At Equine Connection The Academy of Equine Assisted Learning, we often talk about the herd and the relationships inside it. Horses form bonds that are steady and loyal. They teach us that true connection is not loud. It is consistent. It is safe. It is present.
That is what this chapter is about.
When people hear the word soulmate, they often think romance. But life is broader than that. Soulmates show up as mothers, friends, mentors, and sometimes even as animals who change us forever. A soulmate is not always someone who stays. Sometimes a soulmate comes, shapes you, teaches you who you are, and then leaves you with a kind of strength you did not know you could carry.
For Kari Fulmek, her mother Faye was that kind of soulmate.
The Kind of Love That Builds a Person
Kari was born on April 14, 1966, in Yorkton, Saskatchewan. She was raised by her single mom, Faye, a hardworking farm girl with a tough backbone and a soft heart. Their life was not filled with expensive trips or fancy things. But it was filled with something far more valuable.
Attention.
Real attention.
Faye made her kids feel seen. Even while working multiple jobs to keep food on the table and bills paid, she gave Kari and her younger brother Jimmy the kind of emotional safety that becomes a personâs foundation.
Fayeâs philosophy was simple.
Get up. Move forward. Try again.
That kind of mindset is not just positive thinking. It is survival training. It is a way of living that says life can knock you down and you can still choose your next step.
Becoming the Responsible One Too Soon
Because of their family situation, Kari learned how to run a household early. She developed a way of being that was direct, driven, and always scanning for what needed to be done next. That became one of her greatest strengths, but it also formed her armor.
When you grow up early, you get good at handling things.
But you also get used to not needing help.
Kari became a go getter. She learned to delegate. She learned to push forward. And she learned that freedom matters.
That early independence was not an accident. It was built in her by a mother who did not sugarcoat life, but also did not let hardship become an excuse.
Moving Again and Again
Over the years, Kari and her mom moved between Alberta and Saskatchewan more than twenty five times. That number sounds unbelievable until you live it. New schools. New people. New starts. Over and over.
That can break a kid.
Or it can build a kid.
Faye kept Kari focused on achievement, not self pity. She did not allow life to turn them into victims. She taught them to find gratitude, laugh when possible, and keep going.
Those lessons became core.
And in a way, those lessons mirror what we see when people partner with horses.
Because horses do not get dramatic about life.
They adjust.
They move.
They regulate.
They return to the present.
The "Bitchy Girl" and the Truth Underneath
Kari admits she could be a bitchy girl. It was not because she was bad. It was because she was protecting herself. When you move constantly, you learn quickly that people can judge you before they know you. Kari fought against that. She defended herself. She proved herself. She became tough.
But underneath the toughness was a deep sensitivity. A girl who wanted love, belonging, and a horse.
Faye understood this. She saw who Kari was behind the armor. That is what great mothers do.
They do not just love their child's best side.
They love their whole side.
Best Friends and Business Partners
As Kari grew into adulthood, she and her mom stayed incredibly close. They became best friends. They became business partners. They schemed and dreamed. They laughed and built ideas together.
This is important.
Because when a mother is your soulmate, it is not just "my mom raised me." It is "my mom shaped how I see the world."
Faye made people feel special. She loved helping others. She valued connection. She carried a sense of joy that did not depend on perfect circumstances.
And those are the same values that later became the backbone of Equine Connection.
Because you cannot partner with horses and help humans without being grounded in real heart.
And Then She Died
Faye passed away on June 1, 2011 after a painful six month illness.
No matter how prepared you think you are for loss, you are not ready. At forty five, Kari could barely comprehend it. It did not feel right. It did not feel fair. It did not feel like the universe had any logic.
Grief cracked her open.
And this is where the story becomes more than a biography.
Because grief changes people.
It either hardens you permanently or it shapes you into someone who can hold deeper compassion.
Kari chose to honour her mother by finding the courage to speak. She delivered a eulogy that only a daughter like her could deliver.
And even though Faye was gone, the lessons did not leave.
Get up. Move forward. Try again.
Final Thought
If you are walking through grief, we want you to know something.
Horses understand loss. Herds feel it. They change when one leaves. They stand quietly. They adjust. They carry on, not because they do not care, but because life asks them to stay present.
Partnering with horses will not erase grief.
But it will give you a place where your grief is allowed to exist without judgment.
And sometimes that is the first step toward healing.