Miranda Elizabeth Vargas

Before she could walk, Miranda had an unyielding desire to be around horses. Born into a family with a profound passion for equines, she began observing her older siblings during riding lessons at Munzel Morgans in Louisville, Colorado. Whenever a horse approached the rail, she would rhythmically bounce in sync with the animal's gaits. Her fixation on the horse and the instructor was undeniable. At the age of four, it was finally her turn to ride. She eagerly mounted a Morgan mare, immediately urging her into a canter. She made it halfway around the ring before slowly tumbling to the ground, much to the shock of her concerned father. Undeterred, she dusted herself off and climbed back into the saddle, though she was subsequently confined to the round pen to manage her exuberance.

As she grew older, she became involved in 4-H horse programs, trained with a three-day eventing instructor at her father's boarding stable, and immersed herself in equine literature and classes. In her adolescent years, she ventured into eventing, facing eliminations during the cross-country phase at nearly every competition. Nevertheless, she persisted, continuously learning and honing her skills. She gained comprehensive knowledge of equine management while assisting her father with his Pure Spanish Horse breeding program in the United States.

During her teenage years, she discovered a profound love for classical dressage as a means to enhance her horses' physical and mental capabilities for eventing. She viewed equitation as a language of communication with horses, a dialogue where she listened as much as she spoke. This marked the beginning of her journey towards becoming a professional in the equestrian world.

Throughout her college years, she underwent formal Dressage training under the guidance of professors from the Royal Spanish School of Equestrian Art in Jerez de la Frontera. Outside of her academic studies, she worked closely with these professors at their private training facility, immersing herself in the classical principles of horsemanship. Her mentors included notable figures such as Rafael Soto, Juan Jose Verdugo Camacho, and especially Belen Bautista, who was the first female professor at the REAAE and received the prestigious Caballo de Oro in 2022.

Upon returning to the United States, she pursued a study of dance at the Metropolitan University of Denver, which enriched her understanding of human movement and proved to be invaluable in her instruction of riders. Her knowledge of human anatomy and kinesiology allowed her to effectively guide riders in understanding their own body's function in the saddle and its impact on their horse's experience during training. This multifaceted education led to the development of her unique philosophy for managing equine athletes in the realm of competitive sports. She delved into areas such as nutrition, housing, social dynamics, and neurodevelopmental management of domestic horses. She successfully applied these practices to various aspects of horse care, from gestating mares to young horses in training and even geriatric equine care. Managing two distinct herds, including her home herd and a herd of Therapeutic Riding Horses in 2023, allowed her to put her philosophy into practice, resulting in improved physical and mental health for hundreds of horses.

Most recently her journey veered toward personal exploration of her own neurodevelopmental conditions, which were diagnosed later in life. Since 2020 she has dedicated countless hours to understanding the intricacies of human learning capacities and developing strategies to accommodate neurodivergent riders. She became a certified Life Coach, harnessing the power of thought to enhance her own riding skills and assist students in overcoming obstacles. She observed that many equestrian trainers lacked the preparation to instruct the human mind effectively, as traditional methods often neglects this crucial aspect. In her pursuit of learning, she has fulfilled the instructional requirements to become a PATH International Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor and plans to undergo certification testing in the spring of 2024. During her training, she has guided riders with developmental, congenital, and acquired disabilities ranging from children to elderly adults.