AHA, Inc. COORDINATING FACULTY

Joann Benjamin, PT, HPCS
4736 Halbrent Avenue
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
818-903-4768
jbenjamin@theahainc.org

Joann has been practicing physical therapy since 1983, and has been involved with equine assisted therapy and sports riding all of that time.   She currently incorporates hippotherapy into her practice, specializing in Early Intervention (children 0-3 years), while also addressing the needs of older children and adults with neurologic or orthopedic impairments.    As an AHA, Inc Faculty Coordinator, she has assisted in course development and teaching in the US and abroad.   She is a Hippotherapy Clinical Specialist (HPCS) and served on the American Hippotherapy Certification Board.   She served on the AHA, Inc Board and was the PT representative of the NARHA (now PATH, Intl) Health and Education Committee for several years.   She enjoys her position as an FEI Level 2 Classifier for Para Equestrian competition worldwide, and serving on the Adaptive Sports Committee and Para Equestrian Technical Committee for the USEF, fostering inclusion of riders with disabilities in equestrian sport of all disciplines.

Bonnie Cunningham, MA, PT, HPCS
399 Swiss Hill Rd. N.
Jeffersonville, NY 12748
(H) 845-482-4949
bdc1m@aol.com

Bonnie is a licensed Physical Therapist in the states of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. She holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Arts in Physical Therapy and Master of Public Administration.  Bonnie is a registered member of the American Hippotherapy Association, Inc., a PATH Intl Certified Riding Instructor and certified as a National Assessor for riders interested in competing in national events and the Paralympics.  Bonnie is a certified clinical specialist in hippotherapy, coordinating faculty for American Hippotherapy Association, Inc., has taught internationally and presented at national conferences. Bonnie is a physical therapists who utilizes hippotherapy treatment strategies.  She has served the American Hippotherapy Association, Inc. as their first executive director, a past board member and past board president.

Ruth Dismuke-Blakely, MS/CCC-SLP, HPCS
PO Box 2225
Edgewood, NM 87015
505-281-1811
skylinetherapy@aol.com

Ruth is a speech/language pathologist and professional horsewoman involved in hippotherapy since 1978. She owns Skyline Therapy Services, an outpatient clinic specializing in the transdisciplinary applications of hippotherapy. Ruth has published research, presented at numerous conferences and workshops and was a featured speaker at the Ninth International Therapeutic Riding Congress in Denver, 1997. She served on the Board of Directors of the American Hippotherapy Association and is a consultant to the PATH, Intl Health and Education Committee. She is regarded as a leader in the field of
hippotherapy as a treatment tool.

Karen Gardner, MOT, OTR, HPCS
P.O. Box 1070
Leander, TX 78641
D-281.744.6420
kgardner@theahainc.org

Karen Gardner has a Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy , is a Hippotherapy Clinical Specialist (HPCS), PATH, Intl. Master Instructor and Driving Instructor. She is a consulting OT and an adjunct professor for the OTA Program at Lone Star College. Therapy specialties include sensory integration, aquatic and neurodevelopmental techniques. She also incorporates the concepts of Floortime (from Dr. S. Greenspan) into her treatment sessions. Karen is certified as an Advanced Practitioner in Natural Lifemanship for Trauma Focused Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (TF-EAP). She is an active member of the AHA Faculty and has presented at local, state and national conferences on a variety of topics within occupational therapy, hippotherapy, adaptive riding and horse training. Karen’s current equine experience includes competitive carriage driving and competitive trail riding. She utilizes a variety of natural horsemanship techniques in her horse training and therapy sessions. She is a member of AOTA, TOTA, PATH , LSTEN, ACTHA and several carriage driving associations. Karen is a past President and former Board member of the American Hippotherapy Association, Inc.

