Paula McGuffey PT, MA, HPCS, Therapy Service Coordinator

Paula received her masters degree in Physical Therapy from Touro College in 1989. Initially focusing on adult rehabilitation, she was drawn to pediatrics and began working at the Little Village school in Seaford where she has been a staff therapist for over 20 years, and more recently a therapy supervisor for their Early Intervention and related service programs. Paula began incorporating hippotherapy into her practice at HorseAbility in 2009 and is constantly amazed at the horse/human connection and the unique qualities that combining horses and physical therapy provides. She earned her board certification as a hippotherapy professional clinical specialist in 2012 and became a PATH certified therapeutic riding instructor in 2017. She is a member of the American Hippotherapy Association and has guest lectured for Stonybrook, NYIT and Touro college. Her riding experience includes a strong introduction in dressage and proficiency over a two foot six course.

Eileen Booth OTR/L,

Eileen Booth is an Occupational Therapist and Certified Hippotherapy Clinical Specialist who has been a part of HorseAbility for over 20 years. She began volunteering at 15 years old and returned as a PATH certified instructor while in graduate school at NYU and upon graduation began working as an Occupational Therapist  and Director of Clinical Services for 10 years. Eileen has worked as an Occupational Therapist for 15 years, specializing in Neurological and Neuro-diverse populations. Her love of horses started at age 9, and she was fortunate to grow up with horses in her life, horse showing and competing up to 3’6” in equitation and the Jumpers. Eileen works with both pediatrics and adults with the focus on improving function and independence in life.

Rem Narain MS, OTR/L

Rem received a Bachelors in Psychology from SUNY Stony Brook and a Masters degree in Occupational Therapy from Touro College. He has over 20 years of experience specializing in pediatrics and 15 year as an adjunct professor at Touro College, SUNY Stony Brook, NYIT and Suffolk Community College. Rem was a member of the Muscle Tone Clinic at St. Charles Hospital which evaluated all children for spasticity management. He has specialized in Early Intervention home services (0 to 3 yrs), was staff therapist at a sensory integration clinic and has used adapted aquatics in his treatment approach. Since 2010, Rem has been an Occupational Therapist utilizing hippotherapy at HorseAbility. Rem has observed many children make gains towards independence, improve social interaction and develop personal bonds with horses at HorseAbility. Rem is a member of the American Hippotherapy Association.

Sarah Lynas-Koenig MS, PT

Sarah is an alumni of Mercy College. After completing her training in massage therapy Sarah decided that she was going back to school to become a physical therapist. In this pursuit she decided that children would be her focus. She is currently working as a pediatric physical therapist at Nassau BOCES. Sarah working with children allows her to combine the playfulness of children with the rigors of physical therapy, disguised in a school setting with other kids. It is no surprise that Sarah, who is always energetic, is an exercise enthusiast, using Crossfit as her pallet to keep fit. Sarah also loves animals and being outdoors and it was a natural progression for her to combine these with her profession. She is excited to have the opportunity to work at HorseAbility.

Angelique Licari MS, CCC-LSLP

Angelique received a Bachelor of Science in Information and Technology: Speech-Language Pathology concentration from LIU Post in 2013 and a Master of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Adelphi University in 2015. She holds a Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC) and an initial certification as a Teacher of Students with Speech-Language Disabilities (TSSLD). Angelique is trained in PROMPT: Level 1, LSVT LOUD, SOS Feeding Approach and Hippotherapy treatment principles. She is a member of the American Speech, Language and Hearing Association (ASHA) and the American Hippotherapy Association. Angelique currently works with both children and adult populations, specializing in feeding/dysphagia, cognitive-communication disorders, articulation/phonology and expressive/receptive language. As a specialist in communication, Angelique is fascinated by a horse’s ability to form trust and engage in a personal relationship with people. She is looking forward to helping her clients expand their communication skills through experiencing the bond with horses. She is thrilled to have the opportunity to incorporate hippotherapy into her practice at HorseAbility.

Trish Volz MS, PT

Trish Volz received her Masters Degree in Physical Therapy in 1996. She has worked with children from birth to 21 years of age for over 25 years. Trish decided she wanted to expand her skills as a physical therapist while continuing to work with the population she loves so much. Hippotherapy was the obvious choice for her. She loves animals, being outdoors and helping (her clients) reach their optimal potential while having fun too. Learning about hippotherapy in school and continually hearing about the amazing results from fellow therapists led her to HorseAbility and she could not be happier.

Samantha Gallo

Sam Gallo is a graduate of St. Andrews University in Laurinburg, NC.  She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Therapeutic Horsemanship in 2020 and is a Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor through PATH, Intl.  Since her graduation, Sam has been working as a paraprofessional, teaching assistant, and special education teacher here on Long Island.  She is thrilled to now be joining the Riding Instructor Team at HorseAbility.

