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Staff
Founders Ann and Larry Kulchin
Larry and Ann with granddaughter Tessa in 1996. |
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Memoirs from a daughter: Ann and Larry Kulchin Lawrence Kulchin caught the eye of Ann Elise Richter in 1957. Larry a handsome, New York born lad was attending University of Berkley after a stint in the Air Force as a surveyor, when he happened upon Ann, a red headed beauty from Little Rock Arkansas, who was working in the office at UC Berkeley. Hitting it off immediately, they "eloped" to Las Vegas with the family for their wedding. I was born in 1958 in Walnut Creek, California and Dede was born in 1959 in San Jose. Dad only worked a few years for someone else, then went into business for himself. Kulchin & Associates evolved into one of the biggest engineering firms in the United States. Mom held the fort down at home raising us and going with our every whim. Mom and Dad bought us a pony, Mighty Mouse, who was the beginning of the horsey adventure, that I am still on! My sister, Dede, while at Cal Poly pursuing her Child Development degree, chose to do her Sr. Project on The Animal Human Bond. This was a natural course, because we spent our childhood raising everything from baby quail in the bathtub to our horses! Mom and Dad were such gamers! When a conference by the Delta Society was in Texas on therapeutic horseback riding, this "new" field of study, off we went! We were hooked and things just rolled after that. My sister and I attended a two week training in Orange County with Fran Joswick and completed our PATH training! My parents bought a piece of property in San Luis Obispo where Dede ran BOK south for several years, until it was no longer feasible. Purchasing, two Fjords, PJ and Zeke, I started giving lessons at my parents house, in Redwood City. I even went to pick up my first student at her house! The idea of Therapeutic Horseback riding, was just starting.... And here we are today! |
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Program Director Tish Dipman
Her life was changed forever when, at the age of eighteen, Tish started taking care of a little girl with Autism whose mother had passed away from cancer. Within that year her focus changed from horses to working exclusively with the special needs community. Tish has worked as a 1:1 with many special needs children in both their school and home environments. She spent seven years as the Supervisor of Children’s Services at the Recreation Center for the Handicapped in San Francisco, before moving on to the Bridge School and B.O.K. Ranch. Tish is a PATH certified instructor and a CHA certified riding instructor who owned and operated her own therapeutic riding center in the East Bay for several years before making the move to the Peninsula. Tish married her long time boyfriend Scott in Vegas on 08-08-08. Baby makes three, Scott and Tish were very excited to welcome their Baby Benjamin into the world 10 months later! Tish can be reached at tishcallos@yahoo.com. |
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PATH Instructor/Stable Life Manager
Joanna Shell
For more information on Stable Life, BOK Ranch's wellness program, please contact Joanna directly at JoannaShell@sbcglobal.net or (415) 722-4778.
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PATH Instructor
Marida Berlin
Marida took her first formal riding lessons through a P.E. class at CSU, Northridge where she eventually got a degree in Psychology. She returned to school, and attended Otis Art Institute where she studied graphic design. Marida worked as a graphic designer and art director in advertising and publishing. After having 2 daughters Marida and husband, Robert moved to Portola Valley. Marida took up riding again and got her first horse, Sadie. Marida and Sadie started out competing in dressage and then moved on to 3-day eventing where she no longer had to just pretend she was crossing the finish-line. The Berlins own 2 other horses; Letrista, an Azteca mare and Michaeleen, an Irish Sport Horse gelding. Marida served as Joint District Commissioner for Portola Valley Pony Club where she implemented their instructional program and organized riding clinics. Marida trains with Anja Pflanz for dressage and Gabrielle Goni of Excalibur Training for jumping. She is an active member of California Dressage Society, United States Eventing Association and United States Equestrian Federation.
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Administration/Webmaster Jamie Morris
After the move she continued maintaining the BOK website, and she adopted PJ when he retired in 2006 (pictured is PJ with Jamie in the volunteer class at a 1998 horse show). After nine years in Colorado, Jamie happily moved back to the Bay Area, and is currently living in the coast range with her two horses (one of them a Fjord), dogs, and cats. She enjoys work as a web designer and 3D artist, and is excited to get more involved with BOK again.
