ABOUT
OUR MISSION
Our mission is to enhance individuals’ lives through Equine Assisted Activities and Therapies to help them discover their abilities and talents. New Beginnings works with mental, physical, emotional, and behavioral disabilities.
Who We Are
New Beginnings Therapeutic Riding (NBTR) is dedicated to serving individuals with disabilities and enhancing their lives using the power of horses.
FULL-TIME STAFF
MICHELE VISE
Executive & Program Director
Michele has been a part of the New Beginnings family since 2009. She became a certified PATH riding instructor in 2017. She grew up with horses and cattle in Lexington, KY. She has always loved animals and riding and is excited to teach others about horses.
OLIVIA WILLIS
Head Instructor, Equine & Facility Director
Olivia has been with New Beginnings since 2014. She grew up in Elizabethtown KY, where she grew up showing American Saddlebreds. After high school she attended Florida College for 2 years then moved to Bowling Green to finish her schooling at WKU. While in Bowling Green she was able to fulfill her dream of working with horses and people through New Beginnings. She became a PATH Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor in 2015. Now she is the Head Instructor and Director of Operations at NBTR.
SOPHIA SMITH
Volunteer Coordinator, Instructor-in-Training
Sophia Smith is from Elizabethtown, KY and has rode horses all her life on the family farm. After high school she attended Florida College and got her CNA license. She then moved to Bowling Green and now works as our Volunteer Coordinator and is an instructor-in-training. When she’s not at the barn, she works in home health and in her spare time, she plays softball and hangs out with friends. “
INSTRUCTORS
NICOLE McDORMAN
Instructor
Nicole has been part of the New Beginnings family since 2012. She grew up on a horse farm in Tampa, FL. She has shown in a number of disciplines including Western Pleasure, English, Dressage, and Barrel Racing. In the summers of 2009 and ’10, she was a horseback tour guide in Estes Park, CO. She went to school at WKU and graduated with an Equine Science Degree in 2012. She received her PATH Intl. Advanced Instructor Certification in 2018. In 2016 she received her CHA (Certified Horsemanship Association) certification as a level 3 instructor in both English and Western.
HEATHER WILLOUGHBY
Instructor
Heather has been part of the New Beginnings family since 2012. She grew up with horses here in Bowling Green, KY. She received her PATH Intl. certification in 2015. Heather owns 2 mares of her own Lucy and Attie. She has taken lessons in Dressage and Western and takes her horses out west on hunting and packing trips in Colorado. She is also a Registered Nurse and specializes in neonatal care. She is passionate about horses and teaching others about them.
CINDY CAMPBELL
Instructor-in-Training
Cindy Campbell is originally from Madison, Ohio; she moved to Bowling Green in 2012. She was a Sergeant with the United States Marines from 1985-1992. When she retired, she volunteered at Lake Metroparks Farmpark as a Posse member in the Light Horse Brigade for 18 years. Then she began volunteering here in February 2022. She started the instructor-in-training program in May 2022. When she’s not at the barn, Cindy loves to ride and work on her own horses at her farm.
JONLYN ORR
Instructor
Jonlyn joined the NBTR family in 2017 and is the newest instructor. She grew up with horses and showing in dressage, jumping, and barrel racing. She graduated from WKU with a degree in Psychology and want to focus on mental health and healing with horses.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President: Erica Cutright
Vice President: Vacant
Treasurer: Elaine Smith
Secretary: Stephanie Weckerly
Board Members: Greg Senser, Rheanna Plemons, David Hutchinson, Madison Duncan, Hendrix Brakefield
Honorary Member: Kim Kirby, CPA, Jackie Reynolds
Medical Consultant: Dr. Kelly Kries, MD
Therapist Consultant: Caroline Alexander Hudson, M.S., CCC-SLP
Corporate Counsel: Lauren Marley, ESQ
