Kate Mulligan, Executive Director, has an MBA in nonprofit management/marketing and over 15 years experience working in the industry. She has been an avid rider for more than 25 years and competes in the Amateur Owner Jumpers. She also owns a 70 acre farm in Frenchtown with her husband and daughter.

Karen Basmagy is the Equestrian Director at Riding with HEART. She has a degree in Equine Studies from Cazenovia College and is a PATH Registered Therapeutic Riding Instructor. She is also an Equine Specialist who has attended Level 1 EAGALA and EFMHA training. She partners with Judith Schaeffer-Benoit and the horses in Riding with HEART's Equine Assisted Learning/Psychotherapy programs. Karen has recently become certified as a Professional Life Coach and has First Aid and CPR training, and has been a student of Parelli Natural Horsemanship for over 10 years.

Judith Schaeffer-Benoit LCSW is an avid equestrian and the owner of a Donnerella, an Oldenberg Mare. She has been in private therapy practice in Green Village, New Jersey for ten years. She obtained her clinical degrees in Family Therapy from the University of London, Kings College Institute of Psychiatry, and her Masters in Social Work from Rutgers University. In addition Ms. Schaeffer - Benoit has trained at the Gestalt Institute of New Jersey and is certified in Equine Assisted Therapy and Learning (EAGALA). She is a member of the International Family Therapy Association and Eagala and has presented nationally and internationally on EAP/EAL. She is a certified NASW clinical supervisor and has held positions as a clinical deputy director at a family treatment center and as a clinical team member in outpatient, inpatient, and emergency hospital settings. She is a field consultant for Rutgers University School of Social Work and the co-facilitator and program developer of EAP at Somerset Hills Handicapped Riding Center. Prior to her clinical experience she worked in Sleep Disorders Medicine for seven years. Her undergraduate degrees in the Arts and her passion for culture and anthropology lend themselves to her ability to work systemically and creatively with horses and people in identifying and exploring alternative ways of communicating and understanding.

Jessica Willett graduated form Delaware Valley College in 2006 with a BA-Large Animal Science-Equine Studies-Training Track. Jessica spent the summer of 2003 working as intern for Sebastion Riding associates. During that time she worked with many young children with learning disabilities. She also spent three weeks working with their riding camp for the blind. Jessica spent a year and a half in Charlottesville, Va working as a lead Therapeutic Horse back riding Instructor among other responsibilities at the farm and spent a year going back to school before working for Riding with Heart. Jessica is currently working toward her PATH instructor licence.

Chris Baxter became involved with our riding program in 1998 when her daughter became one of the very first volunteers. Chris herself then became a volunteer in 1999 and soon realized that using her degree in Special Education combined with 15+ years experience working in the public schools in a Special Education classroom along with her riding experience were a perfect combination to become an instructor herself. She began teaching therapeutic riding lessons in 2001. Chris obtained her NARHA Registered Instructor status in March of 2004. Chris uses fun games and songs creatively along with the skills and knowledge of working in Special Education to enhance each riderÕs achievements. She knows sign language and is familiar with using many different augmentative communication devices and programs and can incorporate these into lessons if needed. Chris Baxter lives in Flemington with her husband. She has a grown son and daughter and looks forward to Mondays when her daughter, who has been a volunteer for more then half her life, drives over an hour to volunteer at Riding with HEART.