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Stable Assistant
Megan Dinsmore
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PATH Instructor
Hannah McDonald
Hannah McDonald grew up in San Carlos and has been riding horses for eleven years. From a young age, she had a fascination of the animal for its sensitivity and willingness to communicate with humans. She has worked as a stablehand and lesson helper for many years on the peninsula. She started volunteering at BOK Ranch two years ago and became intrigued by how horses can help those of us with different disabilities. Currently she is a NAHRA student teacher, working to get certified to teach therapeutic riding lessons. Hannah leads the Parent Trail rides on the weekends and spends her time volunteering with lessons and riding her favorite horse, Ranger. She is a student at Foothill college and plans to get a degree in Occupational therapy. After trying out many different barns over the years, she has said she is grateful to have found BOK ranch and definitely feels at home here. |
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PATH Instructor
Shannon Hill
In May 2010, Shannon received her Masters in Social Work from San José State University. Soon after, she began volunteering at BOK Ranch and has loved every moment with the wonderful horses, students, volunteers, and staff! The experience has inspired Shannon to pursue a career as a PATH Therapeutic Riding Instructor - combining her experience working with kids with special needs and her love of horses! Shannon is so thankful to have found BOK Ranch! |
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Office Manager
Sharon Doubek
The horse Sharon and Ivana found was an Arab gelding, Cody that had been rescued from an abusive training situation. When Sharon first saw Cody running around the round pen with his neck arched and his nostrils flaring, she was reminded of the Godolphin Arab in the book, King of the Wind. Cody was smart, willing to please but because of his sensitivity and lack of training, he was not ready to become the hunter/jumper Ivana wanted. Ivana went on to lease other horses and compete in A Circuit Jumping and Equitation shows. Meanwhile, Sharon fell in love with Cody and discovered Parelli Natural Horsemanship. It was a perfect training method for both Sharon and Cody because it requires patience, understanding the way horses think, and concentration on becoming safe and confident on the ground before attempting to ride. It has been a slow process but now Cody is a more confident, well-behaved gentleman. Sharon’s love for horses continues to grow because of her personal experience with their gentle, healing nature. Sharon is eager to bring her project/business management skills, her commitment to children with special needs and her love of horses to B.O.K. Ranch as the Equine Administration Assistant. |
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Horse Trainer
Lisa Manoogian
In January of 2011, Lisa followed her boyfriend to San Francisco and, after a few halfhearted attempts to land an office job, decided to launch her own training and lessons operation. Running her own business has been both thrilling and challenging for Lisa, but through every trial she is thankful to always be in the soothing presence of horses. Lisa joined the BOK team in October of 2011 as the exercise rider. She is excited to learn more about therapeutic riding, contribute what she knows, and spend lots of time with the gentle horses that make it all possible! |
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Other Instructors and Therapists that facilitate people with special needs at the Horse Park at Woodside:
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Horse Sensing Sally Broder
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Julie Freschi Physical Therapist
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Dr. Angela Sherman Equine Assisted Psychotherapy
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BOK Ranch Board of Directors
Beverly Aiello, President Michael Mansfield Paul Stratz
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Teen Board of Directors
Julia Caruana
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Program Location: 3674 Sand Hill Road, Woodside, CA 94062
This site is best viewed in Internet Explorer, and was last updated January 09, 2012. |
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Marida
Berlin grew up in Los Angeles, California. Ever since she can
remember she loved horses. It started with begging her parents to
take her to the pony rides at Griffith Park where she would stand up
in the stirrups and pretend she was a jockey crossing the
finish-line. She drew horses on every piece of paper she could get
her hands on, pranced around the playground jumping over benches and
read every book in the library about horses.
