Meet Our Team of Professionals

Margaret Mary McClaren, MBA, PATH Intl. CTRI, DHS CCS Provider
Executive Director

IMG_0915 (2)From a young age, Margaret Mary learned the value of giving. Raised by a U.S. army veteran and a special education aide, she saw her parents devote their lives to causes much greater than themselves. As a result, Margaret Mary pursued a career in education after earning a BS & BA from Marquette University as an Evans Scholar. Over the years, she worked for both private & public schools, teaching students in rural areas while also tutoring young women from inner cities.

Throughout her experience in and out of the classroom, Margaret Mary was introduced to individuals and families who benefited from equine-assisted activities and therapeutic riding, and because of their positive testimonials, she began volunteering at a nearby PATH Member Center. Margaret Mary immediately fell in love with the program, its horses, and their efforts—so much so that she decided to make a life change and professionally commit to the nonprofit sector. 

She says, “It’s amazing how one experience can change the trajectory of your life. Volunteering at a therapeutic riding facility absolutely changed mine.” As an active member of PATH International, she received her Executive Certificate in Nonprofit Fund Development from the University of Notre Dame, while earning her MBA in Leadership & Management from Aurora University. In 2016 she co-founded the nonprofit, organization Heaven’s Gait Ranch, Inc. and had it registered as a PATH Intl. Member Center. As the Executive Director of Heaven’s Gait Ranch, she is not only a PATH Intl. Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor (CTRI), but she is also an approved provider under Ozaukee County’s Department of Human Services for Comprehensive Community Services (CCS).


Kim Berggren, PATH Intl. Advanced Instructor, Equine Specialist in Mental Health & Learning, & Mentor
Interim Director of Operations 

Kim has been a lifelong horse person, starting in the backyards of Wisconsin. She has been involved in the Equine Assisted Service industry for over 25 years as a PATH Intl. Advanced Instructor, Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning, as well as a PATH Intl. Mentor and lead site visitor. Kim has held many seats on the PATH Intl. Region 4 Leadership team, Membership Outreach Committee, and other PATH Intl. committees including two terms on PATH’s Board of Trustees. She has been awarded the PATH Intl. President’s Award and Volunteer Leadership Award. She has also spoken multiple times regionally, nationally, and internationally. 

In 2013, Kim went to South Korea to work with the Korea Racing Authority in Seoul, educating instructors and consulting with programs around the country. She has returned more than five times for continuing education, teaching clinics, and equine care. Needless to say, HGR’s staff, volunteers, herd, and participants are eager to learn from her experience and expertise, as she recruits and trains top talent in our industry. 


 

Maggie Robertson, PATH Intl. CTRI, DHS CCS Provider
Program & Volunteer Coordinator 

Maggie Robertson bio pic

Maggie Robertson grew up in a small town in Ontario, Canada on a Canadian Sport Horse breeding farm. After high school, she attended the University of Guelph pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture, and today, she fondly recalls memories of working with and learning from her grandparents on their family farm. Shortly after immigrating to Wisconsin in November 2017, she began volunteering at Heaven’s Gait Ranch as a side walker and lead walker. She says, “I began volunteering at HGR because I wanted to give back to the community and meet new people.” 

By fall of 2018, Maggie officially joined our staff, and for the last six years, she’s worked in multiple capacities within the nonprofit. Today, she not only serves as HGR’s Program & Volunteer Coordinator, but she is also one of our PATH Intl. Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructors, credentialed to provide Ozaukee County’s Comprehensive Community Services.

Aside from working with the humans and horses at HGR, Maggie enjoys gardening and canning, working with any animals, and baking. She states, “I am so excited to work with a great group of volunteers and staff, making a difference in the lives of many veterans and individuals with disabilities.”


Monica Schaefer, BS, PATH Intl. CTRI & Mentor
Therapeutic Riding Instructor & Mentor

Monica Schaefer 2.11.19 with Mac

Monica graduated from Rocky Mountain College in 2009 with a Bachelor of Science in Equestrian Studies; she majored in therapeutic riding and pursued a minor in psychology. In 2010 she became a PATH Intl. Registered Therapeutic Riding Instructor and has been a Registered PATH Intl. Mentor since 2015.

