Raquel Ravinet
Executive Director
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     Raquel Ravinet joined the TherAplay staff part-time in February 2002. During her first year, Raquel worked at TherAplay as volunteer coordinator, fill-in horse handler, office manager, billing manager and general jack-of-all-trades. In May 2003, she joined the staff full-time as the Director of Operations and then Executive Director.

     The majority of Raquel's career has been spent working with nonprofit organizations.  Prior to her work at TherAplay, she was the Executive Director of the Neighborhood Self-Employment Initiative, a nonprofit that helps people create and develop their own small businesses, and Program Director for the Indiana Library Federation.

Breinne Risner
Office Manager/Volunteer Director
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     Breinne Risner discovered her deep appreciation for children while living in Fort Collins, Colorado working at the Boys and Girls Club, a nonprofit organization that provides a positive place for kids. Though her time spent with kids was extremely rewarding, the days could be quite chaotic and hectic. In search of a calming outlet, Breinne started volunteering at Lazy J Bar S Ranch, grooming and feeding the horses. The self-prescribed “therapy” made her a strong believer in the power of horses to heal and nurture.

     After a couple of years of hiking through he mountains and paddling through the rivers of Colorado, Breinne decided it was time to return home to be closer to her family. Still feeling the need to be around horses, she started volunteering in the barns of TherAplay. After helping out at the Annual Hoe-Down, she knew she wanted to be part of this amazing organization. So it was with much elation and enthusiasm that Breinne joined the TherAplay staf in January 2005.

     Breinne graduated from Ball State University in 2000. A few of her passions include music, animals, traveling and the outdoors.
 

Dana Mitchell
Billing Manager
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     Bio Coming Soon
 

Liz Dixon
Equine Coordinator, Adaptive Riding Instructor
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     Liz Dixon graduated from Butler University in the spring of 2000 with a BA in Anthropology and Religious Studies. During her last semester at Butler, Liz researched and wrote a thesis on the socio-kinetics of hipppotherapy. TherAplay was the study site for this thesis. After graduation, she began working at TherAplay as a part-time horse-handler and soon took on the position of equine coordinator.

     Liz started riding horses soon after her sixth birthday. She competed on the hunter/jumper circuit, showed Quarter horses both English and Western and was member of the equestrian team at Butler University.

     She has an interest in equine manual therapy and has attended several clinics to learn about equine craniosacral, myofascial release, chiropractic principles and massage therapy. All of these allow her to keep our therapy horses stress-free and happy. She is also a Registered Therapeutic Riding Instructor and has a small case load of riders who have “graduated” from the therapy program at TherAplay.

Carol Shipley
Horse Handler
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     Carol Shipley was born in England and moved to the United States as a teenager. She has loved horses her entire life and has ridden since she was three years old. She was an active member of the British Pony Club.

     Carol earned her BS in Social Work and Psychology from Miami University, Ohio. She worked for 10 years as a social worker at The Children’s Home of Cincinnati, OH, and with Big Brother/Big Sister of Louisville, KY. She now works three days a week as a preschool teacher at Meridian Hills Cooperative Nursery School, Indianapolis.

     Carol enjoys her position as “senior member” at TherAplay! Having been a horse-lover her entire life, she gets great satisfaction from working in the barn and witnessing the wonderful benefits of the horse/patient interaction. During the summer, Carol and her three daughters organize a sibling camp, a fun-filled week of horses, arts and crafts and games.