Our Staff at Stone Fox
Farm:
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Linda
Myers, MA, LICDC, LPC
EAGALA
Advanced, Level III
 Linda Myers,
founder and president of Specialized
Assessment and Counseling Services,
Inc. has worked as a therapist and
chemical dependency counselor for more
than 20 years. Linda was the first in
Ohio to be certified in the field of
equine-assisted growth and learning
techniques and was the first in the
United States to reach the advanced
Master Level III in equine-assisted
methods.
Linda began riding
horses at the age of eight and
currently owns five of her own that not
only provide her with horseback
adventures but also work as her
cofacilitators while she provides
equine-assisted activities. Experiential approaches to therapy provide a
distinguishing characteristic to
Linda's practice and teach teamwork,
leadership, cooperation and critical
problem solving skills while building
character and confidence. Linda's
award-winning programs are based on
years of dedication and hard work.
Linda and her horses are frequent
guests at conferences and workshops.
She's served as a guest lecturer to
psychology and veterinarian students at
Ohio State University working to teach
them the finer points of equine-
assisted therapy and learning theories.
Her practice and techniques are noted
in books such as Horses Don't Lie by
Chris Irwin, pgs. 146-164, Careers With
Horses, by Vicki Hogue- Davis, pgs. 310
- 316 and numerous magazine and
newspaper articles. Linda served as
Vice Chairman to EAGALA's Board of
Director's, and acts as a consultant
and trainer for organizations
partnering with horses to help humans
heal. Linda has been recognized as a
pioneer in the development and growth
of equine-assisted therapy, Stone Fox
Farm, well as EAGALA, (Equine Assisted
Growth & Learning Association).
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Deborah Carpenter
Equine
Specialist, EAGALA Level I
 Debbie Carpenter
has been riding and showing horses
since she was 23 years old. Her role as
equine specialist at Stone Fox Farm
means that she helps clients to
interpret the effects that their
behavior has on the horses and helps
clients to understand how the horses
think and communicate with them.
Debbie has bred, raised and trained her
own quarter horses. An accomplished
equestrian, Debbie has shown in both
the local and American Quarter Horse
Association (AQHA) circuits. At the end
of 2007, Debbie earned the title as
"All Around Select Amateur of the Year"
for the Ohio Quarter Horse Association
and the Southern Ohio Quarter Horse
Association, "Reserve All Around" for
the Eastern Ohio Quarter Horse
Association. She also won year-end
awards for the Ohio Quarter Horse
Association in Showmanship, Halter,
Trail, Western Riding and Horsemanship.
Debbie qualified to compete in The
American Quarter Horse Association
World Competition for Western Riding in
Amarillo, Texas in 2007.
Safety
is a primary concern when providing
equine-assisted growth and learning
experiences and Debbie's expertise on
horseback and with horses gives her the
background and insights neces- sary to
enhance the meaning of equine-assisted
activities at Stone Fox Farm. |
 Stone Fox or
"STONEY" is of unknown lineage
and age. He has not set records in the
show ring. However, he has set
unprecedented records in the State of
Ohio in the field of equine assisted
growth and learning. Stoney has helped
humans deal with problems that range
from addictions to victimizations
issues. He's entered school buildings
to teach leadership skills to high
school students, he's ventured from
Stone Fox Farm to Ohio State University
and other locations in Columbus on
several occasions to teach educational
consultants, therapists, program
directors and horse professionals the
basics of equine assisted therapy. He's
assisted with countless team
development sessions, bringing
dysfunctional work environments
together as a team. He is the center of
attention when Linda and he work with
graduate and undergraduate students at
Ohio State University. But, most
importantly, Stoney works to bring
meaning and direction to the lives of
adjudicated youth in Geauga County.
Stoney was placed in the professional
division of Ohio's Animal Hall of Fame
in 2003 and was also named as EAGALA's
Outstanding EAP Horse of the year in
2003. Our farm is named after him, he
is the cornerstone of our programs here
and with good reason. Our clients have
called him "Dr. Stoney" and we feel
he's earned that honor. |
Okies
Mega Money, or "Okie" was
donated to us by author Ann Lloyd.
