Staff

Tori grew up in a small town near the Pocono mountains. Her love for horses started with a sleepaway camp at a farm when she was young. Once she interacted with horses, her love for their sweet nature grew tenfold. Throughout her childhood and adolescence, she did barnwork in exchange for riding lessons. Eventually, she led trail rides and taught beginner western and beginner jumper lessons to children throughout highschool.

Horses helped her through difficult times while growing up, so she aspired for a career where she could help people through the love of horses. Following her passion for horses and science she pursued a bachelor’s degree in Equine Science with a specialization in Breeding from Del Val. During her undergrad, Tori worked at both the Equestrian Center and Breeding Center as Interim Manager. She also loved her volunteer work at Mid-Atlantic Equine Medical Facility as a NICU foal nurse, caring for sick mare and foal pairs in the hospital. Only during the last few months before graduation, did she learn about the “newer” therapy that is Equine Facilitated Psychotherapy. Tori then knew that she wanted to pursue a career in the EFP field and luckily she found Shamrock Reins before she graduated.

Tori started out at Shamrock Reins as a volunteer and is now the Operations Manager. Throughout her time here, she has enjoyed learning more in depth about veterans, first responders and military culture. Being able to give back through her career to such an underserved population, has proved nothing but rewarding for her. During her downtime, Tori likes to spend quality time with her animals which includes Sonni her horse, Stryker her dog, her two cows Mooshu and Charlotte, and her 9 chickens.

I grew up in South Jersey where my love for outdoor activities blossomed. As a kid, I competed in barrel racing, spending many hours with my horse. I completed my undergraduate at Chestnut Hill College majoring in psychology and criminal justice. There, I did both my thesis papers on the benefits of animal-assisted therapy. After taking a few years off from school, I visited a therapy barn and my passion was once again sparked. I immediately started applying to graduate programs with the long term goal of doing equine-facilitated psychotherapy. I started off at Shamrock Reins as a mental health intern and graduated from Delaware Valley University with my Master’s in Counseling Psychology. While working at Shamrock Reins I become a Licensed Professional Counselor. As a therapist, my role is to be a co-pilot to assist veterans in navigating challenges that are causing distress or impeding their ability to live more fulfilled lives. I strive to help participants achieve increased self-understanding and work toward their personal goals. It excites me to use experiential equine activities with CBT and psychodynamic theory concepts. I have 5 years of experience working with veterans and find the experience very rewarding. I am a Certified Brain Injury Specialist and feel very comfortable working with those who have suffered from a TBI. I currently live in PA and enjoy outdoor activities such as snowboarding, water skiing, quadding, and going on hikes with my dog!

Susan Busfield joined the Shamrock Reins herd in 2021. She is a licensed mental health and substance use disorder counselor for over 15 years. “Horses love and accept humans for who they are in this moment”. That gift of healing is very powerful and can transform how trauma impacts our lives. Susan specializes in several trauma modalities and certified as a Mental Health Equine partner with both PATH International And EAGALA.

Transplanting to Pennsylvania from the horse country of Kentucky, Tyler has been a member of the Lehigh Valley community for over a decade. From an early age, Tyler developed a deep appreciation for all animals and recognized the special healing that can be achieved when creating a therapeutic partnership with nature and the animal kingdom. Tyler graduated with his Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling in May 2023 from Moravian University and currently a Licensed Associate Counselor in the state of PA. He has been a member of the therapy team at Shamrock Reins since 2022. Additionally, he is a certified Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning (ESMHL) from PATH Intl. His professional interests include the biopsychosocial effects of childhood trauma in adulthood and utilizes a trauma informed approach to treatment. Tyler is currently working toward certifications in EMDR and Accelerated Resolution Therapy. When not working, Tyler and his wife can be found spending time with their rescue rabbits and enjoying all aspects of nature.

Tyler was born and raised in the Lehigh Valley. He was raised by a combat veteran of the Marine Corps and was exposed to the mental health related struggles that our nation’s veterans can experience when they go without treatment. Tyler received his undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice with a minor in Psychology from DeSales University. Taking some time off from education he began working as an EMT-b, where he really found his passion for helping others. Through his work in EMS he was exposed to the mental health struggles that are experienced by our first responders. Tyler attended Moravian University for his Master’s Degree in Clinical Counseling, where he was provided the opportunity to intern at Shamrock Reins, where he was first exposed to Equine Assisted Psychotherapy and saw first-hand its therapeutic benefits. He has been a part of the Shamrock Reins therapeutic team since 2023. Tyler is currently gathering his required hours for state licensure as a Licensed Professional Counselor. Additionally, Tyler is certified under the EAGALA model of Equine Assisted Psychotherapy. Outside of work Tyler enjoys hunting, fishing, hiking and nature/ wildlife photography. 

Shannon is originally from a town in Connecticut right by the water. As a young kid Shannon has always loved animals and found a certain fascination with horses. At the age of six, Shannon started riding lessons and she loved it, she was amazed that these big creatures could be so gentle and compassionate. As the years went on Shannon worked at various barns doing barn work, taking riding lessons and helping with summer riding camps, where she helped younger kids find their love for horses too.
After graduating high school Shannon made the big journey to Pennsylvania where she went to college at Delaware Valley University, majoring in Equine Business Management. There she continued learning about everything equine and continued her riding lessons in different disciplines. Although she learned a variety of equine disciplines, Shannon's favorite was always jumping. She loved the feeling of flying with the horse, having that feeling of safety and trust as the horse took her over the jumps.
Senior year of college, Shannon found Shamrock Reins, where she started as a volunteer doing some barn chores and working with horses. Shannon is now the Equine Care Coordinator, an Equine Specialist and one of the Therapeutic Horsemanship Instructors at Shamrock Reins.