Lori Garone, MA, PT, HPCS
109 Adams Way
Sayville, NY 11782
631-750-0866
hpotpt@gmail.com

Lori Garone, PT, HPCS is a physical therapist, licensed in New York, New Jersey and California. She is a board certified Clinical Specialist in Hippotherapy. A 1990 graduate of Touro School of Health Sciences, Lori holds a Bachelor of Science inCommunity Health and a Masters Degree in Physical Therapy.  She recently finished serving a second term on the American Hippotherapy Association Board of Directors as holding the office of Vice President, Chairperson for the Education Curriculum Development and Chairperson for the Nominating Committee.  Lori has previously served on the AHA Board of Directors from 1999 -2005 as well as Education Committee Chairperson from 2001- 2005 and Practice and Standards Chairperson from 2001- 2008.  Lori was one of two therapists chosen to represent the United States in 1991 at the First Symposium of Physiotherapists and Riding Instructors which took place in Surry, England. Lori has trained successfully up to Fourth Level Dressage and is a life long horsewoman.  She also helped develop as Clinical Director at SDTC, Sullivan Diagnostic and TestingCenter, The Center for Discovery’s, Milligan Hill Equine Assisted Therapy and Activity Program which incorporated hippotherapy into patients plan of care as well as Equine Assisted Therapy and Activities incorporating the environment of the horse for residential patients, daycare program and work related experiences.  From 2005-2007, Lori served as Interim Executive Director and Program Director at The National Center for Equine Facilitated Therapy.  In 2010 she was awarded the prestigious Oyster Bay, New York, 2010 Woman of the Year Award for her work in the Health Industry and promoting Hippotherapy
Lori is also a Registered Therapist and Registered Instructor with the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship, Intl.  Lori has a private practice on Long Island, New York since 1990, Physical Therapy In Motion, and incorporates hippotherapy into her patients plan of care. Her office number is 631 479-3393 x 2. You can find more information about her and her Physical Therapy private practice at www.physical-therapy-in-motion.com.

Lisa Harris, MSVS, PT, HPCS
4440 Kearney Rd.
Lexington, KY 40511
(859) 229-3483
lharris@qx.net

Lisa practices physical therapy at Cardinal Hill Rehabilitation Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky where she incorporates hippotherapy through a partnership with Central Kentucky Riding for Hope.  Lisa has both a MS in Physical Therapy and Veterinary Science, specializing in equine biomechanics.  She is a hippotherapy clinical specialist and has served on the AHA board as vice president, research chairperson and newsletter editor.  She is currently on the AHA board as the education chair.  She is a PATH, Intl. Advanced therapeutic riding instructor and graduate ‘A’ pony clubber who has evented through the Intermediate Two Star Level and has coached young riders through the Preliminary level.

Pippa Hodge, BSR, SCSP, MCPA, HPCS

5039 232nd St.
Langley, BC, — V2Z2R5
(W) 604-534-5347

pippah033@gmail.com

Pippa is a Physiotherapist specializing in Pediatrics. She works as a consultant in the school district and infant development programs. She was instrumental in developing Valley Therapeutic Equestrian Association, where she treats adults and children using hippotherapy. She is an examiner for the Canadian Therapeutic Equestrian Association (CANTRA) and is a member of the CANTRA Medical Committee. She has been active in therapeutic riding since the early 1980’s. Pippa has taught workshops in the UK, New Zealand, Australia and in the USA, as well as most Provinces in Canada. Pippa is a founding member and board member of the American Hippotherapy Association and attended the Rommel Klinik, in Germany. In 1990 she produced a video “Analysis of Horse & Human Movement” which has sold internationally and won first prize for research in the1997, 2nd Festival du Fiolm Hanid Cheval in France.

