About Equine Canine Partnership

Our Mission

Equine Canine Partnership was founded with a clear and urgent mission: to reduce the number of preventable accidents involving horses and dogs through education, training guidance, and community outreach. Based in Lexington, Kentucky, in the heart of horse country, we see firsthand the joy that comes from sharing equestrian life with canine companions, and we understand the risks that come with it when proper precautions are not taken.

Our organization provides evidence-based resources that help equestrians at all levels create safe environments where horses and dogs can coexist productively. From first-time horse owners bringing a puppy to the barn to professional trainers managing working dogs on large operations, our guidance is designed to be practical, accessible, and grounded in the real-world conditions of equestrian life.

We believe that the bond between horse, dog, and human is one of the most enriching relationships in the animal world. Our goal is not to discourage people from bringing dogs to barns or trails but to ensure that when they do, both species are protected by proper training, environmental management, and informed decision-making. Every article we publish, every resource we create, and every consultation we provide is driven by this commitment to safety and harmony.

Our Team

Emily Sato-Williams, Founder and Publisher

Emily Sato-Williams brings over twenty-five years of experience in both equine and canine training to her role as founder and publisher of Equine Canine Partnership. A lifelong equestrian who grew up on a working horse farm in central Kentucky, Emily developed her passion for interspecies safety after witnessing a serious accident involving a barn dog and a young horse early in her career. That experience catalyzed a decade of study and practice focused specifically on horse-dog interactions.

Emily holds certifications in equine behavior science and canine training methodology, and she has worked with hundreds of horse-dog pairs across disciplines ranging from dressage and eventing to western pleasure and working cattle operations. She is a frequent speaker at equestrian events throughout the southeastern United States and has contributed articles to several regional and national equestrian publications.

At home, Emily lives with three horses, two Australian Shepherds, and a retired Labrador Retriever on a small farm outside Lexington. Her daily life provides continuous opportunities to test and refine the methods she teaches, ensuring that every recommendation is not only theoretically sound but practically proven.

Margaret Kensington, Senior Contributor

Margaret Kensington is a veterinary technician and animal behaviorist who specializes in multi-species households and interspecies communication. With a background in veterinary emergency medicine, Margaret brings a unique clinical perspective to the safety-focused content at Equine Canine Partnership. She has treated numerous dogs and horses injured in interspecies accidents and uses that experience to inform her preventive education work.

Margaret's contributions to the site focus on breed assessment, body language interpretation, and safety protocols. Her detailed breed guides draw on both published research and her personal observations of dozens of breeds in equestrian settings over a career spanning nearly two decades. She is particularly interested in the neurological and hormonal factors that influence how dogs and horses perceive and respond to each other.

Originally from Virginia, Margaret relocated to the Lexington area to join Equine Canine Partnership and now serves as a consultant to several local boarding and training facilities on their barn dog policies. She lives with two Corgis, a rescued Thoroughbred, and an opinionated barn cat named Inspector.

Our Approach

Everything we do at Equine Canine Partnership is guided by three core principles. First, we believe in evidence-based education. Our recommendations are grounded in established principles of animal behavior science, veterinary medicine, and training methodology. We do not promote anecdotal methods or trending techniques that lack a foundation in research and proven practice.

Second, we prioritize practical accessibility. The equestrian community is diverse, ranging from backyard horse owners to professional competitors, and our resources must be useful across this spectrum. We write for the person who may not have access to a professional trainer but is committed to doing right by their animals. Clear, actionable guidance that can be implemented with commonly available resources is our standard.

Third, we advocate for both species equally. It is not enough to train the dog while ignoring the horse's needs, or to manage the horse while neglecting the dog's welfare. True interspecies safety requires attention to the physical and emotional needs of both animals, and our content always addresses both sides of the equation.

Our Location

Equine Canine Partnership is headquartered at 3120 Stable View Drive, Lexington, Kentucky 40502. Lexington sits at the center of the Bluegrass Region, one of the most concentrated equestrian communities in the world. Our location gives us direct access to a vast network of horse farms, training facilities, veterinary clinics, and equestrian professionals who contribute to and benefit from our work.

We are a registered organization (EIN: 49-6183275) committed to transparency in our operations and accountability to the community we serve. If you have questions about our organization, our content, or our mission, we welcome your inquiry through our contact page.