08/16/2026
There’s something pretty incredible about getting to learn from someone who has spent decades asking deeper questions about the relationship between horses and humans.
This week, we were incredibly fortunate to welcome Dr. Susan Fay to Stardust to spend time with our volunteers and share some of the work she has devoted her life to—exploring the connection between horses and humans through psychology, science, energy, presence, and horsemanship.
Dr. Fay and Laurie have worked together in many different capacities over the years, which made having her here feel especially meaningful. One of the things we hope to keep building at Stardust is a community where learning never really stops—where our volunteers, students, and team have opportunities to learn from people who see animals differently, ask interesting questions, and help us become more thoughtful in the way we show up for them.
And this weekend was one of those opportunities.
We listened. We practiced. We asked questions. We watched the horses. We noticed things we might normally miss. And, for a little while, we got to soak up some of the magic that happens when really thoughtful people come together around animals.
A huge thank you to Dr. Fay for so generously sharing her time and knowledge with our community, and to Lauren J. Watase for organizing the moving pieces and for the many years of connection that helped bring this opportunity to Stardust.
Special thanks to Lindsey Turkov for helping organize, and to Valerie and Larry Sterling for opening their home to Dr. Fay, Dr. Ev and all of us for the weekend so we could make the absolute most of having them here.
We feel pretty lucky when Stardust gets to be a place where people like this cross paths—and even luckier when they stay awhile and teach us something.