She taught a variety of participants for years at Free Spirit Riders, Inc., formerly located in Fond du Lac, WI. During her time at FSR, she was not only their head instructor and veterans’ program coordinator, but she was also their lead contact for obtaining premiere accreditation, as well as running PATH Intl. onsite workshops and certification events. When she learned that FSR would sadly be closing, Monica knew that her love of instructing therapeutic riding and her drive in the nonprofit industry would not end there.

Today we are blessed to have her as part of our staff at Heaven’s Gait Ranch, and we are grateful she has chosen to support our mission in Cedar Grove. As a seasoned Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor (CTRI), Monica is our go-to PATH Instructor at HGR for participants looking to advance their technical horsemanship skills. Whether instructing groundwork or mounted activities, Monica sees the potential in each participant and takes them to the next level.


Stacey D., PATH Intl. CTRI & ESMHL
Equine Manager, Therapeutic Riding Instructor & Equine Specialist in Mental Health & Learning

With hands-on experience in caregiving and rehabilitation services, Heaven’s Gait Ranch is fortunate to have Stacey on staff. As a former direct support professional and psychosocial rehabilitation worker, she brings a quiet strength and humbling perspective to her work and relationships at HGR. Not only does she have experience working with children and adults with special needs and disabilities, but she also has worked with horses in a variety of capacities for over a decade. From volunteering as a groom and stable hand at other therapeutic riding centers to providing daily care and conditioning at large boarding and training facilities, Stacey has a wide array of expertise that is well received by our herd and participants alike. By tending to our herd’s daily care, she has developed a strong bond with the animals that allows her to properly pair their talents and personalities with participant skills and goals. As a PATH Intl. Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor and Equine Specialist in Mental Health & Learning, Stacey creates meaningful opportunities for the horses and humans to excel around her.

 


Savannah Schecher, MS, LPC-IT, DHS CCS Provider
Mental Health Support Specialist

Savannah is a therapist with a decade of experience in the mental health industry, and she is a counselor-in-training in clinical mental health counseling. Upon graduating from UW-Madison in 2016 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology, she eagerly immersed herself in a system dedicated to providing therapeutic services and earned a position at Rogers Behavioral Health (RBH). During her time at RBH, she held four different positions including Residential Counselor, Educational Specialist, Behavioral Specialist, and Primary Therapist. Savannah’s time as a behavioral specialist inspired her to pursue her Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, which she completed at UW-Milwaukee in 2021. Her tenacity and passion for the well-being of her residents allowed her to flourish in each of these roles. She also gained experience in the outpatient world with Access Community Therapies, where she served as an outpatient therapist & a school-based therapist. 

Central values of Savannah’s practice as a counselor include trust and rapport building, genuine, active listening, trauma informed care, person-centered therapy, and practicing patience. These key components allow her to effectively connect with her clients, and in turn, build a crucial understanding with each another to better trust the therapeutic process. She specializes in working with children and adolescents and is passionate about helping them find balance and happiness.

Savannah is an animal lover and enjoys learning from the horses at HGR. When she is not advocating for clients and providing therapy, you can typically find her outdoors enjoying a hike on the IAT with her husband, on a brisk run, or tending to her dahlias. Savannah feels immensely grateful to be a part of the team at Heaven’s Gait Ranch and looks forward to meeting each new participant.


Anika Gooding
Program Assistant

When Anika was six years old, she knew she wanted to work with horses. She didn’t have a particular path in mind, just that horses were her passion and a career path she needed to pursue. As she got older, she helped at several horse farms in the area. She took lessons, assisted with training, and cleaned a lot of stalls. In 2019 Anika learned of a volunteer opportunity at Heaven’s Gait Ranch from one of her English teachers at CGBSD and spent her summer assisting as a side walker. Now, a few years later, Anika is very happy to be back at HGR working as a program assistant. Her plans after high school include going to school for equine fundamentals and one day owning and operating her own farm.


Abigail Bartlett
Assistant Equine Manager

Abi has been around horses since she was five years old. She is grateful to have learned many riding disciplines from hunt seat and western pleasure to saddle seat, side saddle, and even jumping. While she has touched base in many of these disciplines, she still strives to learn something new with horses every day. Not only did she have the opportunity to learn all of these disciplines, but she got to experience many breeds of horses as well. Abi’s grandma had horses ranging from Quarter Horses, Tennessee Walkers, Icelandics, Peruvians (Paso and Paso Fino) just to list a few. Growing up Abi showed in 4-H and even earned a horse husbandry award that was created in memory of her grandmother. This award was given to the nominated member who demonstrated outstanding horse care, maintenance, and passion.

