Megan Hofeldt

Megan Hofeldt has a diverse background as an educator, program director, and administrator. She is a firm believer that each chapter of life has shaped her ability to impact students in a wide variety of settings.

 

Prior to entering the industry of Equine-Assisted Learning, Megan was a collegiate music professor and professional musician. She holds a Masters Degree in Flute Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Iowa. She spent 15 years performing with orchestras, teaching individual flute lessons, conducting flute choirs, judging competitions, and working with an international flute manufacturing company. 

 

The Covid-19 shutdown gave Megan the opportunity to make a life shift. She soon found herself homeschooling her young children and retraining a recently rescued horse. She became immersed in the daily routine of a large boarding barn where she learned from leading equine professionals. It quickly became clear to her that the skill set she had developed as a musician transferred seamlessly to creating connections between horses and humans. 

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Megan’s priority as a flute teacher has always been the development of life skills in her students. Confidence, critical thinking, teamwork, communication, resilience, trust, and patience take on new meaning when partnered with a 1,000 pound flight animal. 

 

A job transfer for Megan’s husband brought their family to Eau Claire in 2021 where they found boarding for their family horse at a local youth ranch. After taking on the role of Barn Manager, Megan was given the opportunity to lead the farm’s elementary pilot program for the Eau Claire Area School District. Megan developed a 12 week progressive curriculum to host 5 different elementary schools for weekly 90 minute sessions. She built the program around the district's social-emotional principles with the goal of serving students who were struggling to participate and regulate their emotions in the classroom setting. 

 

As a life-long learner, Megan knew it was time to pursue formal education in the incredibly fast growing field of Equine-Assisted Learning. In Summer 2023 she was accepted to a dual credit certification program through Strides to Success and PATH International. She completed her certification in Equine-Assisted Learning with micro-credentials specializing in Education and Personal Development. She was one of the first in the nation to complete this program and graduated with over 240 hours of training. She was recently invited to join the HorseWork faculty at Strides to Success where she assists with marketing, international program development, and student support.

 

A growing herd of rescue horses led the Hofeldt family to move one final time in September 2023 and purchase a 20 acre farm outside of Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Megan is proud to serve her community through the mission of Wild Dreams Ranch!