About us

A 20-acre farm born from grief, guided by intuition, and grown into a place of healing, connection, and community — shared by a mother, a daughter, and the horses who brought them here.

THE STORY OF THE FARM

It Started With a Letter
and a Leap of Faith

In 2013, Stacey Bean was a single mother rebuilding her life after the sudden, devastating loss of her husband Darren — a med-flight physician who died in a helicopter crash the night before Mother's Day, leaving behind two young children and a wife who described herself, simply, as hopeless.

Healing came slowly, and unexpectedly — through horses. After a family camp trip reignited her childhood love of riding, Stacey bought her first horse, and then another, and then land. She found herself sitting in pastures watching her herd, feeling a peace she hadn't known in years. It was there, among the horses, that she began to understand that her next chapter was taking shape — even if she couldn't yet see it clearly.

When she spotted a vacant 20-acre property that had been sitting empty for years and felt inexplicably drawn to it, she discovered it wasn't listed for sale. So she did something brave: she wrote the owner a letter. She shared her vision — horses, her children, nature, connection, healing — and made an offer.

A week later, she received an email back. The owner hadn't planned to sell. But they had considered her request — and yes.

After the sale, several people stopped by and told Stacey they had been waiting for the property to come on the market. It became one of the most important lessons she would go on to share with her children and her clients: it never hurts to ask for what you want.

The answer is always 'no' if you don't ask. She asked.

"I didn't have a clear vision of what this would all become — but I felt a tug and followed my intuition. It was like the yellow brick road. My vision and dreams kept building and manifesting. The healing energy on this farm is palpable."

— Stacey Bean, Founder

A LESSON FROM THE FARM

"It never hurts to ask for what you want."

The farm wasn't for sale. Stacey asked anyway. This has since become a guiding principle she teaches her children, her clients, and anyone willing to listen.

WHAT THE FARM BECAME

First, It Healed a Family.
Then It Opened Its Gates.

The farm healed Stacey. It gave her children roots, responsibility, and a connection to nature and horses that shaped who they would become. It gave her a new life's purpose — and eventually, it gave her love again, when her boyfriend Brian became part of the story.

Her daughter Caitlyn grew up riding and fell so deeply in love with horses that they became her career. Today, she and Stacey share the farm — each running her own business from the same 20 acres, each welcoming people who are on their own journey.

"The land, the farm animals, the family, the connections, the friends and clients — it is truly about community and love."

TWO BUSINESS, ONE FARM

A Mother & Daughter,
Sharing the Land They Love

Indigo Trails Farm is home to two distinct businesses — each with its own mission, its own clients, and its own beautiful corner of the farm. Together, they fulfill the promise that has always been at the heart of this place: horses heal, and so does community.

Stacey Bean · Founder

Indigo Trails Farm Programs

Helping humans heal — through horses, community, creativity, and whole-self wellness.

Caitlyn Bean · Horse Trainer

Bean Dressage LLC

Helping horses and riders thrive — through expert dressage training, biomechanics, and a science-backed approach to horsemanship.

Stacey's programs bring together the healing power of horses with her deep expertise in functional medicine, equine gestalt coaching, and women's wellness. Every program she offers — from the CLTS-certified EAL program to WISE Women's Circles and farm retreats — is rooted in the same belief that changed her own life: that healing happens in relationship, in nature, and in community.

  • Equine Assisted Learning · CLTS certified · ages 8–18

  • Wild Hearts Art Camp · summer · ages 8–13

  • Yoga in the Barn · Sunday mornings · May–September

  • WISE Women's Circles · monthly · equine gestalt coaching

  • Farm Retreats · 1-day & 3-day · summer & fall 2026

Caitlyn Bean is a decorated FEI dressage trainer and instructor who has earned her Bronze and Silver medals and is currently working toward her Gold. Her holistic approach integrates advanced biomechanics, postural development, and soft tissue release methods — prioritizing each horse's physical and mental well-being while building their potential for performance and partnership.

