719-634-4173    

Contact Us

info@cstrc.org

Therapeutic Riding Instructors

Jamie H. - PATH Certified Instructor - Level I

She has been around horses her whole live. Her parents, Bob and Nancy, own and operate Mark Reyner Stables, so horses have always been a part of her life. She began teaching horseback riding lessons at the age of 13. While volunteering with the therapeutic riding lessons at CSTRC, she knew that was where she was meant to be. Being able to help a person reach goals and share her passion with her students is what she lives for. When she turned 18 she was able to become certified through PATH International and has been instructing ever since. Her life outside of teaching doesn't venture away from horses -- she loves competing in barrel races and cow horse events.

Claire - PATH Certified Instructor - Level I

A Colorado Springs native, Claire has always had a huge passion for horses and for helping people. She started riding at the age of 5 and has since spent most of her life in a saddle. Whether it be riding fr fun or in a horse show, where she competed in multiple western disciplines, Claire loves it all. She found CSTRC in 2008 and discovered not only a place that combined the two things she truly enjoyed, but also a wonderful group of people she loved to be around. After spending time with the students and staff at CSTRC, she realized that she had found her passion and true calling in life. Consequently, in July 2014, Claire received her PATH instructor certification and began to teach her own students. Outside of CSTRC, Claire is a full-time student and studies at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. She currently is attending graduate school to become an Occupational Therapist. From there, she hopes to teach Hippotherapy with the goal of transforming even more lives and expanding upon her passions. In her very limited free time, Claire loves spending time with her own horse, hiking with her dogs, kayaking, and photographing beautiful Colorado! Claire thoroughly enjoys her time at CSTRC with her colleagues, the volunteers, and especially her students; knowing that her work at CSTRC is what she truly loves to do.

Kim - PATH Certified Instructor - Level I

Kim is a lifelong horse lover having ridden at every opportunity as a child and as an adult. In 2003, she began volunteering for the therapeutic riding program at Chastain Horse Park in Atlanta GA. In 2006, she successfully completed her PATH International certification. She continued to teach part-time at Chastain until March 2010 when, with her own children grown, she took a leap of faith to leave her full-time job as a Human Resource Manager and landed in Winter Park CO at the National Sports Center of the Disabled (NSCD) as the Therapeutic Riding Program Supervisor for their summer program. Spending four summers at NSCD, she managed a herd of 14 horses, coordinated the volunteer pool and along with one other staff member, provided lessons and recreational rides for moderate to profoundly disabled children and adults. In 2014, Kim moved to Colorado Springs CO where she worked at Pikes Peak Therapeutic Riding Center as the Volunteer Coordinator, Therapeutic Riding Instructor and Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning. She came to CSTRC in March of 2018 and couldn't be happier to be in such a warm and supportive environment. Kim shares her home with her 18 year old orange tabby cat, Pumpkin and spends her off time enjoying all the beautiful sights and activities of Colorado.

Hippotherapy Instructor

Heather- Physical Therapist - Specialized in Hippotherapy

Heather started with CSTRC in May, 2021. She provides Hippotherapy at CSTRC each Thursday guiding, challenging, encouraging, and strengthening riders. Heather employs physical therapy techniques with clients of all ages and disability types. At CSTRC she utilizes our trusty four-legged friends as tools to help her clients with a variety of challenges to meet their rehabilitative and functional goals. 

Heather graduated from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas with a Master’s degree in Physical Therapy in 1997. After many years of practicing physical therapy, without utilizing horses, Heather began incorporating them as tools into her practice approximately three years ago. Her motivation is her daughter, an Equine Science Major at Colorado Springs University who loves horses, and her son, who has high-functioning autism. When Heather discovered she could work with both horses and a pediatric clientele that she understood through her family’s own experience, she found the perfect fit. She could approach this physical therapy opportunity with a unique compassion and offer grace and encouragement to families while the clients experienced both joy and functional improvement. She loves to watch a client progress without even realizing that they’re participating in therapy – they sparkle, shine, improve and have a great time during their session.

Heather ascribes to the tenets of the American Hippotherapy Association and works to educate others about how working within the discipline of physical therapy while utilizing the movement of a horse can benefit clients. She has also found that equine-assisted therapy is beneficial for trauma-based mental health. Horses are a beautiful mirror of ourselves, reflecting our energy back to us and teaching us calming and mindset techniques so that both client and horse thrive.

Therapeutic practices and techniques continue to evolve thanks to the expertise of professionals like Heather. When you combine that knowledge with the steady companionship of a horse, you have a win/win situation.

Volunteer Coordinator

Jessica C. - Volunteer Coordinator

Jessica has been the Volunteer Coordinator at CSTRC since early 2014. She recruits and trains new volunteers and assists in daily lessons as a horse leader, side walker and horse groomer. Starting out as a volunteer herself in the Summer of 2010, she has gained experience working with horses, special needs riders and the volunteers who enjoy working with both. She has lived in Colorado Springs since she was 6 years old and while she did not grow up with horses, she has found a great fulfillment in working alongside them and learning from the growing family of instructors and volunteers at CSTRC -- she would be thrilled to assist you in joining us!