Meet CTRC's Instructors

	Sonya Chafty-Sturges - NARHA Registered Instructor/Volunteer Coordinator - volunteer@ctrcinc.org Sonya started at CTRC as a volunteer in 2005 after organizing the Rocky Mountain Cancer Survivor riding program and is now a NARHA Registered Instructor. She is a breast cancer survivor who became a believer in the power of the horse to heal!! She knows first hand the therapeutic value of the horse as she credits her horse, Dusty, who she spent every spare minute with as a powerful aide in her recovery. In her spare time she rides Dusty, runs, and pretends she can snowboard. Sonya is blessed with the most wonderful and supportive family!
	Annette Gruba – NARHA Registered Instructor Annette has always loved horses and ridden all of her life (literally since she was 3 years old). In the summer of 1999 she began volunteering in the therapeutic riding program at Winter Park’s National Sports Center for the Disabled. After Annette’s first year with NSCD, she became a volunteer instructor and continued to do so for the next 7 summers. In 2005 she earned NARHA’s Registered Instructor certification and started teaching at CTRC in the summer of 2006. Annette enjoys playing with her 5 year old son, riding her own horse and skiing with her family at Winter Park. She has always felt that horses are amazing animals and is fortunate to witness their amazing ability to work with humans every time she teaches a class.
	Jody Howard - NARHA Advanced Instructor Jody started at CTRC in May of 2007 and is loving every minute of it. Though new to CTRC she has been involved in Therapeutic Riding for a several years. Pursuing her education in therapeutic riding has made her life feel very balanced and rewarding. Some of her other talents lie in teaching, barn management, and showing and training western horses. Jody is proud to be part of CTRC but is also very proud of her wonderful family.
	Melissa Mosley – NARHA Registered Instructor/Volunteer Coordinator - volunteer@ctrcinc.org Melissa moved in May 2009 to Colorado from Nashville, TN, where she was formerly a Therapeutic Riding Instructor at SaddleUp!. She comes to CTRC as a NARHA Registered Riding Instructor with a bachelors degree in psychology from Washington University in St. Louis. Melissa initially joined the CTRC staff as a Camp Instructor but quickly became not only an Instructor but also the Volunteer Coordinator.  She co-shares the Volunteer Coordinator position with Sonya. In her free time, she rides hunter/jumpers and competes in triathlons. Melissa has been extremely impressed by the commitment and enthusiasm that she has seen from the CTRC volunteers so far and is really excited to continue working at CTRC and getting to know all of the dedicated volunteers that enable CTRC to serve so many participants!
	Penelope Powell - NARHA Advanced Instructor/Special Programs Coordinator - penelope@ctrcinc.org Penelope first became involved with CTRC during the Winter of 2006. From there she soon joined the training team and schooling team. In 2007 Penelope joined the staff first as a camp counselor and then as an instructor. Penelope holds a Bachelors in Religious Studies and the NARHA Advanced Level certification. She has years of experience as an equestrian, mainly studying Classical Dressage. Enjoying working with people, Penelope has also spent time as a preschool teacher. In her spare time she enjoys being outside, hanging out with friends, and traveling.
Instructors Certified in Hippotherapy
	Amy Seelig – Speech Language Therapist CCC-SLP, Special Education Teacher, NARH Registered Instructor, AHA Registered Instructor Amy began at CTRC in 1996 as a volunteer while she was a graduate student in speech language pathology at C.U., Boulder. After living in Oregon for a few years, in 2001, Amy returned to her native Colorado and began working at the Anchor Center for Blind Children in Denver. In 2008, Amy decided to connect her life-long love of horses with her therapy for young children. She successfully pursued this passion by working closely with other therapists experienced in hippotherapy, completing her AHA (American Hippotherapy Association) Level I and Level II courses and obtaining her NARHA Registered Instructor certifications. Amy is thrilled to be part of the joy, enthusiasm and wonder of CTRC and to have a job that she absolutely loves! Amy lives in Erie with her husband, Eric, her black lab, Jetty and her calico, Minna.
	Justine Williams – NARHA Registered Therapist in Hippotherapy / NARHA Registered Instructor Justine holds a Bachelors degree in Conductive Education, a combination of PT, OT, SLT and special education. She directed a Conductive Education center in England for individuals with a range of motor disorders such as cerebral palsy, spina bifida, down's syndrome, multiple sclerosis and stroke. After moving to America, Justine acquired her certification in Sensory Integration and Praxis Testing (SIPT), and began working with individuals with sensory processing disorders and autism. Justine has loved horses since she was a little girl so it was very fitting that she combined her clinical knowledge with her passion for horses and became a NARH Registered Therapist in Hippotherapy joining the CTRC team in 2003. Justine lives with her husband, daughter and their herd of horses, dogs and cats in Fort Lupton.
	Jill Valenti, PT - NARHA Registered Therapist in Hippotherapy / NARHA Registered Instructor I've been a PT for 24 years (Yikes!!!), primarily in pediatrics. I have worked in the NICU, the schools, home health, hospital setting, private practice and for the past 10 years with Dayspring's Early Intervention Program. I am NDT (neurodevelopmental treatment) certified, certified in infant massage, have experience with sensory integration and have been doing hippotherapy for 17 years at CTRC.