Carol Huegel, PT, HPCS
4945 SW 91 Dr
Gainesville, FL 32608
352.331.3966
hippopt@aol.com

Carol is a PT graduate from the University of Florida. She has an NDT background, having taken the 8-week certification course. Carol has provided hippotherapy to a variety of populations, with varied ages and diagnoses. She also has significant experience working with adults in an outpatient setting, providing aquatic/neuro/vestibular/balance therapy – experience she finds substantially enhances her knowledge base when applied to hippotherapy,- and continues to work as a consultant in this setting. Currently, Carol works as a research therapist at the Brain Rehabilitation Research Center at the Malcolm Randall VA Medical Center in Gainesville, FL. Carol attended her first PATH, Intl Workshop in 1982. She volunteered at a therapeutic riding center for several years, then developed her own hippotherapy practice in her backyard. Carol then co-founded Horses Helping People, Inc., a not-for-profit organization, serving as their President and Program Director. Most recently she co-founded GREAAT! – Gainesville Riding through Equine Assisted Activities and Therapy, a fledgling not-profit, and serves as President. Carol has served as a clinical instructor for physical therapy and assists students from a variety of programs around the country. She is a PATH, Intl Registered Therapist and Riding Instructor. She has served as the Chair of the American Hippotherapy Certification Board since 2009.

Claudia Morin, MHE,OTR/L, HPCS
PO Box 828
Grovetown, GA 30813
(H) 706.854.0644
cmorin515@aol.com

Claudia Morin, MHE, OTR/L, HPCS has a Master of Health Education degree in Occupational Therapy with over 30 years of experience in Occupational Therapy which includes direct service, academic teaching and consultation. She is in private practice and is President of CTM Occupational Therapy, LLC, specializing in the treatment of children with sensory processing disorders. Claudia is the founder & president of Blue Ribbon Riders, Inc., a Hippotheray/Equine Assisted Activities Program located in Grovetown, Georgia serving the Central Savannah River Area since 1982.
Claudia is a PATH, Intl Certified Riding Instructor, Hippotherapy Clinical Specialist and a PATH, Intl Registered Therapist. Claudia attended the Classic Hippotherapy Course held in Wilbad, West Germany in 1987 and participated in the development of the AHA Hippotherapy Courses. In 1991, Claudia received the James Brady Professional Achievement Award from PATH, Intl. She was recently recognized by the American Hippotherapy Association as the 2009 Therapist of the Year. Claudia uses a variety of teaching strategies in her courses and encourages active involvement of the participants. She adds the occupational therapy perspective to the clinical reasoning aspects of the course content.

Mary Helene Chaplin, PT, HPCS
PO Box 943
Portsmouth, RI  02871
401.683.3932
mhchaplin@cox.net

Mary Helene graduated from Boston University’s Sargent College in 1984.  She has been incorporating hippotherapy into PT services for over 15 years at Greenlock Therapeutic Riding Center, which allowed her to combine her love of horses with the practice of physical therapy.  Mary Helene has extensive experience with developmental disabilities across the lifespan from Early Intervention and school based PT to working with elderly adults with Developmental and Intellectual Disability. Mary Helene began training as a faculty member for the American Hippotherapy Association in 2003, became a Coordinating Faculty Member in 2006 and has returned to active faculty status after a 2 year hiatus from teaching. Mary Helene enjoys riding her 2 horses and studying natural horsemanship training techniques when not at work or teaching.

AHA, Inc. ASSOCIATE FACULTY

Gina Taylor, MS, OTR/L, HPCS  is a New Jersey licensed occupational therapist.  She received her Masters Degree in Occupational Therapy from Philadelphia University and a Bachelor of Science in Equine Studies from Averett University.  She is certified in Sensory Integration, DIR/Floortime, Infant Massage and is a board certified Hippotherapy Clinical Specialist (HPCS).  Gina continues to expand her knowledge and the knowledge of other therapists about hippotherapy used as a treatment strategy through fieldwork student supervision, national conference presentations and her involvement with the American Hippotherapy Association as faculty member, current Board Member and previous Education Committee Chairperson.  Gina has a private practice providing occupational therapy services as well as workshops and consultation for those interested in equine assisted activities and therapy.

Meredith Bazaar, MS, CCC-SLP, HPCS

Lesley Lautenschlager, MS, OTR, HPCS

Specialty Status:

Nancy McGibbon, MS, PT, HPCS