A Leader At The Reins
With Nicole Wirth From Focused Equine
Horsemanship Coach & Mentor Nicole Wirth began envisioning an equestrian career as a child mustering cattle on her family property. Riding wherever she could physically go, navigating thousands of acres of paddocks, cliffs, and creeks, Nicole was hooked by the sense of freedom, the feeling of power and strength beneath her and having to trust her horse with her life.
“I wanted to be a jillaroo and ride horses forever!” Nicole laughs.
“However, I was discouraged to go in that direction and instead pointed towards other more promising career paths.”
Nicole excelled at school but couldn’t find a university degree that really excited her. What made her feel alive was time spent with her aunt, learning to train young horses.
“I remember in Year 12 saying to my best friend: ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if I could just help people fix their horse problems as a career?’” Nicole remembers.
“We both laughed because it seemed like a ridiculous fantasy.”
After school, Nicole worked in various roles in medical care, agriculture, and mining, before asking herself this life-changing question: “What is life if you spend all your time on someone else’s dream while your soul feels like it’s slowly dying?”
At that point, Nicole took a leap and began offering mobile horse training services, evolving later into Focused Equine with its unique well-being first approach
“I wanted every horse to feel good in the work and feel good about me as a trainer. No longer labelling horses as good or bad. Instead recognising that their nature is inherently good, they just need the right support to drop their defences and allow that to come forward.” Nicole says.
Soon, the company evolved to include mentorship, teaching owners to create stronger partnerships with their steeds.
In 2020 Nicole launched structured programs for long-term support, before adding equestrian business consulting to her offering in 2025, focusing on leadership, an exciting business model and attracting right-fit clients.
“I love that I get to change horses’ lives for the better and facilitate dream partnerships for my clients, who are the most amazing humans.” Nicole says.
“I also love that working with difficult horses forces you to look at your own issues and be completely honest and kind, in order to be successful. It has made me see the world in a different way.”
Beyond hands-on horsemanship coaching in the Mackay region, Nicole is now mentoring clients virtually and hosts online webinars. In 2026, she's set to host her first equestrian business owners event in the Whitsundays.
What is your advice for future business women?
“Successful business owners have mentors. There’s no shame in having support. Find a mentor who you trust, who makes you feel alive and free, who sees your dreams 10x bigger than you do.
“To build a business you have to overcome the inner patterns and paradigms you absorbed from birth. If you heard that money is the root of evil, you’ll subconsciously push it away. If you learned that being admired makes people look for the worst in you, you'll avoid the spotlight.
“Give yourself grace and work on your self-concept in order to expand the capacity of your business.”
What do you do on the weekend?
Wind down! My husband Nevin and I make it a priority to get out for a coffee together, usually ending up solving the world’s problems, in theory only. We both play musical instruments so there may be some tunes and karaoke. I have a collection of plants, in various stages of life or death, thanks to my not-so-green thumb.
