Canine Extraordinaire
Tara was both born & raised in the San Fernando Valley, the middle child in a family of eight.
Her home always included an array of pets, growing the already large family into an even larger household of both chaos & love. The family never considered any of the animals as anything other than additional family members. Tara’s mother wrote a very endearing story of her when she was six years old titled “The Frisky Kitten” which perfectly describes a metaphor of the playful & energetic antics of Tara, in the large litter of kitties (siblings). With so many cats & at times litters of kittens, it was a profoundly spot on depiction of Tara’s wild & entertaining spirit. It was around this same time that Tara developed a profound love of horses.
At about the age of eleven she made friends with some other girls in the neighborhood that had horses of their own & was able to borrow horses to ride & begin learning basic horse handling & horse care. At the age of twelve Tara acquired her 1st equine partner “Misty”, & from that day on her love of horses continued to grow. In the years to follow she would ride regularly for pleasure and competed in some local English Pleasure & Hunter/ jumper shows.
It was many years later when she decided to dedicate her career to not only the love of horses but for their ability to heal. In 2006 she witnessed the miraculous connection between horses & individuals with a special need for healing. Tara became an advocate of Equine therapy, & spent the next few years educating herself in the field. She obtained her certification as a PATH International Certified Riding Instructor/Equine Specialist in order to teach beginner horseback riding to children & adults with cognitive & physical disabilities.
Tara continues to reside in the San Fernando Valley with a domestic long hair male cat named Gizmo. Unfortunately there is no room in her home for the horses so they enjoy a pampered life in Malibu.
Her horse “Miss T” is appropriately nick-named “Malibu Barbie Horse” for her long blonde hair & dreamy golden coat.
Since Tara’s home consists of only male fur-babies, she has lots of fun with her little girl!
Tara enjoys working with animals of any species or size. Her clients consist of many breeds of canines, felines, equines & an array of other farm/barn animals. Photos are also a passion of hers, & she really enjoys providing clients with cute, funny and candid pictures of their fur-babies!
* In late 2019 Tara lost her 10 year old soulmate "Ziggy" to cancer. He was a family member & such a special friend that will never be forgotten!
