Making a difference in the community.

Founder of ADEF, an NYPD Law Enforcement Officer working in the Domestic Violence Unit in the Bronx, NY. A breast cancer diagnosis and life-saving but soul-depleting therapies in 2015 left her destitute both emotionally and financially. Knowing she couldn’t give in, Patrece found the motivation to persevere from her son by way of an unexpected source, HORSES! A gift certificate for a single riding lesson, a bucket list item, changed everything. Riding horses provided Patrece with a sense of relief and hope that she hadn’t imagined possible, and soon exhausting uncertainties gave way to a sense of stillness and peace.

Shares a love and passion for animals since a young age, so falling in love with horses was just easy. Chase began his journey at the barn at the age of 5 and has been engulfed in the world of an equestrian.

Donna Nelson began her riding career when she was 9 years old. She connected with a local 4H in Stamford Connecticut, and became a working student there for 4 years. The basis of 4H barn work is to promote horsemanship, safe riding and horse/human partnership.

When Donna turned 13 she became a working student at Cedar Lodge Farm in Stamford CT, working for Victor Hugo-Vidal. Donna was able to show farm owned horses regularly and participated in all aspects of horse and barn care and management.

At 18 Donna attended the Pollock-Vale Equitation Center riding school in Prolock-near-minehead England. After completing her Horse Master certificate and passing her pony club finals, she returned to the US to ride and show whenever possible.

At 25 Donna began a non-horse related career that kept her on the road for 25 years, and sadly, horses were not part of her life during those years.

Through a quirk of fate and a change of careers, Donna came back to riding at 51. She participated as a volunteer pony camp counsellor, and after leasing some wonderful and patient equine partners, at 62 Donna bought the horse of a lifetime and continues to show in the 2.6 Hunters.

For the past 5 years she has been an active volunteer for all things related to kids and adults joining the world of horses, and has been working on finishing her book about adults who get back into the saddle!