April returned to her hometown of Tyler, TX after retiring from the Marine Corps, in May of 2021. She joined the Marine Corps at 17 years old and served our country for over 24 years in the aviation field, recruiting & career planning. Her husband is also a retired Marine, and their son currently serves in the Marine Corps. Hoorah! She has worked with Veteran nonprofits, serving as a board member and officer throughout the years. After retirement, she began looking for a Veteran horse program in East Texas and was one of the first Veteran riders at Starbrite Therapeutic Equestrian Center! This led April to seek continuing education as she felt a calling to help other veterans heal and follow their passion with horses. Through her research she found the Lyons Legacy Equestrian Academy program.
April, chose to attend our John & Josh Lyons Certification program in August of 2022 and joined the ranks of Lyons Legacy Trainers on September 23, 2022. After graduation, she returned home to move forward with her equine career. Many Veterans have invisible “soul” wounds, and she believes horses are God’s vessel for healing. As a lifelong equestrian, April’s passion for horses paired with her love for Jesus and our Veterans, led her to serve on staff at Starbrite. The additional skills she gained from her experience in the Lyons Legacy program, paired with her previous experience at Starbrite and with horses in general, made her the perfect choice to take on the role of Program & Site Director at Starbrite Therapeutic Equestrian Center. Her next adventure is completing her PATH certification to be able to better serve her clientele and fulfill her role at Starbrite.
April has owned horses since the age of 18 with the exception of while deployed to Iraq in 2005. In April’s words, “horse ownership while on active duty is not for the faint of heart. Moving often required hauling cross country, new stables, farrier, vet and hay supply with little time to ride. However, the reward of meeting new horse people, having a constant happy place always outweighed the hardship. My horses and time with them were when I was not a wife, mom, Marine, family member, friend, but just myself. It was and is my therapy. Through prayer and souls searching I know my purpose is to help other Veterans that struggle with PTSD and Military Sexual Trauma.”
Starbrite Therapeutic Equestrian Center is a service organization that utilizes equine assisted activities to spread the Love of Christ by empowering youth, adults and veterans with a variety of needs and abilities. The Starbrite Therapeutic Equestrian Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and member of PATH International. (Professional Association for Therapeutic Horsemanship) and is located in Whitehouse, TX. The programs offered at Starbrite include Therapeutic Riding, Horsemanship, and Horses for Heroes. These programs are supported by a large group of volunteers to facilitate the learning environment.
Lyons Legacy
28209 N. 139th Street
Scottsdale, AZ 85262
Monday – Friday
9 AM – 4 PM EST
Saturday
1 PM – 3 PM EST
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