Meet Our Staff

​At HorsePower Therapeutic Riding, our dedicated staff is the heart of our organization, bringing a wealth of experience and compassion to every session. Our certified instructors, equine specialists, and trained volunteers are committed to creating a supportive and encouraging environment for all participants. Each team member shares a deep passion for both horses and helping individuals with diverse needs, ensuring that every participant receives personalized attention and care. Through their expertise and unwavering enthusiasm, our staff plays a vital role in fostering growth, confidence, and meaningful connections between humans and animals.

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Barbara O'Neil
Executive Director and PATH Certified Instructor

Barb is a Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor with PATH International, a member of the American Hippotherapy Association, and has been an active volunteer in local equine assisted therapy programs for the past 25 years.  Barb has a degree in English and is a true life-long-learner.  Barbara began her riding career at 7 years of age riding hunter/jumpers but enjoys all types of equestrian sports including dressage and western pleasure.  She's inspired by the effect that horse and rider have on each other and enjoys being a catalyst in that relationship.  Barb's family owned a quarter horse who suffered a career ending injury and it was during Barb's search for a retirement job for "Chip" that it became clear to her that her career path would include Equine Assisted Activities and Therapies. Her introduction to Carrie Capes, our Co-Founder, led to volunteer hours at HorsePower and later student teaching hours in preparation for her certification.  Barb is excited to be part of HorsePower, to work with the participants and their families, and be part of the powerful bond that connects participants and their horse partners.  Barb has an excitement for life and a glass-half-full mentality that is contagious.  She delights in working alongside her volunteers and equine partners to deliver inspiring lessons.  She was promoted to Executive Director in 2022 and thrilled to be expanding her role at HorsePower. ​

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Laura Marler
Office Manager

Laura joined the HorsePower team in May 2019, bringing with her a wealth of experience and a passion for supporting individuals with special needs. As the behind-the-scenes powerhouse, Laura oversees the organization's daily operations, ensuring that everything runs smoothly and efficiently. Her diverse skill set extends to grant writing, billing, marketing, and any other tasks essential to the success of HorsePower. For any inquiries regarding administrative matters at HorsePower, Laura can be easily reached via email at info@horsepowertr.com or by phone/text at 815.508.0804. Laura's contributions play a significant role in the continued success and growth of HorsePower Therapeutic Riding, making her an indispensable asset to the team.

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​Lacy Martinez 
​Scheduling Coordinator
PATH Certified Instructor

Lacy is a Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor with PATH International. Before getting certified, she volunteered as a HorsePower intern for 3 years and put in many long hours in preparation for her certification. Lacy started taking riding lessons at the age of 8, and always knew that she wanted a career involving animals, horses specifically. When she was 14 years old, she got her first horse, Gypsy, who she considers to be one of her greatest teachers. She feels that therapeutic riding is her true calling as it greatly demonstrates her desire to use animals to help others. Currently, she owns a horse, Gypsy, and a miniature horse named Misty, both of which are used in the program. She enjoys all equine related activities, whether it be trail riding, driving, dressage, or jumping. Lacy is always excited to further her equine knowledge. One of her favorite things about teaching is being able to see the great bond that her participants develop with their horses. 

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Ashley Brown
Volunteer and Social Media Coordinator
PATH Certified Instructor 

Ashley is a Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor with PATH International. She began her time at HorsePower as the beloved horse owner of Skyy at Honey Bridge Ranch. She joined us in 2022 as an instructor and has taken on training our new volunteers. When she is not busy juggling all of that, she is helping us with our social media outlets and making HorsePower shine. Ashley, with the help of our ranch owners, hosts HorsePower Hours, a monthly continuing education curriculum, as a way to keep our volunteers fresh on their horse handling skills and provide additional training and resources to best serve our participants. It has been a great addition for our volunteers, and we are lucky to have her!

