Leadership Team

Kate brings more than 30 years of experience in therapeutic horsemanship, volunteer management and nonprofit leadership. She is a PATH International Advance Certified Instructor (CTRI), PATH International Lead Evaluator & Faculty Member and a nationally recognized leader in the field of Equine Assisted Services. In her role at CHP, Kate will oversee the development and delivery of our Therapeutic Programs, lead and mentor our professional team of instructors and volunteers and work closely with our families, participants, and partners to ensure continued safety and excellence in our programming. Kate will continue to work closely with PATH Intl. ensuring that our program remains at the forefront of best practices. In her free time, Kate enjoys spending time with her husband Lee, working on home renovation projects, and playing with her two Dalmatians named Derby and Julep. Kate’s first day at CHP is Tuesday August 26 and her regular schedule will be Tuesday through Saturday. Be sure to stop by the barn any time after September 26 to say hello and welcome Kate!

Caroline grew up riding in Tryon, NC. She competed in hunter/jumper disciplines through elementary, middle, and high school. She moved to New York City for university and received a BFA in drama from NYU. In NY, Caroline realized that film was her other great passion and actively pursued it for a year after graduating. While NY is an incredible place, she began to miss the outdoors and the smoother pace of the southeast. She decided to depart the concrete jungle for the greener pastures of Atlanta, GA. Caroline quickly became engrossed in the film industry here in ATL and was dedicating almost 24/7 to the lights, camera, action lifestyle. When the film industry strike occurred, she had a moment to step back and reevaluate the things that really mattered to her. She decided to revisit her first passion in life, horses. Finding Chastain Horse Park and beginning her journey as a volunteer felt like a missing puzzle piece that had been found. Rather new to the world of therapeutic riding, she began sidewalking for hippotherapy participants when she began to fall in love with the mission and possibility of being a bigger part of this vocation. Caroline went on to become a horse leader, a member of the wellness, ground schooling, and riding schooling teams, and is now on the journey to become a CTRI.

Lindsey grew up riding in Florida in the saddle seat discipline. She has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Georgia State University and a graduate degree from UGA Gwinnett with a Master of Social Work. She completed her Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning credentials through PATH Intl. in 2023 and has been leading mental health related groups at Chastain Horse Park — creating curriculum, training volunteers in trauma informed care and piloting new programs in Equine Assisted Mental Health. Outside of CHP, Lindsey and her wife have their hands full with three young daughters.

Eli grew up in Atlanta and after graduating UGA in 2013, they spent a decade in Washington D.C., working with nonprofits and advocacy organizations. After swapping Georgia pines for D.C. office buildings, they are thrilled to be back home and part of the Chastain Horse Park team. Eli fell in love with horses at Girl Scout camp and couldn’t be more excited to spend their days at the barn. In their spare time, you can find them with their partner and pup, Hooch, walking the Beltline, finding the best coffee in Atlanta, spending time with their family, and rooting on the US Women’s National Soccer Team.

​Michelle earned her Masters of Science in Physical Therapy from Boston University in 1999. She worked in public schools in Maryland and Massachusetts for many years providing therapy services to children with a wide variety of special needs. After leaving Massachusetts, Michelle spent a few years being a full-time mom to her 4 children and then returned to her first passion, helping children learn to use their motor skills to the best of their abilities. Michelle has taken many continuing education courses over the years, including treating Idiopathic Toe-Walking, use of Functional Electrical Stimulation (specifically for the pediatric population), and Linked: Breathing and Postural Control. Michelle has taken the American Hippotherapy Association (AHA) Level 1 and 2 courses and has tested to become certified as a Hippotherapy Clinical Specialist. Michelle had a poster presentation at the 2022 AHA conference about the use of Hippotherapy in a patient with Long Covid. Michelle grew up going on trail rides with her family and learned about hippotherapy when she was a college student. The ability to include hippotherapy into her patients’ treatment plans fulfills a lifelong career goal.

