About Me

Erica Lynn Canevari

I’m a small town girl who grew up obsessing about horses. My parents, who were not horse people, thought that horses were a phase I would grow out of. “Every little girl loves horses.” they said. By age 13, they realized that my passion was not fleeting. I got my first horse, a little grey Arabian mare, and she taught me more about riding than any rider instructor has before or since.

During my early 20’s I got involved with my local Backcountry Horsemen of California unit. After several years of membership, I was elected as the unit secretary, and eventually took on the creation, editing, production and distribution of our unit’s monthly newsletter. In 2009 I was actively searching for my perfect career, doing a lot of volunteer work and waiting for something to “click.”

As always, one ordinary day my life changed… I was putting together the monthly newsletter when a flyer came across my desk. Gene Ovnicek, a world renowned farrier was coming to Humboldt County to teach about equine lameness and host a clinic for local farriers. I was immediately interested. I had thought about a career as a farrier. I called Bill Adams, the local farrier who was organizing the clinic and got his opinion on the matter. He was very encouraging, and invited me to audit the farrier-only demonstration happening the day after the public events. I hung up feeling really intrigued and excited. Bill said, “At the end of the day, you’ll know if this is for you.” I attended both days of instruction, and was appreciative of the small class size, which afforded me a lot of quality time with Gene Ovnicek. I will never forget the day of the hands-on clinic. Gene was actively instructing 5 established Humboldt County farriers while they shod 2 extremely lame horses. These horses were so lame they could not even stand comfortably. The horses were standing tied, shifting their weight back and forth between their legs. They could not walk without exhibiting telltale signs of lameness and discomfort. With the specialty shoes we applied using Gene’s principles that day these horses trotted off comfortably with their heads held high. I was completely amazed. People could get paid to help horses feel better? Man, this was the job for me. I have a very scientific brain and I fell in love with farrier science. I felt like an Equine Podiatrist. The lower limb anatomy, the physiology, the hands-on creation and shaping of the shoes- this was definitely for me. During the fall of 2009 I attended Mission Farrier School in Snohomish, Washington under the instruction of Mark Plumlee. Mission Farrier School was one of only 4 schools in the United States that taught Gene Ovnicek’s Natural Balance Horseshoeing principles, which I feel honor the natural gradient of the hoof rather than trying to shape it like a block of wood. Things always work better when they are in alignment with nature. Horseshoeing and blacksmithing in general were a trade long overdue for a re-thinking of prinicples. Gene simply showed us “a better way.” I graduated from Mission Farrier School in November 2009, came home to Humboldt County, and went to work. My farrier business, Back in Balance Horseshoeing, was very successful.

My next passion was about to be introduced into my life…

Not even four years later I was having difficulty keeping up with the demand for my farrier services. I was burning the candle at both ends. I was young enough to be getting away with it, but I was starting to get sore. I was a bit of a workaholic, who simply pushed through daily aches and pains. I was receiving weekly deep-tissue massage. But even on days I was hurting I refused to take over-the-counter pain relievers because I knew they were a trade off, and would be silently reeking havoc on my body. I didn’t want a band-aid, I wanted something that could support my body, something that was sustainable. Little did I know it that exact thing was about to appear in my life.

In the fall of 2012 I was working trimming horses on a remote property in southern Humboldt. This time of year it gets warm inland and I was working hard in the near 100 degree heat. “After watching you work so hard in the sun I can’t let you leave here without giving you a Raindrop.” I heard an unfamiliar voice say from behind me. It was the daughter of my client, a massage therapist and healer named Mary. She was visiting from Auburn, California. The Raindrop (massage with essential oils) sounded great, but I had another client to get to, so Mary settled for applying several Young Living essential oils to my back. I had been working all day in the sun, and my body was sore and tired. 30 minutes later as I drove down that bumpy, mountain road I felt my back muscles begin to relax and loosen. It felt like every cell in my body was singing and tingling. I felt great! I had never felt anything like this before in my life. I was deeply intrigued and curious. Little did I know that this chance encounter would alter the course of my life forever…

I ordered my oil starter kit and started using the oils everyday. After just a few weeks I was amazed at the value these tiny bottles had in my life. They helped everything: my body, my mood, everything seemed to improve, my house and car smelled cleaner, I became fascinated with what I was discovering. These oils were so simple, yet so powerful. From then on I dove head first into the world of essential oils. I attended many essential oil workshops and training events all across the western states. I felt the essential oils working in my body, but I wanted to know how they worked. My scientific brain demanded to know how these miracles were working on a cellular level. My incessant seeking eventually landed me at the Center for Aromatherapy Research and Education (C.A.R.E). I graduated from the C.A.R.E training program and received certificates in Essential Oil Chemistry, Applied Vitaflex, Raindrop Technique, Emotional Release with Essential Oils, and the Healing Oils of the Bible.

I started using essential oils daily in my life for physical health and soon discovered the power to heal emotional trauma. I had endured years of abuse at the hands of those closest to me in life and had a lot of work to do in this area! Discovering these amazing tools and how they could literally re-program the body on a cellular level fascinated me. I began working to heal my emotional wounds and became mentally, physically and emotionally healthier than ever before. I also discovered a beautiful, spiritual side of myself that I had yet to meet. As you may expect, people in my life began to notice the positive changes in my lifestyle, I gradually lost over 30 pounds, and I cultivated a better emotional outlook and a brighter, more positive attitude. The changes I was experiencing were impossible to hide. People began asking me about what I was doing differently. I realized that the knowledge I had accumulated was in high demand. I wasn’t the only person with a desire to better myself and heal my childhood traumas. I began sharing and teaching about the oils part-time over the next decade of my life. I have taught classes all across the United States including: California, Oregon, Nevada, Washington, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. I teach about everything from hormone health and emotional release, to addiction studies and animal classes. My favorite, of course, is teaching people how to use essential oils with horses. My heart is true; and essential oils and horses will always be my two greatest loves.

In 2020 I retired from Back in Balance Horseshoeing and began teaching about Young Living essential oils full time. The universe has blessed me with talents and skills that serve my heart and soul and help inspire others to lead better lives as their best selves. Thank you for taking the time to read about my life and I sincerely hope that you will allow me to help you unlock your own highest potential and achieve overall wellness with these gifts.