Our Staff

Exceptional Equestrians of the Missouri Valley, Inc. prides itself in its professional staff, which has more than 45 combined years of experience in the field of Equine Assisted Activities. All of the program's instructors hold PATH Int'l certifications, and must complete continuing education to ensure that our riders get the best, most up-to-date instruction available

Jamie James- Head Instructor

Jamie has been with Exceptional Equestrians for more than 8 years. She started working in the barn as an after school job, and had almost no horse experience. Jamie's now the barn manager, responsible for the care of EE's herd of 11 horses. She is also a PATH-certified instructor. When Jamie is not grooming, mucking stalls or riding, she enjoys listening to music and spending time with her family.

Karen Jensen- Instructor

Karen Jensen has been a Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor since 2003, and has been with Exceptional Equestrians for more than 10 years. In addition to being an instructor, Karen was the first member to the EEMV volunteer hall of fame, and has logged more than 1000 volunteer hours. When she's not teaching, Karen loves to take her Mustang, Apache, for trail rides and she enjoys spending time with her children and grandchildren.

Kyla Somerville- Administrative Manager

Kyla Somerville began as the Administrative Manager with Exceptional Equestrians in Fall of 2012. She is a graduate of St. Joseph's College in New York where she earned a BA in Speech Language Pathology as well as SUNY Cobleskill where she earned a degree in Equine Science, concentrating in Therapeutic Riding. She is a PATH certified instructor with extensive experience in Therapeutic Riding and working with children and adults with special needs.
Kyla enjoys spending her free time with her boyfriend Will, their horses, Cal and Misty and her energetic puppy, Sparkles.

Lindsay Mohr- Development Director/Volunteer Coordinator

Lindsay started out in therapeutic riding as a volunteer nearly 18 years ago. She's been an Advanced Certified Riding Instructor since 2004. Lindsay wears a number of hats for the program, from teaching to grant writing to fundraising. Lindsay has been with Exceptional Equestrians since 2004. Outside of the barn, Lindsay enjoys spending time with her daughter, Finley, and her husband, Matt.

Ross Braun- Volunteer Instructor

Ross Braun has been involved with Exceptional Equestrians since we began. He is a certified riding instructor and serves on the PATH International board of trustees. Ross has volunteered at centers in Missouri, Maryland, and Virginia. In 2010 he retired from the USDA conservationist and moved to Franklin County to volunteer with us. When not at EEMV he volunteers at Shaw Nature Reserve or rides his mules, Jake and Scooter.