Michelle started taking horseback riding lessons in the hunter/jumper discipline when she was 6 years old. She actively rode and competed in local shows throughout her elementary, middle, and high school years. While pursuing her undergraduate degree at Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, she competed on their IHSA Hunt Seat Equestrian Team. It was during her high school years that Michelle was first introduced to therapeutic riding. She volunteered as a sidewalker, horse leader and barn coordinator at a therapeutic riding center in Bel Air, Maryland throughout both high school and college. She loved it so much that she decided to pursue becoming a PATH Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor. In August of 2015, Michelle was awarded a scholarship from The Equus Foundation for her commitment to volunteering in the therapeutic riding field, which covered the cost of pursuing her certification. Once certified, Michelle continued teaching therapeutic riding lessons part time. In March of 2018, Michelle was offered a full-time position at Greystone Manor Therapeutic Riding Center, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, as their Programs and Instruction Coordinator. In this role, Michelle taught therapeutic riding lessons on a weekly basis and managed the therapeutic riding operations and administration, including rider scheduling, chairing the annual horse show, conducting special camp programs, and managing day to day lesson operations. Michelle was in this role for over three years. In 2021, Michelle received a Graduate Assistantship to pursue her master’s degree in Nonprofit Management at UGA in Athens. After graduating in December 2022, she moved to Tucker, GA where she currently resides and works full time as the Assistant Development Director at the nonprofit organization, Friends of Disabled Adults and Children, or FODAC. Michelle is excited to be working again with students and teaching therapeutic riding lessons as a part time therapeutic riding instructor at Chastain Horse Park.

Whitney was born and raised in Southern California. After receiving her teaching credential at Cal State San Marcos in 2007, she began her career as an educator. Shortly after moving to Atlanta with her husband in 2009, she discovered her passion for working with and advocating for disabled students and their families. In 2012, Whitney received her MA in Special Education and Behavior Analysis. It was during that time she was introduced to the world of hippotherapy which soon led her to volunteering at Chastain Horse Park. Volunteering at CHP gave Whitney a first hand look at the countless ways in which the therapeutic nature of horses paired with the unique needs of any student, can create life changing results. Whitney has served in a variety of learning support roles including Lead Teacher at a Title 1 public school, Inclusion Specialist for those with developmental disabilities, Learning Specialist for students with a variety of learning disabilities, Orton Gillingham certified classroom educator, and Board of Directors at International Dyslexia Association of Georgia. Outside of CHP, Whitney likes to travel with her family, see live music, practice yoga, and read.

Sherry was born and raised in Cape Coral, Florida and recently moved to Georgia. She graduated from Keiser University with a degree of Occupational Therapy Assistant. Sherry attended equine summer camps growing up and enjoys riding any chance she gets. She has worked with the pediatric population in the school and clinical setting. Incorporating horses into therapy has been a dream of hers since she was young. She spent time shadowing and volunteering at Special Equestrians in Buckingham, FL. She completed her AHA level 1 certification and looks forward to expanding her knowledge and helping those in need at CHP.

Brent Applegate began his career as a physical therapist at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, working in multiple environments from acute care to CIRU (Comprehensive Inpatient Rehab Unit) to Day Rehab Programs to Outpatient services. Due to his horsey upbringing he was tasked in assisting a CHOA 'hippotherapy' pilot program where, thanks to the dramatic impact he saw with his patients, he fell in love. He began the My Heroes Therapy program out of Chastain Horse Park in 2005 and has never looked back. In 2011 he moved his family to Colorado to begin a second program out of Colorado State University but returns regularly to directly oversee the therapy programming and personally provide services at Chastain. He loves snowboarding, biking, hiking, forcing his kids off their phones under threat of abandonment, and is a terrible fisherman. More than anything he loves watching the impact his program and the Chastain therapeutic program have on the children and adults that they serve.