Gemma DiFerdinando (Gemma Ra'Star) is the Lead Instructor and a World Champion Equestrian dedicated to healing trauma and balancing mental health through the sacred wisdom of the horse. Gemma is a Certified Horseback Archery Instructor through the MA3 Mounted Archery association of the Americas and serves as the International Manager and Performer for the Mongolian Horseback Archery Club, Evt Sum Club, traveling to seven countries. Recently she took her 11 year old daughter who she trained in horse archery with and they had a victory in South Korea at the Daegaya International Mounted Martial Arts Tournament. Gemma is getting ready to launch in 2026 the The War Horse Path, workshop intensive Youth Horseback Archery and Mounted Martial Arts program for rural and indigenous youth from local Pueblo schools and non-profit organizations.

Her expertise is built on deep nomadic experience: she has ridden over 170 horses and participated in horseback archery, endurance races, and ceremonies across 15 countries in the last four years, traveling to Mongolia nine times. She holds the unparalleled distinction of being the only foreigner in the world to complete the all-Mongolian Urtuu 1,000 km race (the original Genghis Khan passport system route) in nine days while riding 34 different half-wild Mongolian horses. She is a World Champion Equestrian, placing alongside her 11-year-old daughter Duo at the 2025 South Korea International Horseback Archery Tournament, and has participated in the World Nomad Games 2024 (Kazakhstan) and will represent the USA in the 2026 games (Kyrgyzstan).

Crucially, Gemma has a proven track record of community healing, having run a free equine therapy program for behavioral health, addiction recovery, and trauma healing in Taos and Taos Pueblo from 2006-2021, serving over 12,000 youth, veterans and families in marginalized rural and indigenous communities. Since 2002 Gemma has been homesteading in Taos involving caring for rehabilitated western horses, rescues, and wild horses living in herds on a wildlife conservation farm, cultivating Acequia and agricultural traditions, and building with sustainable materials like adobe and earthbags.

My journey of healing and rediscovery also led me to the Wudang Mountains of China in the summer of 2010. There, at the Purple Cloud Temple, I had the privilege of training in Tai Chi and Chi Gong under the ways of Master Li Cheng Yu. My time at the Purple Cloud Temple deepened my understanding of these ancient disciplines and further inspired my commitment to sharing the wisdom of natural healing with the world.
My immersion in nomadic culture extends beyond horsemanship. In 2024 during the Spring, Summer, and Fall, as a shaman from the United States, I was one of the first Americans to actively participate in community ceremonies with Mongolian shamans, a profound experience that further deepened my understanding of indigenous spiritual practices. My own spiritual path is deeply intertwined with the horse, which I consider to be a sacred animal and a central part of my 'religion'.
Central to my life journey is my role as a single mother to two beautiful daughters. My youngest daughter is a tribal member of the historic Taos Pueblo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with over 1,000 years of continuous inhabitants.
“My life is a testament to the power of living in harmony with nature, embracing the wisdom of ancient traditions, and pushing beyond self-imposed limitations. I am a living example of the extraordinary possibilities that emerge when we dare to follow our passions and connect deeply with the world around us." - Gemma
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