Our Instructors

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Kathy Chitwood, RN, C., Instructor

Kathy is one of the original EQUI-KIDS NARHA Certified instructors and has volunteered her energies since she began with us over nine years ago!  She is a graduate from Southern Seminary Junior College, Buena Vista, VA. and a graduate of Butler County Nursing School in Butler, PA.  Kathy has worked as a Registered Nurse in Chesapeake, Virginia for over fifteen years and has a Specialty Certification in Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing.  Kathy is an avid horsewoman and has over twenty years experience as a riding instructor and a variety of "horse jobs" including Hunter/Jumper barns and riding racehorses.

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Randy Cole, Instructor

Randy is our newest NARHA Certified Instructor and has been volunteering with EQUI-KIDS for over three years. New to the horse world, Randy immersed himself into learning all about therapeutic riding and horseback riding in 2006 and proved that “it can be done”. A 1983 graduate from Bayside High School he works full time for the Virginia Natural Gas company and enjoys reading and listening to music in his spare time. Randy is also involved in the EQUI-KIDS Volunteer Committee for on-site training of new volunteers.

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Molly has been involved with therapeutic riding since 1984 and has been working with clients using hippotherapy principles for over 20 years. In 1987, she was selected to study Hippotherapy at the Rommel Klinik in Germany. Molly was an active participant in the Hippotherapy Curriculum Development Committee and was a founding member of the American Hippotherapy Association (AHA), and is currently Vice President.  In 1988, she began teaching “Introduction to Hippotherapy” and had the opportunity to lecture in the United States, Canada and Australia.

A member of NARHA since 1982, Molly has served on its Accreditation Committee. She has been an active volunteer at EQUI-KIDS since 1997. A graduate of Boston University’s Sargent College of Allied Health Professions, Molly has worked in a variety of clinical settings. Currently she is the manager of two Rehabilitation Departments for Sentara Hospital Systems.

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Molly is a NARHA Certified Instructor and has been volunteering with EQUI-KIDS approximately twelve years.  She began riding over 38 years ago and has over 25 years experience teaching horseback riding and working around horses.  She completed riding courses with instructors John J. Meek and Sallye J. Meek in Quantico, VA, has an Associate of Science degree and Horsemanship Certificate from Southern Seminary Jr. College, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Science from Virginia Tech in 1983.

In 2005 she became a Registered Instructor through NARHA and currently is on the EQUI-KIDS Volunteer Committee for on-site training of new volunteers.  Molly has been a home school mom for over ten years with a son in tenth grade and a daughter in sixth.

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