Heather Carrie Thomas grew up on the family ranch in Salmon, Idaho. Horses have always been a big part of her life. Her great grandpa, Don Ian Smith, gave Heather her first horse when she was just two years old. She spent several years in 4-H, learning all she could about horses, and got her first experiences with training horses and helping to instruct others about safely working with horses. She attended Carroll College in Helena, Montana, where she was an assistant instructor for the anthrozoology program's basic horsemanship class. During college and over her summer breaks she trained horses and taught riding lessons. In 2013, she graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in anthrozoology (human-animal interactions) and psychology. After graduation she decided to continue training horses and teaching riding lessons, and to try her best to help others enjoy horses as much as she does.