About Horse Sense
Horse Sense of the Carolinas is an internationally recognized leader in the field of Equine Assisted Services, both Counseling with Horses and Trauma-Informed Equine Assisted Learning. Horse Sense also helps other professionals offer top-notch programs to their communities through training, consulting, professional immersions, curricula, session tools, books, and more! (To connect with a community of Equine Assisted Services professionals, click here.).
Our staff is made up of professional therapists, trained equine specialists and amazing horses. Contact us here!
Shannon Knapp, M.A. NLC-EP, NL Trainer, Eagala Advanced
Shannon Knapp, M.A., is founder and president of both Horse Sense of the Carolinas, Inc., an internationally-recognized leader in the field of Equine Assisted Services, and Executive Director of Heart of Horse Sense, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting professional Equine Assisted Therapy & Learning for survivors of trauma in Western North Carolina. Shannon has also published many books and curricula in the field of Equine Assisted Services, including More Than a Mirror: Horses, Humans and Therapeutic Practices. Shannon is a trainer in Trauma-Focused Equine Assisted Psychotherapy for Natural Lifemanship, is Eagala Advanced and has an Eagala Military Individual designation, and an instructor of Military Horse Sense: the Fundamentals of Working With Veterans and Horses. A professional in the field since in 2001, she has thousands of hours of direct client contact with a diverse range of diagnoses.
Katie Hadden, LCSW, LCAS, Certified EMDR Therapist
I was the girl who begged for a horse growing up and was at the local barn taking a lesson every time I saved up enough in my allowance. I found my way into therapeutic horseback riding as a volunteer during college and became a certified riding instructor through CHA in 2004. I then became a NARHA Instructor (now PATH) in 2005 and finally got my own horse, Cody, while working at a therapeutic riding program near Charlotte NC. I moved to Western NC in 2007 to work at Mountin' Hopes Therapeutic Riding Center and while there became a PATH Advanced Instructor and managed the program, horses, and farm. I realized I wanted to shift into mental health and began graduate school in 2011 and began connecting with the team at Horse Sense through training and events I attended on the farm. Since graduating from Western Carolina University in 2013 with my MSW, I worked at the VA Hospital in Asheville and then moved into private practice in Summer of 2021. I am now an LCSW, LCAS, Certified EMDR Therapist, Certified Perinatal Therapist, and trained in level 1 TFEAP through Natural Lifemanship. In my private practice, I enjoy spending Wednesdays at Horse Sense working with clients there and supporting the clinical team. There's nothing quite like being with a horse as part of my workday and I consider it a privilege to join clients in their therapeutic journey in this way. Hope to see you on the farm!
Elizabeth Corbett
Elizabeth Corbett is a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC), whose passion centers around supporting clients in their healing journeys via experiential and outdoor-based therapy offerings. She is the founder and owner of Weller Counseling, a private practice with offices in Asheville, Mars Hill, and Atlanta. Elizabeth graduated from Emory University and Mercer University and is an EMDR-trained clinician and certified eco-therapist. Her training in equine therapy includes certification as a Mental Health Provider in the Equine Assisted Growth and Learning (Eagala) Model, as well as Level 2 Certification as a Mental Health Provider through trauma-informed Natural Lifemanship. Elizabeth is thrilled to partner with Horse Sense of the Carolinas, where she works primarily with groups and families who are seeking an immersive, retreat-like equine experience. She has experienced firsthand the ways in which horses can deepen our connection to self and others, support resiliency-building, promote healing, and allow us to lean fully into joy. Elizabeth is honored to be a part of the herd at Horse Sense, and invites you to come see us all at the farm soon!
Anna Woodruff, BSN
Anna Woodruff, BSN is the Clinical Practice Manager for Horse Sense of the Carolinas and a Western NC native. She graduated from Emory University with a BA in Anthropology and went on to earn her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Mars Hill University, with an emphasis on behavioral health. She has worked as an Integrative Manual Therapist with humans and horses and spent several years as an equine veterinary technician.
She grew up here in Madison County, which instilled in her a love of animals, the beautiful WNC mountains, and the connection that comes with being close to the natural world. She started competitively riding horses at age 6, with a goal to collect the most blue ribbons possible. Eventually, she realized the true 1st prize was the relationship to the horse, not the awards. Anna lives on a farm close to Horse Sense with her 2- and 4-year-old sons and a menagerie of farm critters. She is thrilled to be part of the herd at Horse Sense, where horse and human heal each other.
Richard Knapp
Richard Knapp is an Eagala-certified practitioner, has completed the Fundamentals and Intensive training in Trauma-Focused Equine Assisted Psychotherapy, has his NLP-EP certification through Natural Lifemanship, and is a Parelli Level 3 graduate. A Northern Ohio native, Richard graduated from the USAF Academy in Colorado Springs with a BS in Space Physics. After graduating from Pilot Training at Reese AFB in Lubbock, TX, he served as an Instructor Pilot, air traffic controller, and FAA liaison, completing his military career in 1993. He worked as a contract software designer in Dallas, TX, &. now manages Meadows Town, LLC, a business for horse rehabilitation and development, instruction, and sale of hay. He is also a horse professional assisting in many of the Veterans groups as well as with individual clients.