Anne Anderson
NARHA Registered Instructor
Twelve years ago I was a farm girl living in the big city, Minneapolis. I was working as a Physical Therapist Assistant at Sister Kenny Institute where I read a pamphlet about We Can Ride. I called 934-0057 and spoke with Lois Schultz. I told her I could do what ever they needed help with around the barn. I loved horses and people, especially the challenging ones. I would never let my Mother buy me a horse unless it tried to dump me. I started as a volunteer sidewalking. Then I started coming early to groom and tack the horses. Then one fine evening I helped with a client that was having a meltdown. Next thing I knew I was a teaching assistant in training to become a therapeutic riding instructor. Today I teach on Thursday nights. I have wonderful support staff from the office, the community volunteers, the cottage helpers who lead horses, and horses that carry the riders. My life at We Can Ride is very fulfilling. On the home front, I am married with two sons Mathew and Bjorn, and one more child on the way. I work full time for HealthEast Homecare doing physical therapy in the home of clients. I enjoy walks with my dog, Tucker, and going to the Farm on the weekends. My Mom is still a Dairy Farmer so there is always something to do at the farm. Plus the boys love the wide-open space to run around. On really nice weekends I'll get to go trail riding.

Debbie Becka
NARHA Registered Instructor
I've been in love with horses as far back as age 3 (and that's a long way back). Living in the cities didn't provide me many opportunities to be around horses. The small back yard could never house a horse, so I would just gallop around and pretend the stick horse was real. There were lots of western shows on TV so I could watch those splendid 4 legged creatures and dream the horses were mine. After I married in 1980 I started riding lessons, but ended them when my first boy was born. After 3 boys, there wasn't time for horses. My other love was teaching, so when the boys were teenagers, I started working in the Bloomington School system with the special ed students and early childhood development classes. Loving that, I started college in 2000 to work towards a teaching degree. In 2002 I heard about "We Can Ride", so started volunteering as a sidewalker. From sidewalking I worked as a teachers assistant. Then came an opportunity to make my dream come true--I could own a horse! We Can Ride was retiring Radar, a 12 year old gelding, so I convinced my Brother it would be a good idea for his mare to have a playmate. Radar helped me gain a better understanding of horses and to help with riding skills. In June, 2007 I flew down to Alabama and in the midst of a Summer storm with lightening and thunder, passed my NARHA Certification for Instructor. It's been awesome combining my love of horses with the love of teaching. Dreams do come true! Life is good!

Stephanie Bowman
NARHA Registered Instructor / Minnetonka Barn Manager
I began with We Can Ride as a volunteer in the summer of 2004. I am originally from Colorado where I received a B.S. in Equine Science from Colorado State University in Fort Collins. Once I started to volunteer, I realized that therapeutic riding was something I was very interested in. When the job opened up for the Barn Manager in Minnetonka I knew that was the job I wanted. I have worked with several breeds of horses, showing and training them, and figured out that managing a barn was where I wanted to be in the horse industry. In 2006 I became a NARHA Registered Instructor and enjoy teaching very much. I am excited to watch the new changes coming to We Can Ride in the future and am looking forward to being a part of that.

Laurie Carlson
NARHA Registered Instructor
My husband and I share a love for animals and moved to our first farm in 1988. Our introduction to We Can Ride came in the early 90's as Harvest Horse Show volunteers. It was a privilege to join the Board of Directors in 1994 where I served for 8 years. The commute from Marine on St. Croix to Minnetonka is a tough one however, and we dreamed of offering We Can Ride classes on the east side of the Twin Cities. When 60 acres became available nearby, we built a new farm with an indoor arena and larger barn. In 2004 I became a registered instructor and East Wind Farm classes began. It has been a joy to work with the dedicated We Can Ride staff and volunteers. To hear the chatter and laughter of riders and volunteers along with the nickering of horses, now that is a dream come true. Ok, so it can get a bit crazy around here, what with 7 horses, 2 ponies, 2 steer, 2 dogs, and 5 cats, especially around dinner time. But we feel amazingly blessed and wouldn't have it any other way.

Katie Carter
NARHA Registered Instructor
Since I was 7 years old, I have been around horses. In 1999 I went away to college, but after two years was still unsure of what I wanted to study. During my sophomore year, my mother told me about a school in NC (St. Andrews College) that offered Therapeutic Horseback Riding as a four year degree. I transferred to St. Andrews and graduated two and a half years later as a certified NARHA Instructor. In 2003 a few of my friends moved up to MN and asked me to move up from NC when I graduated. I found We Can Ride on the NARHA website and got in touch with Judi French. We Can Ride is one of the most impressive Therapeutic Riding programs I have worked with. The volunteers and staff are hard working and very committed to the program and its clients.