As an equine professional, Sam works tirelessly to create an environment that is both progressive and inspiring.  Her goal is to have her clients feel supported and welcomed in a setting that is highly organized and structured for their efforts and success.

Sam is also an avid equestrian and was a member of her hunt seat and western collegiate teams.  She has competed at the national level for hunt seat, both as an individual rider and as a team participant.

Pam Holbrook

Pam came to volunteer at HorseAbility in 1999 while the program was operating from The Thomas School of Horsemanship with only 2 horses and the office in the front seat of Katie’s car. She loved seeing the nature of the horses doing so much to empower the riders and volunteers. Pam went of to become a PATH registered level instructor in 2000. Over the years she has studied Centered Riding and had the pleasure of attending several workshops with Barbara Rector, a pioneer in using horses in ground work settings. She continues to personally study dressage riding and has worked with para equestrians. She currently holds the credentialed certification as a Therapeutic Riding Instructor and is a PATH mentor for new instructors.

Margot Horn

Margot was a Special Education teacher at Hicksville High School for over 30 years. She has an M.S. in Special Education and is certified to teach elementary and Special Education, K-12. Margot began volunteering at Camp HorseAbility in 2001, as a way to work with children with special needs over her summer vacation. She has continued to volunteer for all 20 years of camp.  She stayed on as a full year volunteer for HorseAbility after her first camp experience. In 2007, Margot obtained her certification as a PATH therapeutic riding instructor. In her spare time, Margot enjoys baking and cake decorating; you can always try her delicious creations things at HorseAbility’s bake sales! Margot loves riding her daughter Amanda’s horse, Prada.

Candace Kearney

Candace came to Horseability in 2001 as a therapeutic riding instructor. She began as a coach for Special Olympics and has been a staple Saturday lesson instructor for 20 years. She formed a passion for horses at a young age and grew into the understanding of the healing energy and bond that they have with a human being. Candace has been a part of many programs at HorseAbility including HorseAbility for Heroes and LIHSSRD. She has had the pleasure of continuing her knowledge base by taking riding clinics, being part of equine facilitated art/music therapy sessions as well as utilizing her Reiki studies to continue to grow. She enjoys engaging and lending knowledge to the volunteers while assisting them in growing into horse people. She graduated from Penn State and has been a financial planner since 1998.

Awards & Recognitions:

• The Hometown Hero Award - 2020

• LIHSSRD Ed Wrigley Memorial Sportsmanship Trophy - 2019
  

Ana Belo O’Brien

Ana is a graduate from Long Island University and C.W. Post College with a BS Sports Psychology, Public Relations and Foreign Languages. She is a Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor and Mentor through PATH, Intl. Ana’s focal point is Para Dressage; her certification through USEF as a credentialed Para Dressage Coach has enabled her to focus on driving recognition and bring awareness to the Para Dressage sport through education and empowering physically disabled riders in achieving their goals beyond a therapeutic riding setting. She has established the Para Equestrian Educational Alliance which offers monetary gifts to emerging Para equestrians for continuing education at USEF and USPEA Centers of Excellence.     

As a United States Pony Club Professional, Ana is a strong believer that true horsemanship starts on the ground. She has been able to provide equestrians with special needs with an unmounted program to further develop their knowledge on horse management with the USPC Horse Management Achievement Badge Program. Ana has helped to develop our Equine Assisted Activities programming for seniors directed towards those living with dementia.  Through a carefully developed curriculum and with weekly sessions, both seniors and caregivers can witness increased awareness, movement, and recollections. In collaboration with local Veteran associations, Ana has been a part of creating and implementing the equine facilitated approaches for the HorseAbility for Heroes program which provides an outlet for our men and women of service.

Anne Tepper

Erica Marquez

Robbie Siegelman

Robbie got his start in the horse racing industry in the 1970’s as a groom at Roosevelt Raceway. He apprenticed under the legendary Abbatiello brothers. Robbie has won training titles at Roosevelt and Yonkers Raceway, and has ranked among the leading trainers at the Meadowlands since his arrival there in 1994. Robbie has built his stable, Siegelman Stables, into one of the most consistent in the NY/NJ circuit. Robbie is a local to the Old Westbury area and he quickly became a staple at HorseAbility, volunteering countless hours since the relocation to SUNY Old Westbury in 2012. Robbie has played an integral role in our programming department, establishing our driving program and teaching driving lessons to our volunteers and participants.

Awards & Recognitions:

• US Harness Writer’s Standley Dancer Media Award - 1999

HorseAbility’s Instructor Training Course (ITC) is a 12- week program designed to prepare participants for the PATH International Registered Level Instructor Certification. The ITC program is the first step in becoming a knowledgeable asset in the field of equine-assisted activities and therapies. The course includes both lecture and riding portions that cover topics from disability education to daily horse care while learning within the parameters of PATH standards. HorseAbility’s knowledgeable staff will be available to assist you through the certification process.