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Horse Sense of the Carolinas, Inc.
6919 Meadows Town Road
Marshall, North Carolina 28753

Phone: (828) 683-7304
Fax: (828) 683-6281
E-mail: info@horsesenseotc.com

 

 

 


Horse Sense of the Carolinas
is the Proud Parent Company
of
Horse Sense Business Sense

 To Our Scholarship Fund!

 

 

Meet the Staff

Our staff is made up of professional therapists, trained equine specialists and creative thinkers.

Shannon Knapp

Shannon Knapp is founder and president of both Horse Sense of the Carolinas, Inc., and Horse Sense Business Sense, LLC.  Shannon has worked with and taught horses and people for over 25 years. After 10 years teaching in college, she left academia and began working with abused & neglected horses. She began pairing "rescued" horses with people in 2001, and Horse Sense was formed soon after. She and her husband Richard continue to work with horses through horse rescue organizations and local humane societies and law enforcement.

Shannon is EAGALA Advanced Certified, a Parelli Level 2 graduate and is the author of the book, Horse Sense Business Sense, Volume 1, an introduction to starting and running your own Horse Therapy & Learning practice, as well as numerous other resources for Horse Therapy & Learning practices. In addition, Shannon is a Graduate Advisor for Prescott College's Equine Assisted Learning Masters program, & offers consulting services to those interested in starting their own Horse Therapy & Learning business. Currently Shannon and Richard are piloting programming to support horse professionals and mental health professionals with their horsemanship skills for EAP/EAL programs utilizing Parelli principles, practices and ideas. Shannon is also at work on a book specifically about the role of the horse in EAP/EAL practices, and the role(s) of the Horse Professional. 

Richard Knapp

Richard Knapp is an EAGALA-certified practitioner, a Parelli Level 3 graduate, and a Parelli 2 Star Instructor. 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 a flight instructor, 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 sales of Advanced Biological Concepts feed and supplements, Flint River Ranch organic dog & cat food, and organically grown hay. 


Lori Araki

Lori Araki began competing in Hunter/Jumper competitions, turning professionals in 1990. She worked as a polo groom and exercised racehorses at training barns in Buellton, CA. In 1992, Lori began her dressage training with Charlotte Bredahl, continuing her education riding with gifted teachers such as Don Sachey, Rachel Saavedra and Victor Hugo Vidal. Lori became the assistant manager at a rehab facility in 1994. She worked with veterinarians, equine acupuncturists, chiropractors and naturopaths to treat illnesses, injuries and training/behavior problems. From 1996-2005, Lori managed a thoroughbred breeding and training barn that also raised sport horses. During this time, she began taking students and training Icelandic horses. She continued actively competing with her own and clients' horses in hunters, dressage and combined training. By 2005, this had evolved into an independent, comprehensive riding school. She began providing lessons and horse camps to at-risk youth and children with emotional challenges in addition to typical children and adults. Lori came to Horse Sense in 2009 and is EAGALA certified.

 

Lisa Rose

Lisa is the Office Administrator at Horse Sense of the Carolinas.

 

Horse Sense Therapists

Margie Allison

Margie has lived in western North Carolina for over 30 years and comes to Horse Sense after completing her Masters degree in Social Work at Western Carolina University.  Certified as an Equine Specialist through EAGALA in 2007, Margie selected Horse Sense to complete her first internship while in graduate school in 2009.

Margie combines her life long love of horses with her passion for serving others through her work at Horse Sense of the Carolinas.  With interests and training in childhhood trauma and substance abuse, Margie is a provisionally licensed Clinical Social Worker and Addiction Specialist, and in 2011 was certified through EAGALA as an Equine Mental Health Professional.  Additionally, Margie is certified in Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) and Reiki energy work.

For kicks, Margie rides her horse, reads, plays tennis and listens to music.

 

Diane Voytek

Diane Voytek, Ph.D. is a licensed North Carolina psychologist who treats children, teens, and adults.  Dr. Voytek's original training was in Clinical Child and Developmental Disabilities from Ohio State University.  She has had further training in Family Systems, Marital and Family Therapy, School Psychology, Psychopharmacology, and Equine Assisted Growth and Learning.  OK, she has also had a lifelong love of animals and their unique interaction patterns with us (humans).

 

Kelley Dull