Patti Franz
NARHA Registered Instructor / Client Coordinator
My journey with We Can Ride began in 1999 when my then-14-year-old daughter, Jenni, and I attended volunteer training. Even though we had little experience with horses or people living with disabilities, we signed up and have been very involved with the program ever since. I became a registered instructor in 2002, and in 2005 I began working in the We Can Ride office as the Client Coordinator. I'm proud to say that my daughter has continued to be active in the program as a Teaching Assistant (on her way to becoming an instructor), my husband, Scott, is on the Board of Directors, and my son, Tommy, is a barn aide and a volunteer. My horse, Daley, has just completed his fourth year of service in the program, and he has participated in many demos for We Can Ride, including the MN State Fair, Harvest Horse Show, and Horse Expo. My pony, Poppy, has just completed her first year of service. It is my privilege to be involved in such an amazing organization and I look forward to continuing my path of service, helping We Can Ride fulfill its mission.

Kathy Johnson
NARHA Registered Riding and Driving Instructor
Due to a job change in 1992, I found I had a bit of spare time and wanted to do some community volunteering. I found out about We Can Ride at Horse Expo....and the rest is history. Over the years, I have been a barn aide, horse leader, day camp leader, horse transportation service, and sidewalker for the riding and early childhood programs. In addition to the positions with the riding program, I started working with the driving program in 1998 as an Able-bodied Whip. I became a certified riding instructor in 2000 and certified driving instructor in 2001. The driving program of We Can Ride moved to our farm, Woodpecker Woods, for the 2003 season and still continues on into 2007.

My husband, Randy, and I live on 80 acres of woods, shared by 11 horses (9 Norwegian fjords and 2 Shetland ponies) of our own, 4 boarded horses, 9 dogs and 2 cats. I started collecting fjords to be used for We Can Ride...and have since become a breeder. We own and operate a satellite telecommunications business.

I am delighted that I can share my resources, Woodpecker Woods (www.woodpeckerwoods.com) and passions for horses and driving...with We Can Ride...providing a safe environment for our students and volunteers to try new things and reach for their dreams.

Jenni McCoy
NARHA Registered Instructor
Amazing to think I was only 14 when my mom and I started volunteering with We Can Ride in 1999. It took hardly a second for us to get attached and start working towards becoming more involved in the program. My mom, Patti Franz, became NARHA certified in 2002 and I continued to volunteer as her TA for four years. Then just this last year I earned my NARHA Registered Instructor Certificate and am teaching my very own class at Minnetonka. I've grown up a lot in this program, and I've learned a lot. Not just about the horses we work with and clients we serve, but also bigger things, things that make you a better person. I am ready to continue my education through WCR and I am excited to be teaching.

Outside my barn life, I live with my great boyfriend, our dog and two cats. My full time job is at an ad agency in downtown Minneapolis where I retouch photos for catalogs and signage. I am an amateur photographer, often of horses, and even more often my dog and kitties. You'll be able to recognize me at WCR events by the camera around my neck.

Tina Phelps
NARHA Registered Instructor / OTR
I joined We Can Ride as a volunteer in 1992 and became a NARHA registered instructor in 1996. I helped pilot the first classes away from HCHS at the Shakopee Training Center before the horses and classes were moved to the farm in Waconia. Susan Montgomery and I started the summer day camp program there. I became an OTR/L in 2002 in response to my experience as an instructor. I am currently living in London and again a volunteer as a Riding for the Disabled group instructor teaching a class for physically disabled adults and two classes for cognitively disabled children. When I am not teaching I am taking painting and drawing classes at the Putney School of Art and Design, riding school horses at the Kingston Riding Centre, writing the blogs for the Tom and Tina London Journal, and shopping by bus and tube as we don't have a car.

Signe Peterson
NARHA Registered Instructor
Growing up, I was a horse crazy kid. As you can imagine, I drove my parents crazy! In college, I changed gears and my passion shifted from horses to people. I got involved in community service, began working with people with disabilities and discovered the empowerment of participating in sports. Knowing first hand the thrill of riding a horse, I sought out an organization that would allow me to bring this joy to others. I joined We Can Ride in 2004 and after volunteering as a TA for two years, I was encouraged become a certificated instructor. The doors that therapeutic horseback riding can open continue to amaze me and I feel lucky to be able to participate this inspirational work. I am fully committed to creating a safe, challenging and team oriented environment for all participants and looking forward Wednesday nights, so I can get out the Minnetonka barn and teach!

Denise Sorensen
NARHA Registered Riding and Driving Instructor
I started with the We Can Ride program back in 1996 when I first learned of the We Can Ride program through my father who was instrumental in starting the driving program. He called me one Monday afternoon to say that he needed an experienced horse person to volunteer, as he did not have any volunteers that could make it that evening and he did not want to cancel. So that evening I not only learned to drive (Cisco did all the work) but I gained a new addiction. After my father passed away we were fortunate to have Kathy Johnson take his place. I worked under her for many years as a teaching assistant. The last couple of years have been really, really busy. I went through the riding certification (2004) with the help and understanding from Patti. In order to start the process of becoming a certified riding instructor, Kathy allowed me to teach Monday and Tuesday nights at Woodpecker woods while she was the IOS and Able bodied Whip which allowed me to accomplish the driving certification in 2006.

