Hinchinbrook Farm is always looking for new volunteers who like to work with children, with horses or both! We also have some places for people who would like to work on therapeutic riding skills with adults who have mental or physical challenges. Here are some of the current volunteers who call us their Tribe.
Katherine Barrett
Katherine became a volunteer in January 2021 and currently volunteers on Wednesday mornings. She is a writer, editor, and mother of 3!
Melissa Bishop
Melissa became a volunteer in January 2021. She is the mother of three kids and is always looking out for others! She volunteers on Thursday mornings and is ready to lend a helping hand wherever needed.
Jillian Bryson
Jillian os a student at Parkview Education Centre. Amazing Highland Dancer, teaches CAN SKATE and Volunteering since 2021. Became CDA Summer Careers Student over summer …
Kristian Burrows
Kristian lives on the South Shore and is very grateful to be a part of this amazing volunteer family! She has worked in many domains from owning her own business in the skincare industry, producing TV commercials, caregiving, personal trainer/nutritional coach and one of her favourite career choices was being a resource counsellor for adults with special abilities. Kristian is very curious and tries to live life to the fullest with a positive attitude of encouragement. Kristian is finishing up a reflexology certification to start her own practice as she believes self-healing is something everyone can benefit from. “As an avid equestrian for over 40 years I believe whole heartedly that horses have a magical ability to enhance the lives of people.”
Lily Carrigan
Lily became a volunteer in 2020 within days of her 14th birthday. She is familiar with Hinchinbrook from her summer experiences taking lessons when here from California. When stranded in Nova Scotia by COVID-19, Lily decided to join the volunteer crew. Lily is now back in California, but still a volunteer in spirit and when sh returns in 2022 for her regular summer in Nova Scotia.
Darryl Chickness
Darryl became the Director of HInchinbrook Farm in October of 2022. He is a Paramedic and is the lesson and facility volunteer. He also runs our Amazon Donor Gift site for Hinchinbrook Farm.
Carolyn Collicutt
Carolyn was the Past President of the Hinchinbrook Farm Society, is a mom who served on the Board from 2011 to 2019. She came to HF in 2008 through First Steps Intervention and is a founding member of the Society (in 2010). She has created a resource list for special needs families and arranges special visits by local resources such as the RCMP, Search and Rescue Canine and EHS ambulances at play dates. Carolyn is also a leader with the local Sea Cadets and the Scouts.
Jaime Collicutt
Jaime started at Hinchinbrook Farm as a rider when she was just eight years old, and we were just starting up. Jaime still rides but also volunteers at Horse Boy Play Dates and events. Jaime graduated from Parkview and has been a sea cadet for several years. She was a paid summer student in 2020. Her organizing skills are very welcome in a tack room that gets tossed after just one lesson! Jaime is now attending Community College taking Disability Support Diploma
Gordon Cook
Gordon has finished serving our country in the most prestigious form, and now he enjoys calling Nova Scotia his home. Gordon has prior experiences of mucking doots, grooming and lunging horses in his past, however, now he finds himself learning the ropes of therapeutic horseback riding as well. Gordon enjoys Dandy’s grumpy moods and the stubbornness both he and Jazzmin hold while he lunges them. Gordon promptly fixes fences and gates, leads the horses during therapeutic lessons and enjoys sneaking Dandy onto the front lawn where he can enjoy some grass – only without equipment and during their leisure time though!
Christina Daffre
Katie Fewster-Yan
Katie helps at Tuesday Lessons since 2020. Katie is the volunteer administrator for the society. She came on the Board of Directors October 2022. Katie has been training Delilah daily and helps with chores and horse care at Hinchinbrook Farm.
David Friendly
David is retiring from Grant writing and book keeping in 2022 for Hinchinbrook Farm.
Linda Groeger
Linda is a Certified Counselor and CanTRA instructor volunteering at lessons since 2021. She helped develop and deliver an Equine Assisted Wellness Program at Hinchinbrook Farm in the summer of 2022. Linda is a member of the Equine Wellness team for the Veterans and First Responders Program which debuts February 2023.
Serena Guntern
Serena is a student at New Germany Rural High School, Hails from Quebec started volunteering summer 2022.
