OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS NEEDS YOU!

IT WILL SOON BE TIME FOR NEW BOARD MEMBERS TO BE VOTED UPON FOR 2009 & WE ARE ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR SOME POSITIONS AND MEMBERS AT LARGE

BOARD MEMBERS - Up to 10 hours per month may be necessary to perform any Board position.  Board members are expected to be working members of HorseSisters and attend board and committee meetings and fundraisers.  We meet for two hours the evening of the last Monday of each month, except holidays and never a meeting in December.  Please email Clairese at clairese@horsesisters.org or call the office at 321.385.0216 for a nomination form.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS - There cannot be a HorseSisters unless our volunteers assist the Board in fulfilling our by-laws and procedures. If you are interested in helping with the properties, be that the pastures or the vehicles, contact Ron.  Like caring for horses?  Program and policies committee is for you.  Interested in fund raising and events? Resource Development is your committee.  Want to assist the disabled?  Program and policies.  The hours needed are at your pace and what you want to give.

    ADVISORY COMMITTEE - Our Advisory Committee members never have to meet, but rather are at our sides giving much needed advice in their areas of expertise. These committee members are usually appointed, however, if you have a talent you wish to share in this direction, again, please contact Clairese.  A nomination form and current resume' is all you need to apply.

Join - Founding Board Member Betsy Schweizer, Helen Donnell, CPA, Joanie St. Johanesen, MSW, Ronnie Ford, Equine Trainer, Judy Tyler, EquiFest Founder, Kelly Harvey, RN, Diane Reinhold, 4-H Leader and former board member, and Drake Austin, instructor, trainer and IT extraordinaire.

HorseSisters wishes to thank our former board of directors for their many years of diligent and trustworthy service to the Agency since 1998.  Hank & Gladys Boerio, Diane Reinhold, Kelly Harvey, Becca Hukle, and those who wish to remain nameless, we are grateful to all of you.

Clairese Marie Yuhasz Austin - Executive Director - Always At the Direction of the Board of Trustees

Dam Denali & Sire Raydar's Last Foal, Titian                 Thunder Does Dressage                                      And pulls his 1910 Road Cart                                                       the colt on his birthday August 15, 2007

Clairese Austin has been called the “heart” of the Agency, as the founding “Mother” of HorseSisters.  This is the third non profit agency Clairese has directed, so it’s clear she enjoys this endeavor.  Born in 1955 in Anchorage Alaska, Clairese fell in love with horses after her first merry-go-round ride.  Her parents told her they had to pry her off the ponies on the wheels kicking and screaming as young as two years old.  The addiction began.  Every year she asked Santa for a horse…and when she was eight years old, joined her local 4-H and started Horsemanship.  She started halter training the foals in 1963 under the gentle guidance of her leader, Harvey Longnecker, who owned an Appaloosa ranch and visited Idaho, home of Ray Hunt.  She learned about “horse - whispering” before it was a term and the only way she knew how to handle horses.  At 12, she rescued a 5 year-old starving, green broke stud named “Troubles” and learned how to bounce.  She adored stallions and found herself showing and training for others.  Marriage and babies ended her ownership, but she never stopped being around her favorite animals.  Clairese began teaching life skills in 1978 and moved into the nonprofit world and wished for a job where she could combine the horse and behavior change…and it took Ron being disabled in a car accident to change their lives and move them from Alaska to Florida in January of 1993.  She invented HorseSisters in 1995, got her degree in Psychology in 2000 and became a riding instructor for able bodied and disabled riders with certifications from the Certified Horsemanship Association and a Special Olympic Equine Coach.  Ron and Clairese purchased Thunder and his carriage and hay wagon to get him out of a neglectful situation.  She saw a worthwhile way to keep Thunder doing what he was trained to do and hopefully keep the ranch bills covered. Through blood, sweat and tears, still nothing makes her happier than working a half day in the office and a half day at the ranch.  Horses will always be a part of her life in some way…

OUR 2008 BOARD OF TRUSTEES

President - OPEN

Ronald Austin - Vice President

Ron shows Thunder 2006                                   Visits Daytona with sons Ray and Cam                 He's had this sweetheart longer than Clairese

As Vice President, Ron Austin, CLAIRESE'S amazing husband since 1975, when not working as a Board Trustee, is responsible for keeping the ranch’s parts and pieces in working order.  He makes sure the hay and feed room is always stocked, the fences spark, and there is fuel in all the equipment. Ron was born in Lansing, Michigan in the 50’s and spent nine years as a foster child working dairy farms.  He hardly had any use for animals and joined the Air Force to get away.  He found his way to Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage, where he met Clairese in 1974.  He told Clairese if she wanted horses, she better have some sons because he was done picking up pucky.  After their third son Drake was born in 1987, Clairese knew her biggest horse dream could come true. Really, Ron tells everyone the only horses he cares for are under the hood of his stock 1967 Corvette Stingray…but just watch him with the horses.  They love him and he has a kind and sweet way with them, as he does training new volunteers, or helping with the therapy or lessons. You can find Ron in the barn cleverly designing a part for some donated item we could sure use; we could not survive without him.