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Kaitlyn White
PATH Certified Instructor
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Kaitlyn is a Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor with PATH International. Before becoming an instructor, she had been a part of HorsePower as a volunteer since 2012 and her horse, Renegade, also participates in the program as one of the therapy horses. She started taking riding lessons when she was 8 years old and rode both english and western at a variety of barns until she was 16. Growing up, she also had fun riding her pony, Blackie, bareback through her backyard. When she was 16, she got her first full sized horse, Renegade, who helped her to grow in confidence as a rider. Kaitlyn brought Renegade with her when she started attending classes in the Equine program at Black Hawk College. At Black Hawk College she learned to ride western horsemanship, barrel racing, and even a little bit of roping. She graduated with associate degrees in Equestrian Science and Horse Science Technology. After graduating, Kaitlyn went on to receive a bachelor's degree in Animal Industry Management from Illinois State University. She also coached their western horse show team during her time there. Kaitlyn is excited to be a part of HorsePower. One of her favorite things is seeing participants grow in confidence and reach their riding goals.​

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Mary Beth Groom
​PATH Certified Instructor 

Mary Beth is a PATH Therapeutic Riding Instructor since 2019. Mary Beth served as a dedicated volunteer in our Naomi's House program. She was very passionate about partnering these trauma survivors with horses to aid in their healing journeys. She also fulfilled some of her Instructor in Training student teaching hours at HP. Mary Beth earned her PATH Therapeutic Riding Instructor Certification in 2019 and has taught in two programs since that time. Her "dream job" has been to rejoin us at HorsePower and that she did in 2021. We are thrilled to have Mary Beth on board as an Instructor!

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​Nikki McCall
​Natural Lifemanship Equine Professional
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Nikki is an EAGALA Trained Equine Professional and has her Natural Lifemanship Level 2. She began her career with HorsePower in 2020 not too long after HorsePower moved into Honey Bridge Ranch, owned and operated by Nikki and her husband. Nikki has always had the heart and ambition for therapeutic riding, so when she began seeing what HorsePower was doing she couldn't wait to jump in. When an Instructor role became open, Nikki was the obvious choice. The love and joy the McCalls have for their Ranch and animals is a true testament for the great things in store for HorsePower at Honey Bridge.

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Diane Rompala
​Animal Assisted Activities Professional

Diane Rompala began her time at HorsePower Therapeutic Riding as a long time volunteer and horse owner at Honey Bridge Ranch. She quickly showed us her love for our participants and animals through her big heart and continuous dedication to the program. Diane began teaching in our Critter Connections area in 2021 as an Animal Assisted Activities Professional. There she teaches students alongside our many critters. Diane is a delight to have on board and we are glad she has joined us!

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Sommer Jones
​Animal Assisted Activities Professional

Sommer Jones joined horsepower as a volunteer in September 2023. She quickly became a dependable horse leader who was always willing to take on extra shifts to make sure our student’s lessons weren’t interrupted. By April of 2024 she promoted to HorsePower Intern and she was awarded volunteer of the month in May 2025. Her lifelong love of horses and her talent for working with individuals of all needs, Sommer is pursuing her PATH CTRI certification and will be student teaching our HP students as she prepares for testing. HorsePower welcomes Sommer as our newest staff member. She will be teaching our Critter Connection lessons on Fridays. 

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Jessie McCall
Co-Equine Manager and PATH Certified Instructor

Jessie began her time at HorsePower Therapeutic Riding as a volunteer at Honey Bridge Ranch. As the daughter of our ranch owners, Jessie earned her PATH certification while volunteering with us. Since then she has subbed for some of our lessons from time and time. One of her many talents as a "horse whisperer" is what caught our eye and we couldn't help but find a spot doing that exact thing. She helps train our horses and works alongside our instructors to ensure our horses are as ready as they can be. She is always willing to step into that instructor role from time to time, but loves her role as our Equine Manager. We are delighted to have Jessie on board officially in her Equine Manager role as of 2022 and are excited to see her work with the horses at Honey Bridge Ranch.

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Karly McCall
Co-Equine Manager

Karly McCall joined the HorsePower team in August of 2023 as our Co-Equine Manager.  An experienced horsewoman who has worked with clinicians such as: Barb Gerbitz, Jaton Lord, Luke Gingrich, and Doug Jordan, Karly brings a high level of horse handling experience to the organization.  She enjoys working with the program horses to provide them with the training they need to be successful in their roles as therapy partners and in facilitating the best partnerships between our students and their horses.  HorsePower is so fortunate to have her energy, enthusiasm, talent, and keen eye. ​

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Our instructors have years of experience with
a wide variety of people with disabilities...

Hearing Impairment
Autism
Down Syndrom
Asperger's
Cognitive Impairment
Learning Disorder
Convergence Disorder
Brittle Diabetes

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
Developmental Delay
Cerebral Palsy
Multiple Sclerosis
Spina Bifida
Panic Disorder
Apraxia/Dyspraxia

Sensory Integration Disorder
Depression & Anxiety
ADD / ADHD
Speech Delay
Emotional / Behavioral Disorders
Bi-Polar
Amputation / Prosthetic Limbs