Okie is a foundation bred quarter
horse who was competitive in
reining. When no longer on the
'show circuit', he was used on a
cattle ranch and is skilled at
cutting cows. His lineage looks
like the "who's who" in the quarter
horse world, but Okie has no idea
how special he is. He's the type of
horse that we can pair even the
smallest child with. His favorite
speed is 'fast' and yet when
working with clients or children,
he's exceptionally gentle and kind.
Okie is one of those sensitive
souls who works hard to please and
yet, like Stoney, is a skilled
therapist providing just the right
amount of resistance to make an
exercise meaningful to the
participants. Okie and Stoney have
both traveled to numerous
workshops, conferences and
classrooms to  teach others
the finer points of equine assisted
growth and learning. Once a
stallion, Okie has offspring that
continue his bloodline. Never
wanting to be without the King, Leo
and Okie Leo bloodlines, we sought
out and purchased his great
grandson when he was only 3 1/2
months old. Uncertain as to whether
this former stallion could be
trusted with a weanling so small,
we were hesitant to put the two
together but it was love at first
sight. Our former stallion became
an outstanding babysitter and a
loving but firm disciplinarian,
teaching our baby the "Okie" way.
And that's just fine with us! The
photo to the right is of grandpa &
grandson. We think there is a
strong family resemblance there,
what do you think?
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 'Lil Misty
Dun It or "Misty" , is the diva
here at Stone Fox Farm. She's beautiful
to look at and knows it. She demands
her spot as the center of attention and
was on the farm less than 24 hours when
she established herself as a dominant
herd member. Misty is a foundation bred
quarter horse with the Hollywood Dun It
bloodlines. Bred and trained to be a
world class reining prospect, Misty
lacks the "spark" necessary to  make it big in
the reining world but she's an
exceptional horse with personality
plus. Our Misty has an opinion about
almost everything and is quick to share
it with clients. She's forward,
assertive and firm which makes her an
excellent therapist for adolescents.
She's also attentive and affectionate
and has won her way into the hearts of
all of us here at Stone Fox Farm. When
using horses in therapy, there is
always room for a horse that will
challenge a client and require them to
be their best in order to get the
desired outcome and Misty fits that
bill. To the right is a photo of Misty
working with therapists and horse
specialists during a two day workshop
here at Stone Fox Farm in August of
2006. |
Okies Carbon
Leo or "OJ" has been with us since he was three months old and is the great grandson of Okie. No matter how big he gets (and he's growing at warp speed) he'll always be our baby. Never having raised a weanling before, OJ was an adventure for us from the moment he got here. Weaned abruptly, we ended up with a depressed baby who wasn't interested in food. Force feeding a defiant and resistant weanling with a modified turkey baster is a challenge we don't care to repeat anytime soon. Our vet gave us a fluorescent pink vitamin supplement (to stimulate OJ's appetite) that does not wash out of human clothing. We ended up wearing more than OJ ingested, but somehow we must have gotten the job done because he's matured into a very healthy three year old.
Our clients taught OJ how to lead and have
taught him many of his social skills. In return, OJ taught clients by
example how horses form relationships and about the hierarchy of the
equine herd and how that pertains to human relationships. OJ is usually
the first to approach you when you walk into the pasture, he comes when
called (most of the time) and is fascinated by the horse/human activities
that take place here on the farm. The photos on the left show OJ following
a group of adults through the pasture fascinated by their activity and
finally taking a hula hoop to entertain us with. OJ has legends such as
Okie Leo, King, Leo and Poco Bueno (to name a few) in his lineage. With
reining and cutting in his bloodlines, we hope that we have a
performance horse in the making, but whatever the outcome, we want him
to be a safe and fun horse to work with whether mounted or on the ground. If he's half the horse that his great grandpa Okie is, we'll be delighted. We've watched this guy grow before our eyes and have enjoyed every step of the exciting journey he's taken us on
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Hopwood's Blue Diamond"Diamond"
Diamond rides and drives, so hooking Diamond to a cart or sleigh gives wings to specialized activities as we fly through the snow or the fields. She's curious and sweet, but has her own ideas how things should be done in true "pony" style. This little girl is somewhat shy around strangers, so building a healthy relationship with Diamond may take several sessions but once you're her friend, the sky is the limit.
Diamond provides rich and memorable lessons to all who have the opportunity to come in contact with her.
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