About the Maze
The Painted Maze is a horse rescue and eclectic equine therapy collective where horses and humans can heal together. It is dedicated in the loving memory of the horse that started it all, Mazikeen "Maze" Maddux. A stunning sorrel mare and very first kill-pen rescue was the one who taught us the importance and urgency of doing this work. In honor of her life and her suffering we strive to expand the hearts of humans and restore safety to all equines so they can live within the grace, dignity, and freedom they deserve.
What We Do
​We work together, humans and horses, to restore trust as well as the emotional and physical health for all who call The Painted Maze their forever home. We provide our horses with a quality of life that meets their unique needs and individual personalities. They are free to roam the hills and pastures of the property, assist in therapeutic activities with their human friends, or retire completely. The choice is theirs. Each horse that is rescued is provided the space and potential to truly heal. This healing is offered within the connection to the magic of the land on which they can now call home and the understanding that we are listening to them. When bonds are created and maintained deep connections will be fostered and two-way communications evolve. Once a horse has made its home with us they may choose to help their human visitors in their own journeys to heal. We invite our fellow humans to visit here, work with our therapists and heal with the horses. Through standing in the presence of horses who have overcome trauma, we believe people can do the same. Horses are a mirror of our internal world and help us gain self awareness and process aspects necessary to our own healing. Just being in the presence of these beautiful beings can reflect the truth of being necessary to facilitate the shifts we yearn for. People helping horses helping people.
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Generational trauma has an impact on every being on earth. To put it simply, we carry the stories and wounds of those who came before and can unconsciously live out these experiences in ways that cause us to suffer. We are truly connected and through this collective even the land we walk on has an absorbed history. It is possible to heal past, present, and future wounds by disentangling what has been passed down to us from our own life's narrative. By giving voice to all our stories past and present we claim our greater truth and heal generations. We facilitate therapeutic modalities that include the horses as representatives of our ancestors and family members to illustrate current challenges. In addition to family constellation work we find many types of psychotherapeutic work in the presence of horses extremely powerful and allow the work to be defined organically on a case by case basis. At The Painted Maze, healing happens on many levels. Each session is tailored to the individual needs and uniqueness of each client. Healing here occurs in the day to day moments as well as intentionally engaging with our greater stories. We can give a voice to what seemed to have no language and free discord we didn’t even know had a name. Balance can be restored. We offer a variety of programs aimed at establishing a stronger sense of self and a harmonious experience within the collective to which we all belong.
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Who We Are
Amber and Michelle met in graduate school while earning their Master's degree in counseling psychology with an emphasis in Depth psychology. It was always their plan to collaborate providing a path to more connected, joyful living and help bring effective change. Their commitment to fighting for the safety of horses and facilitating meaningful healing for people birthed the concept of The Painted Maze. We are helping as many horses and people as humanly possible. With this blossoming network of rescues, transport, and people who want to give at-risk horses loving homes, we can help bypass the cruel system of killing horses for profit. The Painted Maze has created a safe and loving environment for horses and opened the space for humans to heal along side them. We can connect with our innate inner knowing and facilitate profoundly rooted healing for horses and humans together. It is an honor to earn the trust of equines and a pleasure to invite you to join us, as together, we step into the Maze.