Vera has loved and owned horses for most of her life. She currently lives on a farm in Northern New Jersey that includes her family and a field full of horses, dogs, cats, chickens and a pig. She was heavily involved with the United Stated Pony Club alongside both of her children for many years. She went back to school to Centenary University to become a PATH International Certified Advanced Instructor. Vera also is an Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning and has a certification from PATH in Equine Services for Heroes.

After growing up with her dad who is a World War II Veteran, she became aware of the therapeutic benefits that horses provide. Shamrock Reins has allowed her to work with a variety of horses, veterans, first responders and their family members. She uses horses to help people heal, and Shamrock Reins has been the perfect place to help facilitate a special bond between participants and these highly intuitive animals.

Judy grew up in a small town in Lower Bucks County. Vacationing in the Poconos each year, she was drawn to the horses and one Very Important Pony – VIP! She begged for money to ride every chance she got. Her parents weren’t rich but they were kind enough to share with all their children, so she got at least one trail ride each summer and hung out at the “pony ring” whenever she could. When Judy graduated from Nursing School in 1973, one of her goals was to get a horse. She took lessons and was able to get her first horse. She moved to Pipersville a few years later. In 2014, her mother saw an article in the newspaper about Shamrock Reins. Her horses were all gone by then, so she came to check out Shamrock Reins. It seemed like the perfect place to connect her love of people, her love for horses, and most of all her gratitude to the many Veterans that have given so much for all of us. She started volunteering right away. Judy retired after 45 years of bedside nursing in 2018 and spend a good bit of her time as as a Volunteer and later as an Employee as an Equine Specialist in Mental Health Learning. You’ll find her around Shamrock Reins with her shadow, Jameson.

Kathy grew up in Lower Bucks County always loving horses and wanting her own. Kathy had to wait to accomplish that herself, as her parents had 4 kids and there was no extra money for something as extravagant as a horse! Once she graduated from Helene Fuld School of Nursing in 1973 with her sister, Judy, they purchased their first horses. Next she wanted her our own land so they could be with their horses every day. That brought the family to beautiful Upper Bucks County and Tinicum Township. She always had an interest in equine therapy and thought one day she would like to work with disabled children. But then, her Mom found an article in the newspaper about a place called Shamrock Reins. She began volunteering in 2014. Once she retired from 44 years of emergency nursing in 2017, she was able to spend more time doing what she was loving. In 2022 she became an Employee and completed certification as an ESMHL. This gave Kathy an opportunity to work more closely with our Veterans and the horse partners here at Shamrock Reins. Kathy feels privileged to be able to give back to our veterans who have given so much of themselves for our country.

Tina has always loved animals but fell in love with horses while attending a 2-week riding camp as a youngster.  Unfortunately, it was decades before she was able to spend any significant time with these magnificent animals.

After retiring from a career in Information Technology (IT), Tina immediately dedicated her time to volunteering.  Over the next few years, she volunteered at two animal rescues, both of which included horses. She also volunteered at a therapeutic riding center. During this time, she learned about Shamrock Reins and the work they do and had to get involved.

Tina started in 2017 as a volunteer at Shamrock Reins, feeding horses and mucking stalls.  She then began to participate in sessions, eventually earning a PATH certification as an Equine Specialist.  She has always loved horses and helping people, and this seems like a great way to incorporate two of her passions.  She marvels at the way equine therapy supports our participants.  Transformations can happen very quickly for some, and it is rewarding to watch that happen. Even when it takes a long time, the process is fascinating.

In her free time Tina enjoys spending time with her husband, their dogs and cats, going to concerts and photography.

Jim is a Navy Veteran, he served for 4 years and was honorably discharged in 1991, he served on 3 ships including USS Iowa BB-61, USS Guadalcanal LPH-7, and briefly onboard the USS Constellation CV-64.

Jim began his journey at Shamrock Reins in 2016 as a participant in our Equine Assisted Psychotherapy program, he came to Shamrock Reins seeking a different type of therapy in dealing with PTSD and the obstacles and issues that arise in everyday life, both public and private.

Upon feeling comfortable that he reached his goals in EAP, Jim moved on to Therapeutic Horsemanship where he would work on his “Horse skills”, it proved challenging for him as he’d never worked up close with horses.  After 5+ years of TH sessions, volunteering, and incredible training from our horse staff, Jim became an employee of Shamrock Reins and works with and cares for all our horses daily.

He now shares his horse knowledge with other Veterans dealing with PTSD as a Therapeutic Horsemanship Instructor, certified Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning and continues his training towards becoming Certified as a Therapeutic Riding Instructor.

Jim spends most of his off time at home, outside with his three dogs, Emma, Darla, and Roscoe. (Yes, he’s named after Roscoe P. Coltrane from the Dukes of Hazzard, LOL!)

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Katie is our barn cat and deemed the “Queen of Shamrock.” She will greet everyone in the parking lot and is not afraid of cars, so be careful when pulling your car out! She is talkative, playful, and loves napping. Katie is a character and a vital member of Shamrock Reins.

Click to see more photos of Katie