E08 Daniella Virata | Equestrienne & Riding Instructor (DXD Equestrian Specialists Inc.) | Harnessing the healing power of horses and nature

Daniella Virata is an equestrienne from a family of horse enthusiasts and competitive riders. She herself has entered several show jumping competitions around the world and earned certifications from the British Horse Society and International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI).

A stint as a riding instructor in Singapore introduced Danni to the world of equine assisted therapy, as she worked on the Equine Assisted Learning (EQUAL) program co-developed by the Equestrian Federation of Singapore to cater to at-risk youth. Her teaching standards have been approved by the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship (PATH Int'l) and the Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association (EAGALA).

Danni comes alive when talking about all things equine, including how they’ve been man's partner since the dawn of civilization, and what humans can learn from these magnificent creatures. She outlines all the hard work behind the perceived glamor (think concussions, cleaning the arena, and caring for horses with colic), strides being made for inclusivity in the sport, and how she helped spearhead emergency rescue ops for 150 ponies that had to be evacuated when Taal Volcano erupted in 2020.

Danni and her siblings now run DXD Equestrian Specialists, Inc., which offers group and private riding lessons, catering to aspiring competitors, adult leisure riders, and beginners. Headquartered at Rancho Leonor in Silang, Cavite (just outside Metro Manila), DXD’s home base is a place to relax, enjoy nature, and appreciate the simple joys of life around animals.

We hope this episode will be a breath of fresh air to animal lovers and anyone missing nature right now! Listen till the end of the episode, where we have a meditation exercise from Little Shell Yoga to soothe your spirits.

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Follow Danni’s work at DXD Equestrian @dxdequestrian and @rancholeonor

https://www.facebook.com/dxdequestrian

Watch Danni talk about the history of horses with Ballet Philippines

https://ballet.ph/en-pointe/the-virata-family/

Read more about her work and love for the sport

https://ariequestrian.com/blog/2020/rider-profile-danni-virata

Get a glimpse of the Mongolia trail ride she shared on the pod

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86zQK07szZU

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Photo by @rjolaso

Music: “Neon Laser Horizon” by Kevin MacLeod (imcompetech.com) licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Sound Editing by franticsong

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xoxo Jo