Michelle Lauren Anderson – Survivor Not Victim
All photos credit: Jamie Sukow
By Delores Kuhlwein
Doctors said Michelle Lauren Anderson might not survive. If she did, they said, she could lose her feet, her hands, her eyesight, and she might not walk or talk again.
After more than 80-plus surgeries and countless therapy sessions and treatments, Michelle is now an avid competitor in the discipline of Western Dressage.
On May 19th, 1996, at the age of two, Michelle was burned in a house fire over 91 percent of her body and though the doctors had given her family the bleak diagnosis, she explains, she proved them wrong.
After more than 80-plus surgeries and countless therapy sessions and treatments, Michelle is now an avid competitor in the discipline of Western Dressage.
She’s also a Certified Therapeutic Horseback Riding Instructor and an Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning. Michelle is armed with a Bachelor’s Degree in Animal Science – Equine Management and as a Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship (PATH Intl.), as well as two Masters’ Degrees in Strategic Leadership and Business Administration. Outside her time with horses, she works as a Communication, Change and Education Consultant.
It’s a very impressive resume’ for someone whose chances for survival were slim.
The Power of the Horse
Michelle discovered horses at the age of 14 after riding at a camp for burn survivors in Colorado.
It was the discovery of horses, she says, that opened up her world.
“Horses have been my passion since I was 14,” she explains, and it all started after riding at a camp for burn survivors in Colorado.
What she felt the first time on a horse was the opposite of what she’d been feeling as a burn victim: “Judged. Misunderstood. Restricted, Unsafe, Uneasy.”
Instead, she felt like a survivor and a thriver through what horses provided her with: “Freedom. Love. Trust. Empowered. Understood. Grounded. Peace. Joy. Safe. Present.”
The epiphany jolted her into action. “As soon as I got home from camp, I begged my mom to sign me up for lessons. Soon one lesson a week turned to two, and then thankfully, one year later, I was able to get my first horse “Maxee,” Macslittlebitebony,” she reveals.
Since then, she says, horses have been there for her during all the different stages of her life.
“Horses gave me a place I belonged when I felt like I didn’t belong growing up; they taught me work ethic, responsibility, gave me goals and a best friend and community,” Michelle reveals. “If it wasn’t for them, I truly don’t know who I would be today.”
The Value of Goals and Competition
The childhood burn survivor just won the AQHA 2022 Year End Title of 6th Place in Basic Level Western Dressage with Always Worth Kissing, aka “Mia.”
Her goal-driven nature kicked in when she fell in love with competing as a youth, and she started out her show career with Maxee in Western Pleasure, English Pleasure, Equitation, Horsemanship, Trail, and Showmanship.
“My first horse Maxee and I always thrived at the pattern classes,” she says. “Since then, I have tapped into several disciplines outside of Western Dressage including Reining, Dressage, Jumping, and Ranch Riding.”
Her current Quarter Horse, Always Worth Kissing, aka “Mia,” came into her life at the start of the pandemic, which she reveals was “a time during isolation and new trauma, which caused my old medical trauma from my burn injury to resurface. She gave me community, love, compassion, goals, and healing during a time of isolation and when our world was incredibly divided.”
Michelle’s many years of lessons, clinics, competition, and college classes while obtaining her Bachelor’s Degree in Animal Science in Equine Management, and the education while obtaining her PATH Instructor Certification and Equine Specialist in Mental Health in Learning Certification, prepared her to train Mia on her own.
Her discipline of choice as they progressed became Western Dressage, which she says she loves because of the ability to show at the level where the horse is, along with training with the horse in mind first. “I got back into showing when I got Mia after taking a long break after college, and I was very excited to dive into it. I love Western Dressage because I can apply my love for pattern work with a focus on building balanced horse mentally and physically.”
Their journey so far resulted in an AQHA 2022 Year End Title of 6th Place in Basic Level Western Dressage, and as one might imagine, it only made Michelle set even more new goals.
She says, “Mia and I have also tapped into some jumping and are planning on starting some Ranch Riding this year!”
The Unique Riding Challenges of a Burn Survivor
Riding as a burn survivor presents some unique challenges, but unsurprisingly, Michelle has learned how to adapt.
Michelle admits riding itself presents some unique challenges when one is a burn survivor, so she has learned to adapt.
“With having third degree burns on my legs and hands, riding can cause chafing and open sores if I am not careful,” she says. Through trial and error, she found the answer was riding in breeches, and eventually seamless riding jeans (Smooth Stride); she also has a custom garment made out of material used to protect prosthetics from rubbing on sensitive skin to prevent sores.
“I also have figured out what type of tack works well for me and what doesn’t,” Michelle says, “and I get gloves customized so they fit my hands as I am missing part of my fingers and I only have 4 fingers on each hand.” She continues, “All these adaptations have allowed me to ride and compete while protecting my skin.”
Helping Others
Michelle’s role as a PATH Instructor and as an Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning allows her to give back through her love and passion for horses.
Based on her experiences, outreach to others has become an important cause to Michelle, and she has implemented her quest in more than one form.
“Articulating awareness to the lens of what I have been through as a burn survivor and how to support someone going through hardship is because I want others to feel included, supported and not alone in their journey,” Michelle says.
She explains that her role as a PATH Instructor and as an Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning allows her to give back through her love and passion for horses. “I have taught and worked with a number of riders with all sorts of levels, backgrounds and abilities, and I hope to work more specifically with trauma survivors in the future.”
Though she says she sometimes still struggles from time to time with the long-term effects of her trauma including the disabilities it has caused her, the ongoing medical treatments and post-traumatic stress that come with being a burn survivor, she says she’s not ashamed of her story, which she’s sharing in book form soon.
“I am also writing a self-help book about my story in which I share numerous stories of my horse adventures called Survivor not Victim, Stories Behind My Scars and the Path to Thriving,” Michelle explains. “I have always said, ‘I don’t know where or who I would be without horses and I give them so much of the credit to the person I am today’.”
We encourage our readers to check out Michelle Lauren Anderson’s website, her blog, and more information about her book here: https://survivornotvictim.com/.
Thank you to Michelle for sharing a glimpse of your story with our readers! We are in awe!