Joyce Slater - Treasurer

Joyce and Stealth at the Common Sense Ranch

Joyce joined us in 2007 as the Fiscal Director for HorseSisters, a position our board has learned that no one seems to want. A Florida native, born in Daytona Beach, Joyce has lived in Florida all her life. One of the first horse memories she had, although she can't really remember the actual event, was a photographer with a pony who would come around to people's homes and take pictures of children on the pony. Her first photo was when she   was about three years old and she can see her excitement because in the picture, she is smiling ear to ear. After that, she liked anything about horses and grew up watching Roy Rogers with Trigger, the Lone Ranger with Silver and of course Mr. Ed. Never fortunate enough to have a pony or horse of my own, it's a dream she held on to. Now her daughter Rachel has inherited her love for horses, but every feels Rachel has the "horse sickness" much worse than she did.  As a youngster, she would ride anything that she could relate to horses.   Joyce found our program while searching the Internet.  She thought it was a wonderful thing we were doing, caring for horses that had been mistreated, neglected or just weren't wanted anymore.   While not sure what to expect before coming to the Common Sense Ranch, she suggested to her family that maybe they could help everyone out. After their volunteer orientation and meeting all the horses, they knew they had found the right place.                                                                        

Meghan McInturf - Youth Council President, Assistant Instructor

Meghan on Raydar                                    AQHA Spring when we rescued her 2-7-2008             Meghan helping Spring get her muscles working 5-13-2008

Hailing from Ohio, Meghan succeeded in being named 4 - H State Champion before her Father Jamie's job moved them south to Florida.  Horseless for the first time in a long time, we are so thankful she found HorseSisters.  With a horse of every discipline for her to ride, she can't make her mind up who she loves to ride more, she loves them all.  Meghan works with the riders and the horses in equal splendor and has the desire to work in the equine industry.  We hope as our first Youth Council Director, we can add to her resume'.  She is studying for her CHA Instructor designation now, which will be an annual scholarship for a dedicated HorseSister's youth.

Board Trustees

Sondra Sanders - 

Sondra is originally from the great State of Kentucky but moved to Florida in 1988. She has a wonderful, loving husband, Sean, who she says is her "best, most awesome friend and the love of my life." She has a daughter Bryttani and a step-daughter Abby and she loves them all very much.  She lives on a mini ranch and has many animals; 2 horses, 2 cats, 4 dogs, a ferret and several fish and her other ride is a Brevard County Sheriff's car.  Sondra and her family joined HorseSisters in 2006.

Bonnie McInturf

Photo coming soon!

Bonnie came to HorseSisters in 2007 when daughter Meghan came to volunteer.  As we grew to know the McInturf family, we found that there were two hearing impaired siblings.  Little Lauren started coming out to participate in therapeutic riding (her brother does not have the equine sickness as do all the ladies) and quickly began to teach us all American sign language.  Bonnie shared she had a degree in Marketing and low and behold, she saw our need for assistance in this area, thank goodness. 

MaryAnn Strenad

Photo coming soon too

MaryAnn became a fan of HorseSisters back in 2001.  A superb horse trainer, specializing in Tennessee Walking Horses, a Special Olympic Equine Coach, Certified Horsemanship Association Instructor in English, Western & for Riders with Disabilities, and horse drawn carriage owner and operator, she has devoted her life to empowering disabled children and adults.  A Wisconsin native, she loves the beach and can be found teaching the rules of the "Red Road" as she shares her Native American world with others.  MaryAnn is not only a Board Trustee, you will find her on site at the ranch and teaching therapeutic riding and lessons for able-bodied riders and drivers.  An astounding auctioneer, MaryAnn has done numerous charity auctions, three for HorseSisters alone.  She will be holding a monthly auction at the ranch as a fund raiser for us...we are blessed to have her join us full time.

The 2006 Board of Directors BBQ