Shawnda grew up riding horses and they have always had a special place in her heart. Watching the farrier work on the horses as a child fascinated and inspired her to learn more.

She was a member of the 4H club Equus Dream Team, and participated in horse shows and clinics. During high school she started a young horse under saddle and showed her in Green Horse classes. Since then she has started several horses under saddle.

During the summer of 2005 she was an assistant wrangler at Camp St. Albans, where she taught girls scouts 9 and up how to ride with safety in mind, care for horses, and have fun with horses. This gave her an opportunity to familiarize herself with working with horses of many breeds and personalities.

She volunteered for a few years at a horse rescue located in Springdale, WA. During this time her fascination with horse hoof function was rekindled. Many of the horses that came to the rescue were in great need of proper hoof care.

In 2013, Shawnda attended and graduated from Mission Farrier School in Snohomish, WA. Learning how to trim and shoe horses with curriculum focused on anatomy and healthy hoof function. Horses with various soundness problems were treated by students as directed by the instructor. She had the opportunity to do the hands on application of therapeutic systems on a few of these horses. These systems ranged from laminitis, navicular disease, and negative palmar angles. In depth education on how to treat many hoof ailments was part of the course.

Shawnda currently owns one horse and enjoys trail riding and showing at the Spokane Interstate Fair. She also enjoys learning natural horsemanship techniques to further her understanding horse behavior and training methods.