Julie Larson, Program Director

Julie was drawn to Giant Steps because it includes many things she loves: people, horses,
therapy, recreation and the outdoors. Her love of people led her to graduate from the
University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology. She then began to focus on
animals and after completing an internship in wildlife rescue and rehabilitation in Seattle she
served as a veterinarians assistant for three years. When she moved to CA she finally
realized her life-long dream of owning horses. She currently has two quarterhorses of her
own, Nikawa and Stanley. She loves trail riding with them (and her dogs) and taking them to
the beach. After the birth of her son,Henry, she started volunteering at Giant Steps and
soon after she became a PATH certified registered instructor. Julie became Head Instructor
at Giant Steps in January of 2010 and Program Director in December 2013. Julie served as
the Northern California state chair for the Professional Association of Therapeutic
Horsemanship in 2013 and 2014. She was installed as an Honorary Commander with the US
Air Force at Travis Air Force Base in January 2015.