Katharine Lark Chrisley, NHC, RMT, Equine Specialist, Veterinary Assistant

A lifelong horsewoman and advocate for equines, Katharine has owned and operated four schools of gentle horsemanship with holistic care since 1973. She was a contributing writer for horse magazines (from Dressage & CT and the Chronicle of the Horse, to Western Horseman) or decades. She wrote the Plant Profile column for Natural Horse Magazine for years and was featured in the documentary “Listening to the Horse”. Her interviews about all things equine can be found on Horse Chats of Australia.

She worked in Veterinary Assistance with an equine Vet and was taught by her herbalist/midwife grandmother the ways of natural healing from a young age. The combination of both modalities brings proactive and preventative methods to her horse husbandry.

Katharine rode Western and Saddleseat as a child. She changed to Hunter/Jumpers as a teenager and at age 17 started riding in clinics under Charles de Kunffy. A passion for real Dressage was born and she studied under some of the world’s masters of the art, remaining, always, an advocate for her horses.

Katharine ran programs in Equine Assisted Psychotherapy and Hippotherapy where her appreciation of elder equines took root. Many senior horses in her care showed uncanny awareness of the humans in those therapeutic programs and became not just teachers for her, they became her friends. She has used all of her skills over the decades to keep horses in their 20’s, 30’s, even 40’s healthy, active, happy and strong.

She is the founder and executive director of Dharmahorse Equine Sanctuary where senior and special needs horses who were at risk find homes for life. They live as a herd on a track system with enrichments, receiving species appropriate foods and herbs. With her husband, Mark Schreiber, they have built and run the Sanctuary (since 2015 as a nonprofit). Katharine designs the feeding programs, the treatment programs, manages intakes and maintains the Sanctuary’s online presence. Mark designs and maintains the unique facility.

A life lived with horses is a life well lived.

Rachel Steffan, B.S. Ag. Sci.

A rider and horsewoman for more than four decades, Rachel owned and ran a breeding, boarding, and training stable in Missouri for seventeen years.

She has ridden both English and sidesaddle with an emphasis on dressage, but became fascinated by the principles of natural horsemanship in the early 2000s.

These days, you’re more likely to catch her hopping on bareback and bridleless than fussing around with tack.

Most recently, she has begun exploring R+ positive reinforcement training, particularly as a way to aid in the rehabilitation of abused and neglected horses and mules.

In addition to caring for her own horses, she currently volunteers at Dharmahorse Equine Sanctuary.