Sarah Anderson
RPT
I grew up with horses and was involved in showing through 4-H and WSCA for nearly 10 years. However, I was unable to keep the horses when I went to college and graduate school. I currently work as a physical therapist at Courage Center, where I have been since 2003. I discovered We Can Ride in 2005, and I realized I could combine two things that I love: horses and helping people through physical therapy! I have learned a lot through the other therapists and wonderful staff and volunteers. And, it is such a positive environment--where else can you do physical therapy where the kids and your "co-workers" LOVE being there every single time!?

Simone Brovege
OTR
My work with We Can Ride began in 1994. I carved out a niche for myself to fulfill a fieldwork requirement to complete an Occupational Therapy Degree. My instructors were so intrigued they came out for an on-site visit (I think they were sorta checking up on me too)! Despite being told there really isn't too much for an Occupational Therapist to do in such a setting, I kept coming back, season after season....because the work-load kept growing and growing. More therapists were hired and I ended up with 4 children of my own to raise. I was then approached to be a board member and was obviously thrilled, but at the same time kept my very occasional therapist status. The birth of our last child would bring me closer to this organization in ways that I was unable to imagine. I am now not only a giver of therapy services, but my daughter is a receiver of services as well. Up until this time, I was working for We Can Ride, but now my heart is with We Can Ride.

Rachel Gamm
MS, OTR/L, CKTP
I've always loved horses and took riding lessons when I was younger, but then as I moved into the city my passion for horses was replaced with school and work. I started working as an occupational therapist in 2006 and I currently work at Impact Physical Medicine, Bethesda Rehabilitation Hospital, and Therapy Connections for Kids (I like to stay busy!!). I heard about the brand new equine center opening at the University of Minnesota in 2007 and I was thrilled! What a great opportunity to get involved in a growing specialty area of occupational therapy. I have already learned so much, and I have taken most of this knowledge to my other jobs since hippotherapy is so holistic- occupational therapy's favorite word!! When I'm not working, I love taking my dogs to the dog park, training for triathlons, or cheering for the Packers! I am so excited about the opportunity to work for We Can Ride, and I look forward to many years of fun and learning.

Doug Merz
RPT
Carrying a stack of newspaper to the recycling bin in 1991 I happened to notice a short article about the We Can Ride Program in the local paper sitting on top of the heap. It piqued my interest and shortly after I was transporting my special needs daughter every Tuesday night to her riding class. Being a Physical Therapist I wasn't very good at standing around on the other side of the gate from all the action and I quickly began to volunteer my time and expertise. 15 years later my daughter is still riding and I have become a certified hippotherapist and continue to incorporate my knowledge of physical therapy with the power of the horse as a therapeutic modality in helping riders achieve their goals. The results achieved with some of these riders continually amazes me as does the depth and breadth of knowledge and experience of the We Can Ride staff and corps of volunteers.

Tina Phelps
OTR
I joined We Can Ride as a volunteer in 1992 and became a NARHA registered instructor in 1996. I helped pilot the first classes away from HCHS at the Shakopee Training Center before the horses and classes were moved to the farm in Waconia. Susan Montgomery and I started the summer day camp program there. I became an OTR/L in 2002 in response to my experience as an instructor. I am currently living in London and again a volunteer as a Riding for the Disabled group instructor teaching a class for physically disabled adults and two classes for cognitively disabled children. When I am not teaching I am taking painting and drawing classes at the Putney School of Art and Design, riding school horses at the Kingston Riding Centre, writing the blogs for the Tom and Tina London Journal, and shopping by bus and tube as we don't have a car.

Kathy Simcox
Therapy Department Manager/OTR
I graduated in 1997 and started consulting for We Can Ride in may of 1998, 8 1/2 years later I still love it. I happened upon We Can Ride when I came back to Minneapolis after graduation. I had been a sidewalker for a program in the Bay area in California. When I arrived home I was so lonesome for horses and people I looked up therapeutic riding centers and found We Can Ride. I called and spoke with Louise. When I stated I wanted to be a sidewalker, she stated that they needed an OT. I thought nothing could be better!! Occupational therapy with clients on horses. WOW!! This feeling never stopped. Every time I participate in any We Can Ride activity, be it Hippotherapy, new rider screenings, class evaluations, or volunteering, I am amazed how great I feel when the task at hand is over. The people that make-up We Can Ride are amazing and I am always compelled to want to do more. I look forward to working/playing with everyone in the years to come.