Nikki LaFord

Founder of Stable Core Wellness

My connection with horses began when I was 12 years old, and from the beginning, I was drawn to the quiet communication and dance that happens between horse and rider. Over the years, I had the opportunity to learn alongside talented trainers across a wide range of disciplines, from English riding, jumping, dressage, and equitation to western riding, rodeo, working cow horse, futurity horses, trail riding, and starting young horses. I also had the opportunity to train and compete across many of these disciplines, giving me a broad and diverse foundation as both a horsewoman and rider. I went on to teach and coach riders of all ages, always with a deep appreciation for the integration of mind, body, and spirit and the unique relationship between horse and rider.

But my passion for movement has always extended far beyond horses.

For most of my life, physical fitness, movement, and being outdoors have been an essential part of who I am. I owned a Pilates, yoga, and fitness studio where I taught Pilates, yoga, barre fitness, boot camps, bodybuilding, and breathwork. Outside the studio, I loved dancing, mountain biking, mountain running, paddle-boarding, exploring nature, spending time with my dogs, and being active with my three children.

Movement wasn’t simply something I taught, it was how I experienced life.

In 2024, a life-altering car accident significantly changed my physical abilities and my relationship with my body. Suddenly, many of the things that had always come naturally to me were no longer accessible in the same way. That experience led me to explore healing from an entirely different perspective.

Through my ongoing recovery, Pilates, yoga, breathwork, somatic movement, nervous system regulation, and neuromuscular reeducation have become much more than the practices that I teach. They are tools I continue to use to reconnect with my body, rebuild strength and trust, and create greater steadiness within myself.

That journey ultimately shaped Stable Core Wellness.

Today, that experience shapes how I work. It is grounded in decades spent with horses, movement, and the body, along with a deeper understanding of the nervous system and the importance of listening to the body. Right now, my focus at Stable Core Wellness is teaching breathwork, somatic movement, integration coaching, and Pilates.

For equestrians, my work goes beyond physical fitness. I believe that when we become more balanced, aware, regulated, and connected within our own bodies, we can communicate more clearly and move more harmoniously with our horses. By developing greater body awareness, breath awareness, stability, and nervous system regulation, we create the opportunity for a deeper and more connected partnership between horse and rider.

Stable Core Wellness is not only for equestrians. My work is for anyone seeking a more integrated approach to wellness. I believe true strength is about more than muscles or flexibility. It is also about our ability to breathe, listen inward, adapt, regulate, and feel connected to ourselves and live a life of fulfillment.

Wherever you’re starting from, an old injury, a season of stress, feeling disconnected from your body, or simply wanting to feel more like yourself again, we begin where your body is today.

My passion is helping people feel stronger, move with greater ease, reduce pain, regulate their nervous system, and integrate mind, body, and spirit so they can return to the activities they love and live a fuller, more integrated life.

Move with intention. Breathe with awareness. Connect from within.