Rex Keily AM JP
Rex brings many years of board experience and currently he is a Strathalbyn Ward Councillor on the Alexandrina Council, Director of Community Living Australia, Executive Member of the Strathalbyn Tourism Association Committee, Vice President of the Scouts Social & Service Group and past Chairman of Scouts Australia SA Branch, served on the World Vision Board for 13 years, Chairman of Woodcroft College for 10 years plus many other boards associated with the Automotive industry. In 2002 he was awarded an AM (Member of the Order of Australia) for service to the Community and the Automotive Industry.
Rex is passionate about helping people with a disability to achieve their dreams and to be the best they can be.
Nina Arnott OAM
Nina has been involved with Horse Safety Australia as their executive officer and an assessor for their instructor and trail guide qualifications since it began in 1992. She has helped steer Horse Safety Australia to its place as a national authority on safety in horse activities. For 40 years she and her husband ran a residential campsite for young people which included horse riding, and in that time she was Principal of their Registered Training Organization which formally trained and qualified its staff to run outdoor recreation activities. She has been on the Board of the Australian Horse Industry Council and is currently a Board Member of Riding for Disabled Association Australia.
Brad Butler
Brad Butler is a person passionate about life. Married with 4 children, Brad is active in the lives of his children and the Fleurieu community in which they all live.
Brad holds tertiary qualifications in Agriculture, Education, Finance & Investment and is a Graduate of the Governor’s Leadership Foundation. Brad is a Certified Financial Planner and manages his own Financial Planning practice. His community involvement encompasses the Fleurieu Community Foundation, the Encounter Bay Football Club, Victor Harbor Triathlons, Oxfam and an international charity working in Uganda, Just One Village Inc.
Brad has been a past state finalist for an Australia Day Local Hero Award & additionally has been recognised with an AdvantageSA Community Award and a Premier’s Community Service Award.
Pam Garwood
Pam has a passion to help others. She is involved with her local church and regulary caters for those less fortunate. Every Christmas she run and open house to anyone would like to come. She believes everyone should help one another and had been a strong member of the Strathalbyn Community for many years.
Kathy Angel
Chief Instructor and Proprietor
Kath is a coach, owner and parent to a child with a physical disability.
She is the Owner of a unique horse riding school, The Riding Patch.
Kathy's brackground is in horses from her teen days, through to compertion in Showjumping and Eventing where she found her tallent for coaching riders from basics throught to advance.
Kathy is pssionate about riders learning to ride with confidence and create riding skills that can be transfered to day to day life skils. She promotes riders to learn, develop and grow, in a fun and supportive environment.
Esther Cruckshank
Natural Horsemanship Coach
Esther is a passionate and dedicated horsemanship trainer and coach. She works with a wide variety of horses, from foundation training, through to refining the connection for advanced competition horses. Her many students vary from beginners through to accomplished riders in their chosen equestrian discipline.
Esther has trained and ridden a number of horses to competition level, including having shown at State and Royal level for both Arabs, Warmbloods and Stock Horses. She works with many different breeds and riders of many disciplines, including dressage, show jumping, eventing, campdrafting, polocrosse, endurance and trail riding. Additionally, she competes her own horses in Campdrafts and Stockman’s Challenges.
On a regular basis, Esther conducts a variety of specially-tailored clinics and workshops, both locally and interstate. She also works closely, through private coaching, with students who share her passion for developing a partnership with their horses, focussing toward the specific goals of each individual.
Jess Keenan
Equine Assisted Learning Coach
Jess is a certified Equine Assisted Learning Facilitator, trained
by The Academy of Equine Assisted Learning Inc, Canada. She
facilitates life skill and leadership development programs with horses as
the teachers and is extremely proud to be an advocate for these
programs. Jess is currently undertaking her Cert IV in Youth Work to strengthen her skills.
It is Jess’s personal mission to see as many young people in our
communities as possible, reach their true potential.
For everyone from any background, to be equipped with the resilience, the personal-leadership
and self-empowerment skills to assist them moving forward & navigating through life’s challenges
with confidence and certainty.
Jess also facilitates an evidence-based social-emotional literacy curriculum for youth aged 12+.
She has a long history studying and implementing both horse training and human development
principles, which is blended beautifully through the skills-based programs she runs.
