Ariana Strozzi Mazzucchi

Ariana is a visionary leader, founder of equine guided education and coaching, award winning writer, artist and land steward. Her entrepreneurial commitment to ‘horses healing humans healing earth’ has led the way in the field of equine therapies. Her unique blend of nature, holistic somatics™ and embodied leadership has changed thousands of lives and is integrated into universities, leadership programs, veterans programs and non profits throughout the world. She founded Leadership, & Horses™ and Intuitive Horsemanship™ in 1989 and Equine Guided Education in 1999.

She grew up training horses and winning champion awards in dressage, jumping, cross country eventing, gymkhana, reining, and working cow horse. She learned through her diverse experience that horses’ primary source of communication is intuitive and deeply sensitive to the energetic essence of their environment.

Ariana graduated from UC Davis with a degree in zoology and animal behavior. She is a well known rancher, sheperd, vintner and supports local food economy and family farms. She is on the Sonoma County Farm Trails Foundation, and is a member of the Sonoma County Farm Bureau, Sonoma County Horse Council and Russian River Winegrowers.

portrait of Wesley Smith

Wesley May Smith

Wesley is Ariana’s eldest daughter and the marketing director for Casari Ranch, where she blends creativity and authenticity to manage the ranch’s digital presence. With a deep connection to the land and rural life, Wesley brings a fresh perspective to her role, infusing the ranch's work with a strong sense of integrity, purpose, and attention to detail.

Wesley oversees social media, updates websites, and crafts newsletters to keep the Casari Ranch community informed and engaged. She’s passionate about ensuring that the ranch’s story is told in a way that stays true to its values and resonates with the people who support it.

When she’s not working, Wesley enjoys outdoor adventures with her three boys and stays grounded in her rural roots through her love of hands-on living and the slower, intentional pace of life.

  • "Ariana has a deep and spiritual connection with animals and mother nature. She is naturally able to communicate with the spirits of the land, and the animals. With this gift, she has pioneered a field which translates this soul language into transformational heart openings for people."

    Peg Barryhill

  • "Ariana has created a bridge between the animal world and humans that helps create unity on mother earth. She is deeply authentic and walks her talk."

    Beth D

Ariana’s unique approach of blending emotional, somatic and spiritual intelligence with an emphasis on the natural world as a place of healing has helped over six thousand people from all walks of life. Her teachings have been incorporated into numerous leadership institutes and equine therapy programs around the world including Institute for Women’s Leadership, Institute for Generative Leadership, Institute of Noetic Sciences, and Meridian University. Other leadership training programs that incorporate Ariana’s work include U.C. Berkeley Haas School of Business Development, Institute of Noetic Science, Earthrise, New Era Trainings, Newfield Network, PSI Seminars and more. Her corporate clients include Salesforce, Facebook, Visa, Institute for Women’s Leadership, Wells Fargo Bank, Proctor & Gamble, Hewlett-Packard, Agilent, Cisco, Kaiser, Pfizer, Apple Inc, Leadership USA, and more.