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Josie's love for horses became clear at an early age and that drove her to join 4H where she expanded her knowledge and made many great friends. Her interest in horses brought her to Bear Spot Farm where she is passionate about her work caring for the horses and hopes to gain more knowledge and experience.
“Ive loved horses all my life and being at Bear Spot has really opened my eyes to how unique every horse is and how it takes a little listening to really understand these amazing animals”
When not at Bear spot she enjoys spending her time hanging out with her cat Beckett, going on bike rides and working on projects for the Guatemala aid fund where she is the Vice President.
Barn Co-Manager: Caine Dufrene
Caine has been around and riding horses for as long as he can remember and has had the privilege of working with many fantastic horse people across all disciplines over the years. Working with and training horses has been extremely rewarding for him, and he's excited to be a part of the Bear Spot team. "It's a first class facility with world class people."
When you do what you love, it's not work. He spends his spare time working and training "Cajun", his 6 year old Anglo Arabian with his daughter, Talia, in their barrel racing and endurance racing pursuits.
Show Manager and Groom:
Amanda McNeil
Amanda was the Bear Spot Farm manager for six years and helped us run many shows and events over the years. She's joined us again to manager the three Bear Spot Foundation shows, and groom for us when we go to shows in the area. She has vast experience in every aspect of horse care and management and we are so excited to have her back with us!!!
Sue McKeown is thrilled to be the Show Secretary for the Bear Spot Foundation Benefit Shows this summer. Sue has been an active competitor in the New England area with her two Swedish Warmbloods, Genghis Gustaf (Gus) and Marshal (Marty), and earned her Bronze, Silver, and Gold Medals.
While competing Marty she had the best help you could imagine, with Kariel as her Number 1 groom! With Marty’s retirement Sue has moved into the show office, and is Manager and/or Secretary for over 15 shows during the summer. She also is the chair for the USDF Competition Management Committee, and helps out at the USDF National Show as Barn Manager.
We are looking forward to seeing all of you in August!
Sal started his career with horses at Bear Spot, and we are thrilled he has stayed in the area to keep working with us. You can find Sal at Bear Spot once or twice a month working his way through the barn.
Observing the subtle nuances that horses provide as feedback, Sal correlates this to the actual feel of muscle tissue during the massage therapy session. Combined with traditional medicine, rider feedback, top-notch daily care, and training, this creates the best possible environment for horses with a high-performance focus. In addition to regular sessions at the stable, Sal excels in massage at competitions and tailors the therapy to the specific needs of the horse while at the show. Sal has a thorough knowledge of anatomy, physiology, and kinesiology. One of the many important ways Sal has enhanced his knowledge and experience had been through participation in anatomy labs at the Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine.
Dr. Robinson comes to Bear Spot once or twice a month to provide accupuncture and chiropractic work on the horses. He went to undergraduate and vet school at Purdue University, graduating in 1984. After practicing for 15 years for his own Equine veterinary proctice he sustained a back injury. He was told by an orthopedic surgeon that His spinal cord space was 70% occluded by disc material. He was told that statistically he would get the same results as surgery if he would go to a chiropractor, have physical therapy, and acupuncture. He chose the least invasive route and healed, which inspired him to help horses this way.
He took the IVAS acupuncture course and the ACVA certification course, and has been treating horses with acupuncture and chiropractic adjustments ever since. He feels that experiencing his own pain and healing with these holistic modalities allows him to understand when clients are uncertain about using chiropractic or acupuncture for their horses. He notes, "It is a process and an evolution to engage a new and often personally unexplored system of medicine. It takes a certain amount of courage, faith and openness."
The horses at Bear Spot are grateful for his wonderful work. They feel markedly different after he has worked on them.