Although Abi now works at Heaven’s Gait Ranch part time, we are appreciative she’s willing to share her time and talents with our diverse herd. Her experience in equine handling and riding give our program horses the tune-ups they need to be reliable partners for participants. When Abi is not conditioning horses at Heaven’s Gait Ranch, she works full time at Kohler Stables, where she is a show groom for several world class horses. Before entering her job at Kohler, Abi worked in a few other horse barns as well, such as retraining Off the Track Thoroughbreds to become jumpers, as well as training Welsh ponies to be children’s jumpers. Abi also worked with saddlebreds at Hanrahan Stables for four years, where she was able to work with both young and old saddlebreds, ranging in age and training level. While working with these saddlebreds, and now the Morgan horses at Kohler, Abi learned how these horses are different from most breeds: they are very intuitive. Therefore, when Heaven’s Gait Ranch acquired Captain & Kola in spring of 2021, we were eager to have Abi show us their potential.


Jeremy Ebert
Manager, Property & Grounds

Jeremy Ebert

Jeremy Ebert is the proud owner and talented operator of EZ Signs and Lawn Service, LLC. He has been a resident of Sheboygan County nearly all his life. He grew up in Sheboygan Falls and currently lives in Sheboygan with his wife, Rebecca.

Mr. Ebert has been in the landscaping and lawn-care business for the past eight years, starting in the industry with another company. Nevertheless, when the opportunity to establish his own business presented itself, Jeremy knew that was the right move for him. He began with a few customers and since then has earned the trust and business of many others.

Jeremy is a private contractor who has been maintaining the grounds at Heaven’s Gait Ranch for years, assisting the staff with a variety of property needs.  All year long, anyone who visits Heaven’s Gait Ranch can recognize that Jeremy is extremely considerate of the facility’s needs, especially as the seasons change. Whether it’s winter, spring, summer or fall, and whether he’s working in the indoor arena, outdoor arena, or out on the trails, Jeremy thoughtfully and proactively ensures our program horses have safe footing and our riders have safe walkways, which is much appreciated by our staff and volunteers alike. Heaven’s Gait Ranch is very fortunate to have Jeremy on their team, as his work enables individuals with special needs and veterans with disabilities to enjoy riding year-round.

As a perfectionist when it comes to the look, health, and maintenance of his customers’ lawns and grounds, Jeremy says, “I know what I want mine to look like, and I work hard to provide that for them too.”

When Jeremy is not on the job, he loves to be on the water fishing.


Matt Jones
Farrier 

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Matt Jones has been around horses for over30 years and got his first job breaking colts at age 22. Originally from South Bend, Indiana, Matt moved to Texas as a young man to work with cutting and reining horses. In 1994 he returned to the Midwest and began working for a stock contractor. During this time, he participated in bareback riding and speed racing rodeos, and after four years of rodeoing, he apprenticed with Farrier Red Renchin for the next eight years.

In 2002 Matt started his own farrier and shoeing business and now travels to his clients to serve their hoof care needs. His job ranges from managing the shoeing needs for as many as 30 horses at a show barn in Illinois to trimming one horse’s feet in someone’s back yard in Wisconsin. As a resident of Cedar Grove for the last 18 years, he immediately began taking care of our therapy horses in the summer of 2016 at Heaven’s Gait Ranch, and we’re blessed to have such talent and expertise right in our local area.

Despite the fact farriering is physically demanding – and particularly strenuous for someone who is 6’5” – Matt says the most rewarding part of his job is corrective farriering, alleviating a horse’s pain and improving his or her condition so that the horse is safe, sound, and happy. Because our therapy horses carry riders with a variety of needs, quality hoof care is essential to our programming needs at Heaven’s Gait Ranch.

Matt states, “There’s a saying that’s true: no hoof; no horse. You have to take care of their feet because it all starts on the ground.”

Matt lives in Cedar Grove, WI with his wife, two kids, two dogs, two cats, and four horses.