Sarah is a lifelong horse lover and Western Pleasure rider, with more than 40 years of experience in the saddle. She also has a Ph.D. in Psychology and has studied, taught, and published on a wide variety of topics including the neurochemistry of human and animal stress, adolescent development, childbirth practices, and recovery from mental illnesses. Sarah knows from personal experience the power of human-animal connections and the incredible utility of equine-assisted therapies. She is the mom of two teenagers (one in college) and lives with her husband and son in Beacon. She joined Topfield as the Executive Director in 2022. Sarah is CPR and AED certified.

Get in touch with Sarah.

Denise is so happy to be back at Topfield to continue teaching her former and new riders! Denise is a lifelong horse person, riding for years in hunter/jumper shows. She, her husband, and two kids have lived on their farm in the Hudson Valley for 22 years with her horse, Dutch, and donkey, Bailey. Denise is a PATH Certified Instructor, has a MS in Exercise Physiology, worked in physical therapy, and has studied nutrition, and personal training. Denise has lived in Putnam Valley her whole life and grew up working as a florist in her family's local business. Denise is CPR and AED Certified.

Truly a lifelong equestrian, growing up in a family with multiple horses and competing in hunters, jumpers, and even doing some driving, Heather grew up not far from Topfield, in Bergen County, New Jersey. She graduated from St. Thomas Aquinas College in NY in 2019 with a Bachelor’s in Psychology and then continued to pursue her Master’s in Applied Behavior Analysis at Salve Regina University in Newport, RI graduating in 2022. Heather is a NJ Board Certified Behavior Analyst. Heather ultimately sought out a place where she could pursue her passion for equestrian sports along with her desire to assist individuals who would benefit from behavioral therapy. Topfield has been an amazing experience for her so far (she began volunteering and training with us in September of 2022) and she is excited to see all that can happen here with our remarkable staff and available programs!

Diana is a NYS licensed Creative Arts Therapist with a background in both fine arts and psychology. She earned an MFA in Fine Arts from Hunter College in 1989 and her MPS (with distinction) from the Pratt Institute in 2005. She brings 15 years of experience working with family, children, adolescents, and adults in inpatient, outpatient, mental health centers & private practice with her to Topfield.  She believes that it's necessary to experiment with the creative process in order to better understand who we are and finds the most rewarding part of her work is seeing people transform their lives and feel excited about being alive. Diana's sessions are a combination of psychotherapy and Art Therapy, depending on client needs. 

Hannah became interested in carriage driving in 1997. As a senior in high-school
she was required to complete a senior project, and wanted to do something with
horses, but different than riding. She connected with a local barn that taught
driving. After that first lesson she was hooked. Currently Hannah holds two
licenses with the American Driving Society in Combined Driving as a Registered
Judge and a Recorded Technical Delegate. She also serves on the ADS Pleasure
Driving Committee and the Event Standards Committee. Hannah has experience
with various configurations of carriage horses and ponies, from singles to four-in-
hands. In addition to sharing her knowledge in driving she also manages The
Lorenzo Driving Competition in Cazenovia, New York, which the oldest recognized
ADS Pleasure Driving Show in the U.S. Hannah graduated from Cazenovia College in
2001 with a Bachelors of Professional Studies and lives in Cochranville, PA.

Leah is an animal lover with a long career in programs outreach and facilitation. She earned a Master's Degree in Non-Profit Management and Leadership from the Marxe School of Public and International Affairs in 2018 and worked for more than a decade at Partnership for Parks, doing outreach and programming for the NYC park system. Leah has also been running her own consulting and coaching business for which she holds certification from Open Center. Leah is our program, event, and community point person and is ready to help you get connected with Topfield!

Get in touch with Leah.

Lori Powers comes to Topfield with a varied background mainly in production management and finance from her 10 years working at MTV Networks and also serving on various fundraising committees for her children's schools. Lori is excited to be part of the Topfield Team and the inspiring work they are doing. She lives in Cold Spring, NY with her husband Mike, three energetic boys, and one sweet sheepadoodle. Lori is CPR and AED Certified.

Get in touch with Lori.

Cailee started riding, showing, and caring for horses as a child nearly 20 years ago and returned to working with horses in the barn at Topfield in the Spring of 2022. Since that time Cailee has impressed us with her empathy, hard work, and deep love for the Topfield herd. In addition to her horse and barn experience, Cailee has a strong customer service background and desire to help  and work in service of others. 

If you've ever wondered how Topfield is kept so beautiful, the answer is Jackie! Jackie started at Topfield in 2022 and oversees the maintenance of the grounds and keeps our top-of-the-line facility in tip-top shape. She grew up locally in Garrison and most recently worked for the Hartsdale Public Parking District. Jackie has also served as a volunteer fire fighter at the Continental Village Fire House in Cortlandt Manor. She lives here on the Topfield property and is a 'new convert' to the love of horses. Jackie is CPR and AED Certified.

Annie joined Topfield in 2022 and serves as our certified PATH mentor and volunteer trainer. Annie also assists us with program curriculum development. Annie has been a volunteer and longtime CTRI at HorseAbility on Long Island and also works as a riding instructor at New York Equestrian Center. Annie earned her B.S. in Equine Studies from Centenary College in NJ in 2014. During the pandemic Annie started her own business called Hearty Horse Cookie Co., and she bakes and decorates adorable treats for our equine partners across New York. In addition to being certified by PATH, Annie is also CPR/AED certified, and is a Qualified Mental Health Associate.