Jamie 
Megan
is a native of the Bay Area. Her love of riding and horses began at the
age of 7 when her family would take their annual trip down to a guest
ranch near Santa Barbara. For the past several years she has worked
with the wranglers at a ranch in Bridgeport on the other side of the
Yosemite range with their annual Spring cattle work. She follows the PBR
(Professional Bull Riding) and rodeo circuits along with attending the
concerts of her favorite country performers. She enjoys both
volunteering and working at the BOK. It fulfills her dream of doing
what she loves the most which is to be with and care for horses.
Shannon is a Bay
Area native and life-long horse lover. She grew up vaulting in
Woodside with Sundance Vaulters and competed nationally and
internationally. In 2008, after 24 years of birthday and
Christmas wishes, Shannon finally adopted a horse of her own.
Flash, a gorgeous tri-color paint Tennessee Walker gelding, has
been all her dreams come true and more! Shannon also served two
years as the Volunteer and Adoption Coordinator, overseeing the
care of horses awaiting families of their own, at the coastal
ranch where she adopted Flash.
Sharon
Doubek grew up in farm country surrounded by horses in Western
New York State. She fantasized about having a horse of her own,
but it wasn’t until her daughter, Ivana, showed an interest in
horses did Sharon’s dream come true. Ivana had been taking
riding lessons for a few years and participated in Hunter/Jumper
shows when a teacher recommended that it was a good time for
Ivana to have a horse of her own.
Lisa
Manoogian grew up in Boston and was horse-crazy from the start.
She began taking lessons at age 7, spent her meager savings on
her own horse at age 15, and was teaching professionally at 19.
After graduating from college, Lisa took a job as a riding
instructor in New Hampshire, where she was introduced to the
theory and practice of therapeutic riding. Throughout her time
there, Lisa realized that the therapeutic effects of horses
could be felt by anyone, disabled or not, and that she herself
truly needed horses in her life.
Dr.
Broder began her professional equine career at the age of 15. She
went to work for a horse trainer in Rancho Sante Fe, California and
spent the next several years working with beautiful show horses.
Even back then, she felt the healing power in horses and was
developing ideas about how to pass this to others. 15 years later
she embarked on her career in the fields of, first, substance abuse
treatment then more broadly clinical psychology. She has focused her
career on treating individuals who have experienced trauma and felt
the effects of that in their life paths. With Horse Sensing, she
brings together her clinical expertise and equine expertise to
facilitate the healing process in her clients.
Hippotherapy has
always been Moraga-native Julie Freschi’s dream occupation. To this
end she combines her passion for and knowledge of horses with her
career as a physical therapist. Julie gained her foundational horse
knowledge in Pony Club. She competed in Eventing during high school.
As a University of Oregon undergrad, Julie founded the
nationally-competitive Intercollegiate Equestrian Team. She later
attended Boston University, earning a Masters of Science in Physical
Therapy. Her initial decision to move East was heavily influenced by
her desire to ride there. During her time East Julie strengthened
her interest in dressage through her assignment as a working
student. She continues to enjoy dressage with her leased mare Fabbi.
Julie’s interest in working with children with special needs stems
from her service in her church’s Children’s Ministry Class,
specially designed for children with special needs. She has since
helped establish similar programs in Kenya, also serving as a
mentor. She currently works as a full-time physical therapist at the
Hope Technology School in Palo Alto, California.
Angela
Sherman, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist (PSY23689),
with a long standing interest in human-animal
interactions. She has extensive experience working with
individuals with behavioral and emotional difficulties
as well as learning and autism spectrum disorders. Dr.
Sherman is committed to helping people increase
self-awareness and come to healthier ways of interacting
with the world around them and believes that horses are
a good match for helping with this goal. For this work,
Dr. Sherman is certified through the Equine Assisted
Growth and Learning Association (EAGALA). She is also a
previous BOK Ranch PATH certified Therapeutic Riding
Instructor. Dr. Sherman is thrilled to be re-connecting
with BOK and is also the proud owner of one of BOK
Ranch’s retired equine staff, Jerry (pictured). For more
information on Equine Assisted Psychotherapy and Equine
Assisted Learning, contact Dr. Sherman at (650)
248-4072 or
