Meet Our Team

Meet our energetic, passionate, and caring people!

charlotte founder, path certified, and jefferson award winner

Charlotte is a lifelong rider and horse lover. Her family has always had horses and she began taking  riding lessons at the age of five. She has competed in Western Pleasure, Gymkhana, and High School Rodeo. As a lifelong rider and learner, she enjoys all aspects and styles of riding.
​
Charlotte has been teaching riding for thirty years to people of all ages and riding abilities. She is a Certified Equine Health Care Instructor through SpiritHorse International and certified PATH Instructor through the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship. She also holds a certification through EAGALA. Obtaining these intensive certifications has given her the experience, knowledge, and credentials to provide the most effective, safe, and beneficial riding experience for riders of all abilities and interests.

​Charlotte's passion for horses, riding, and teaching has inspired her to enhance the lives of others through SpiritHorse.

Heather spirithorse CERTIFIED

Heather is a lifelong horse-lover. She started riding at age 9 and rode mostly western, saddle seat, and bareback. In high school she began exploring the world of dressage which led her to Sweet Briar College in Virginia, a hunter/jumper school where she spent 4 years learning the techniques of hunt seat and cross-country riding (while also earning bachelor’s degrees in math/computer science and theatre arts). Heather spent many years as a working student for her mentor, where she gained invaluable experience riding, training, and teaching dressage. She eventually took a break from horses after having kids, but when her daughter started taking lessons at SpiritHorse, she decided to jump back into teaching.

Heather now helps teach the empowerment classes on Saturday mornings and the Therapeutic Riding Lessons on Sunday mornings at the American Canyon location. Heather feels very blessed and grateful that she and her daughter are part of the SpiritHorse family!

trish spirithorse CERTIFIED

Horses are magnificent creatures, and Trish been blessed to have interacted with them since she's been teenager. She also has a strong connection to children; She loves to teach, nourish, and help them recognize and honor their dreams. She has run her own preschool for 22 years, and was an elementary substitute teacher for 8 years. Now, she is grateful to have the opportunity to volunteer at SpiritHorse and combine her two passions of horses and children. She also loves traveling and has been to more than 20 countries and doesn't plan on stopping anytime soon! She has a Behavioral Science degree and loves getting to know cultures and the uniqueness of each human.

Trish assists with lessons on Saturday and Sunday mornings at our American Canyon location, while working on her PATH Therapeutic Riding Certification with Charlotte as her mentor.

tracy ​SPIRITHORSE CERTIFIED

Tracy's riding career started on a Shetland pony her mom adopted from the Vallejo Animal Shelter. From there, she rode with Crystal Logan and learned everything from dressage, jumping, and gymkhana. Junior and high school rodeo events kept her riding and roping until she began combined training with Cheryl Free Lamont. Moving forward to the eventing world, she rode with Christine and Yves Sauvignon at their eventing barn Oak Ridge Training Stables. Tracy became their instructor at their European pony school for many years and then opened her own children's riding school called Canter Creek. She specialized in teaching children dressage and jumping while continuing her own dressage training with Gail McGuffey. 

​Tracy is an instructor at our Napa location and focuses on English and jumping disciplines.

mandy spirithorse CERTIFIED

In middle school, Mandy met her best friend, who's cousin was a horse trainer.  She grew up riding and showing Arabians with her on the Class A Arabian Show Circuit all around the United States in the western, hunt seat, and saddle seat disciplines. With many stories and lessons learned since then (It's been a bumpy ride...pun intended!), she now applies all of it into the empowerment classes she leads during the week. 

Mandy is our weekday lead riding instructor, hosts a preschool playdate with the ponies, and manages our online portal, website and social media. 

Her favorite thing is watching her students moments after the melt down...when they take a deep breath and step into their own breakthrough.