Dr. Angela McGinnis is an Associate Professor at the University of Regina from Indigenous (Ojibwe/Métis) and settler heritages. She obtained her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Western University in 2015. Her dissertation focused on the role of cultural connectedness for positive mental health among Indigenous youth in Canada. She has since expanded her research and clinical interests to the areas of equine psychotherapy and horticultural therapy, and has compiled multiple articles and research grants concerning the need for an ecological consciousness that identifies animals, plants, and land as key partners in the healing process. Dr. McGinnis was first introduced to the Lac La Croix Indigenous Pony by her parents in 2003 and has since contributed to the promotion, protection, and preservation of the breed in both academic and community contexts. In 2015, she established The Red Pony Stands® with her partner, Cullan McGinnis from Nigigoonsiminikaanging First Nation, one of the original caretaker communities in the Treaty 3 territory where the ponies originated.