Holly Hadley
Travelling nurse volunteers at Hinchinbrook Farm when on leave from post up North. Came to volunteer fall 2022.
Sebastian Haumering
Sebastian began volunteering at Hinchinbrook Farm as a Grade 9 student at Bluenose Academy in September 2017. He has recently graduated from Parkview Education Centre in Bridgewater. Sebastian is a skier, mountain biker and junior firefighter with the Lunenburg Fire Department. He is now studying and training as a Paramedic. Sebastian is still helping at events, playdates, lessons and farm work whenever he is home from his studies.
Ava Herritt
Ava started volunteering at the farm in January 2022. Ava is a student of Kings Edgehill school in Windsor with a love for horses and kids. Ava and family purchased a horse in 2022 and is eager to broaden her horse knowledge. You’ll see Ava at the farm on Saturday’s or any spare chance she gets.
Laura Herritt
Laura is a born and bred Nova Scotian who became a volunteer in January 2022. The mother of two is no stranger to the farm and first came to the farm back in 2011 with her then 6 year old son for therapeutic riding lessons. When Laura is not busy with her teenagers or volunteering, she can be found with her new found love Pippa the horse, in Northfield.
Gracie Keefe
Student at Parkview Education Centre. Started volunteering summer 2022.
Kim Lacey
Kim lives in West Northfield and is a graphic designer who has her own design business Raven Creative Design. She enjoys spending time with her husband Mike, her two daughters, Michelle and Maddy, as well showing her International girls she hosts each year as much of Nova Scotia as possible. Kim has taken on the upkeep of the Hinchinbrook Farm Website and is in the middle of redesigning a fresh new site for us!
Emma Leigh
Emma is a mother of 4 kids as well as a massage therapist. She always comes to the farm with a positive attitude and is willing to work at a moment’s notice. Sometimes to playdates she will bring her kids as well as her baby chicks for the riders to play with!
Claudia Loferer
Claudia works at Equine in Balance and is the equine massage therapist for the farm. She has been a member since 2018 and is always ready to help!
Alex Lynch
Alex grew up in Lunenburg County, yet it somehow took him 20 years to become a volunteer at Hinchinbrook Farm. When he’s not working in the world of broadcasting, he enjoys spending time outside with good people, a perfect fit with Hinchinbrook. Alex has also produced several videos for the Farm. (See one here>>).
Meredith MacLeod
Dijana MacMillan
Dijana started volunteering by helping put in the hay whenever Delong Farms made delivery and came to volunteer at lessons in the Fall of 2022. Dijana is a tutor in Mahone Bay.
Melody MacQuin
Melody became a volunteer in June 2021. She is a mom of 3 and has been a registered nurse for 20 years! In her free time she does competitive weight lifting and has a cat and a dog. Melody is always ready to lend a helping hand.
Sandra Martin
Sandra is a teacher at Parkview Education Centre started volunteering on Saturday lessons and play dates in the fall of 2022.
Patricia (Patty) McGill
Patricia is the Program Director at Hinchinbrook Farm, but works many hours as a volunteer to ensure that the whole facility functions well. She was originally certified under the Canadian Therapeutic Riding Association (CanTRA) and worked to help them develop some of their processes and standards. She also worked with Horse Boy World™ in the United States as they developed their unique equine therapy methods and brought their approach, as well as their new “Movement Method” program to Nova Scotia. She is currently the Chair for Eastern Canada for the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH International). Patty has also accumulated a huge knowledge, through her experiences and research, into many mental health issues, especially in children, such as ASD.
Lily Nagy-MacArthur
Came to volunteer fall 2022 at lessons.
Amy O’Brien
Amy is a British-Canadian graduate of Parkview (June of 2022), who joined the Hinchinbrook Farm tribe in July of 2022. She has interests in biology, psychology, art, and writing. Amy loves animals and even has cats, dogs, and fish at home. While she is new to the world of horses, she loves the experience of spending time with them and grooming them, along with seeing the incredible things they can do. Visual description: ~5’5” tall Caucasian person with short brown hair, blue eyes, and pink glasses.
