OUR VISION
At Equitopia, we envision a world where humans live in harmony with horses based on a deep understanding and regard for the horse’s needs in today’s world.
At Equitopia, we envision a world where humans live in harmony with horses based on a deep understanding and regard for the horse’s needs in today’s world.
Our mission is to empower the horse industry with reliable resources supported by research and evidence, to guide them in the evolution towards compassionate horsemanship.
Videos
Lessons
Industry Leading Experts
Community Members
Equitopia was founded by Caroline Hegarty – a lifelong horse rider and enthusiast. Born in Ireland, her passion for horses began when she was six years old, and continued when she moved to California in 1993.
As Caroline navigated the world of professionals within the horse industry, she found that there were significant variations and disagreements within the various areas of expertise, that sometimes led to negative repercussions for her and her horses.
She began to wonder who to trust and guide her in the proper care, welfare and training of her and her horses.
As she learnt more about the workings of the industry, she also became acutely aware of the huge number of horses being abused, discarded and sent to slaughter – young, old, healthy or crippled. She was so moved by this, that she felt she needed to expand her vision to beyond her own personal needs.
She believed this could be achieved by raising public awareness and providing fact-based information and guidance to those seeking humane approaches to horse care.
We offer online courses which focus on:
We collaborate with global industry experts to develop free videos presenting the results of our investigative efforts to owners and trainers, whether you are aiming for international competition or recreational trail riding.
We also develop videos for our membership program on topics including:
We examine various schools of thought on the care, welfare and training of horses and share our findings through:
Blog posts – at least 6 posts per month written by contributors from around the world.
We run clinics at our facility in Thornton, California and at a growing number of locations worldwide, offering in-depth assessments of horses and riders. Equitopia clinics consist of a full diagnostic review of the horse’s body, posture, and movement. Participants receive advice on veterinary care, ridden training, in hand/ground work training, saddle fit, bodywork and farrier/hoof care and the horses receive hands-on work.
$495
Monthly