  • Full & partial training packages for boarded horses

  • Lessons for riders at all levels

  • Balance Through Movement Method

  • 12-stall boarding facility with premium care

  • Indoor & outdoor arenas · private paddocks

Stacey Bean

FOUNDER · INDIGO TRAILS FARM

Stacey Bean is a functional medicine practitioner, gestaltist, speaker, and the founder of Indigo Trails Farm. With over 30 years in health and wellness, she holds an MD from the University of Vermont College of Medicine and an MS in Exercise Physiology from UC Berkeley. After losing her husband in a tragic accident, she left western medicine and found her way back to life — and to her life's purpose — through horses.

Certified in the Equine Gestalt Coaching Method and Advanced Gestalt Coaching, she now partners with horses to empower individuals to heal their hearts, bodies, and minds. She specializes in perimenopause, metabolic health, women's empowerment, and the intersection of grief, healing, and growth.

MD · Univ. of Vermont | MS · UC Berkeley | Equine Gestalt Coach | CLTS Provider | Functional Medicine

THE FOUNDER'S STORY

From Hopeless to Hopeful

Stacey's journey to founding Indigo Trails Farm is one of the most powerful things about this place — because it means she understands, deeply and personally, what it means to need healing.

She lost her husband Darren — also a physician, her partner in every sense — suddenly and without warning. She describes what followed as surviving, not living. But horses, as they often do, found a way in. Her horse Cowboy stood with her through her grief in a way no person could, and something cracked open.

That moment — being touched by a horse — became the seed of everything Indigo Trails Farm is today. The programs, the farm, the community: all of it grew from one woman's willingness to follow her intuition toward healing, even when she couldn't see where it was leading.

  • MD — University of Vermont College of Medicine

  • MS in Exercise Physiology — UC Berkeley

  • Dual certification — Equine Gestalt Coaching Method & Advanced Gestalt Coaching, Touched by a Horse

  • Certified CLTS Provider — Wisconsin

  • Certifications — Women's Hormone & Gut Health, Institute of Integrative Nutrition

HER DAUGHTER'S STORY

A Love For Horses

That Became a Career

Caitlyn grew up at Indigo Trails Farm — riding, caring for horses, and developing the deep partnership with them that defines her approach today. What started as a daughter sharing her mother's love of horses became a world-class career in competitive dressage.

As an FEI trainer and instructor, Caitlyn brings both the rigor of competitive excellence and a genuinely holistic, science-backed philosophy to every horse and rider she works with. She has earned her Bronze and Silver dressage medals and is training toward her Gold — while studying with some of the most respected names in the sport.

Her mission is simple: help horses and riders thrive together. Whether the goal is the show ring or simply a deeper bond between horse and owner, Caitlyn builds individualized programs that prioritize soundness, balance, and long-term well-being.

  • FEI Trainer & Instructor — Indigo Trails Farm / Bean Dressage LLC

  • USDF Bronze & Silver Medal — Gold in progress

  • Trained with Steffen Peters, Laura Graves, Jaimey Irwin, JJ Tate

  • Advanced studies — Balance Through Movement Method, postural development, soft tissue release

Caitlyn Bean

HORSE TRAINER · BEAN DRESSAGE LLC

Caitlyn Bean is the head trainer and instructor at Indigo Trails Farm, where she combines her passion for competitive dressage with a deep commitment to horse development and well-being. A decorated FEI trainer with Bronze and Silver dressage medals — and training toward her Gold — she has studied with Steffen Peters, Laura Graves, Jaimey Irwin, and JJ Tate.

Her approach integrates advanced biomechanics, postural development, and soft tissue release methods through the Balance Through Movement Method, creating a holistic program that prioritizes each horse's physical and mental well-being while developing their potential for success. Caitlyn offers full and partial training packages and lessons for boarded horses at Indigo Trails Farm.

FEI Trainer & Instructor | USDF Bronze & Silver | Biomechanics | Balance Through Movement

COME FIND YOUR PLACE HERE

The Farm Is Waiting
for You

Whether you're bringing your child to their first horse experience, looking for a home for your horse, seeking healing and community as a woman, or simply feeling a tug toward this place — trust it. Stacey did. And it changed everything.