Angelina Obritsch
Angelina is a parent who came on board as volunteer, fall 2022, on the board of Directors in October 2022 and is the Secretary-Treasurer for the Society. Since 2020 Lina has fundraised for Hinchinbrook with her photography session with minis, pets and in 2022 produced the 2023 Hinchinbrook Farm Desk Calendar. Lina is the Grant Writer for Hinchinbrook Farm having taken the reins from David Friendly in the fall of 2022. Lina enjoys long walks on the beach and margaritas. Takes photos for a living and has her own photography business, Average Jane Photography.
Hunter Parks
Hunter is a student at Bluenose Academy and enjoys dance, music and volunteering. He started riding at Hinchinbrook in 2015 and started volunteering in 2018. Hunter is looking forward to doing more volunteering at HFS!” He is especially helpful in tack cleaning and unhooking zip liners at the end of their run. He was hired on as one of our three summer students in 2021.
Stephan Pope
Stephan is a Police Officer who started volunteering in the fall of 2022. He is a great mentor for many of the riders.
Laurel Ratushny
Laurel is a student at Parkview Education Centre started volunteering in the spring of 2022.
Carol Rolfe-Higney
Carol is a mother to 2 boys, one grandson and 1 stepson. In June 2018 she retired from 36 years of nursing and was President of Hinchinbrook from 2019 to 2021. She and husband Mark live in a cottage on Indian Lake. Her goal is finding that healthy balance between volunteering and caring for herself and her extended family. Working with youth and being around animals have always been a major part of her life. She is grateful to have the opportunity to provide support at the farm and to receive so much back from the gifts that children and animals often provide. This picture captured one of her happy moments with Mark and her late horse, Babe.
Virve Sandstrom
Virve is a retired lawyer living in Mahone Bay. Virve joined Hinchinbrook Farm Tribe to help at lessons November 2022.
Katrina Twanow
Katrina found Hinchinbrook Farm through our school outreach at Bayview in Mahone Bay. She became a volunteer in April 2021. She volunteers at the playdates and is very much an animal person, especially around horses. She loves to help out and is always smiling when at the farm!
Sylvio Vaca-Talbot
Sylvio recently graduated from Citadel High School and will be studying Engineering at SMU. His family started attending Saturday playdates several years ago and Silvio was inspired to become a volunteer. A lifelong fan of the outdoors, he loves working with kids, has a big personality, and has attended training both at Hinchinbrook as well as leadership training at Big Cove Camp. He looks forward to contributing to Hinchinbrook again this year.
Bonnie Veinotte
Bonnie is a teacher at Bayview school and started volunteering during the summer 2022. Bonnie fills in on weekends now that school is open.
Megan VanderWal
Megan (Meg) has been a volunteer since October 2020. A recent graduate from Park View and currently taking a bachelor of medical science at Dalhousie University in hopes of becoming a pharmacist! Meg took the job as the 2021 Hinchinbrook summer student and loosk forward to her time at the farm every single day. She is a highland dance teacher and has always loved working with children and animals, so naturally being a volunteer at Hinchinbrook Farm was the best decision she ever made!
Kerenza Verburgis
Kerenza a Medical Sciences graduate. She is also a dance instructor, and has developed the Inclusive Movement Program that will be starting in September 2021 at Kinship Performing Arts Centre. Kerenza started volunteering at Hinchinbrook Farm in the spring of 2019, and fell in love with the place (and critters) right away. Kerenza grew up in Europe, where she learned to ride, and ever since she moved to Canada, she’s been wanting to get back into horse riding. Kerenza is grateful that Hinchinbrook Farm has provided her with this opportunity. She is also grateful Hinchinbrook Farm has further fostered her love for working with individuals with special needs and her passion for promoting inclusivity.
Suzy Wells
Suzy is a veteran she Moved from Ontario and joined Hinchinbrook Farm Society Spring 2022. Suzy helps at lessons and playdates. Suzy became the Volunteer Coordinator in September 2022. Suzy is a member of the Equine Wellness team for Veterans and First Responders Program which debuts February 2023.
Will Wells
Will is a veteran and also moved from Ontario and jointed Hinchinbrook Spring 2022. Will helps at lessons and helps with maintenance and repairs at the farm. Will is a member of the Equine Wellness team for the Veterans and First Responders Program which debuts February 2023.