Instructors At T.E.C.

The Instructors And Staff That Give So Much Of Their Time
INSTRUCTORS
Heather Ajzenman	OFF TO GRADUATE SCHOOL WE MISS YOU Heather began riding at the age of nine and focuses her riding in the area of dressage. She graduated from Mount Holyoke College in the spring of 2008 and was a member of the Mount Holyoke Intercollegiate Dressage Team. Her interest in therapeutic riding arose when one of her ponies was donated to a therapeutic riding program in Long Island. She volunteered for many years and became a NARHA Registered Level Instructor in 2006. She has numerous riders that qualified for the Special Olympics at the state, national, and international level. Currently Heather is working with a large array of students, with a few students learning to ride independently. She plans to pursue her PhD in occupational therapy starting in the Fall of 2009 and bring her young horse, currently just under a year old, up to the highest level of dressage.
Nora Britton	Nora Britton is a familiar face at TEC. She greets everyone with her warm smile and enthusiastic welcome. It is evident for all to see that she truly loves what she does. Nora started at TEC as a young volunteer and has stayed with TEC through all the years. Her warm, sincere manner has encouraged many a rider both young and old. Her dedication and hard work benefits our riders, horses and TEC. She is also our hard working Barn Manager
Karen Dahmke	I have always loved everything horse; the look, the feel, even the smell! When my youngest son went off to school and I had time on my hands, my friends all said, 'you have to go to this therapeutic riding place that just opened. It would be perfect for you!' I checked it out and fell in love. I loved the horses, the people and the riders. When I witnessed what therapeutic riding could do for people with disabilities and their families I was hooked. I believe so whole-heartedly in the program that I put in well over 1000 volunteer hours over the next 3+ years. That's when I decided to become a certified instructor myself. I received my certification from NARHA in 2005 and I've never looked back!"
Nancy Karp	Nancy Karp has worked with kids since 1988. She began her career in residential care, spending large amounts of quality time with at risk youth. Because of her belief in the healing power of the natural world, Nancy has always tried to get kids involved in hiking, gardening and interactions with animals. In 1992 she traveled to Augusta, Michigan to study for eight weeks at the Kellogg's Foundation's, Cheff Center for Therapeutic Riding where she earned her NARHA certification. For two years she used her skills at Lutheran Youth and Family Services Community Stable in Zelienople PA, with physically able kids who had lived through very emotionally draining times. Nancy went on to earn her undergraduate degree in Neuroscience and Behavior, from Mount Holyoke College as a Francis Perkins Scholar. While there, she did a three month internship at Harvard medical's Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Laboratories. She went on to assist in research on Attention Deficit Disorder, Tourette's, and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder through the Structural Analysis Laboratory of Yale Child Study Center, with Bradley Peterson. In 2002, she traveled to Aspen Ranch in Loa, Utah to experience a working example of equine assisted psychotherapy. She received her certification from Equine Assisted Growth And Learning Association (EAGALA). These days, Nancy has a full time job teaching vocational classes and providing outreach at New Directions School in Northampton. At Holyoke Community College, she teaches three sections of Introductory Biology. She has worked at the Therapeutic Equestrian Center since 2003.
Cassady Clark	Cassady Clark has been around horses since birth. Her mother is a dressage trainer, so when other kids were playing sports after school and on weekends, Cassady spent most of her free time at the barn with her mother. Currently attending Mount Holyoke College, Cassady is a MHC team member of the Intercollegiate Dressage Association and will graduate in December 2011. Cassady discovered therapeutic riding when she took a semester off from school to discover how she could make a difference. She contacted a member of her community at home in Vermont, and spent her entire semester volunteering. After watching a few lessons and seeing the impact horses have on other people’s lives, not just her own, she was touched and made strides to be come a NARHA Registered Level Instructor and was certified in August 2009. Cassady’s goal for her students is for them to have fun in a safe environment with the philosophy, “smiles and laughter are the keys to learning”.

STAFF

VOLUNTEERS
Carol Gosselin	A Volunteer Story Carol Gosselin is a lover of horses. When she was about 5 years old, she saw her first horse on TV and has loved them ever since. As a child, she collected model horses and made scrapbooks with pictures of them, though she unfortunately did not have many opportunities to ride. In the past 7 years she has indulged her love of horses through her active volunteer work, both at TEC and at Legacy Farm in Easthampton. She also volunteers as a fence judge for King Oak Farm’s Horse Trials. Carol takes lessons at Tough-E-Nuf Stables in Southampton MA. She also rides some of her friends’ horses and cares for them when her friends are away on vacation. Carol has been with TEC since it reopened in September of 2005. She had originally met Judy Zedonis at King Oak farm through her volunteering as a fence judge, so when Judy called asking if she would like to volunteer, her love of horses and volunteering made it impossible to refuse, and she has been a loyal volunteer ever since. Her usual volunteer tasks include tacking, leading, and untacking the horses as well as sidewalking during the lessons, which she is utterly amazing at. Her favorite things about being a TEC volunteer are seeing ho much the riders love riding and watching how much they gain, both physically and emotionally, from riding. She also loves that she can give back to the community while also spending so much time with amazing people, and equally amazing horses. If Carol could change anything about TEC and had unlimited resources to do so, she would ensure that they had everything on their Wishlist. Carol is just one of the many spectacular people who volunteer at TEC. Check out her blog at http://www.portraitswithhorses.com/blog/ in the archives section under the alias Horse Gal. If you would like to become a TEC volunteer like Carol, fill out the paperwork and come to TEC! We would love to have you!

Therapeutic Equestrian Center Holyoke, MA

Therapeutic Equestrian Center
Holyoke, MA