Holistic Horse™ is committed to providing educational information to the equine caretakers, professionals and practitioners of integrative therapies.
Holistic Horse™ is dedicated to the education of, communication with, and continued support of its readers to make sound decisions for holistic health care options.


KAREN TAPPENDEN
Publisher

Raised in Chester County, Pennsylvania, Karen holds a Bachelors degree in Advertising & Photography from the University of Florida. She has worked in the television and video industry for 30 years. She began her career in Gainesville, Florida, following the heartbeat of Florida horsemanship on the show "The Tack Room." She has produced videos for a variety of clientele, including Mary Ann Simonds, an equine behaviorist, and MacKinnon Ice Horse, manufacturer of equine ice therapy products.

Karen was also educated in Shiatsu Massage with additional training in equine acupressure, anatomy and physiology, as well as homeopathy. She no longer practices body work, but continues to promote its healing through publication of the Holistic Horse.

Karen's 25-plus year’s association with horses has brought her to owning and caring for her three horses at her family's 10-acre farm in eastern Pennsylvania. Karen competes in the local jumper circuit and is training her 9-year-old registered paint for a new career. Karen and her husband Ron Kaisen, a mortgage broker and real estate investor, have one child, 12-year-old Ryan.


STACEY SMALL
Publisher

Stacey has been a horse person all her life. She began showing horses when she was young and has been involved in many aspects of the horse world, from racing to breeding. At one point Stacey was responsible for the care and therapy of 12-18 horses at the race track. She was responsible for all aspects of the assisted therapy work, coordinating acupuncture, massage, laser, ultrasound and magnetic therapy sessions.

Stacey has worked closely with many top veterinarians who encouraged her in the late 1980s to study herbs. This led her to the creation of Equilite, Inc., manufacturer and distributor of all-natural herbal supplements, liniments, and flower essences for horses, dogs and cats. Stacey believes that horses are herbivores and should be fed plants and herbs that more closely match their natural diet, which led to the development of her supplement line. Stacey is the creator of Sore No More liniment line, voted Product of the Year by The Horse Journal. Stacey actively lectures on all aspects of herbs, ranging from what is natural to a horse's diet to flower essences that deal with the emotional issues animals may have.

Stacey and her husband, Burt Gower, reside in Pottstown, PA, in the heart of horse country. She and Karen Tappenden recently celebrated the 10th anniversary of publishing the Holistic Horse.


ELLEN HAIGHT
Editor

Ellen's involvement in the printing and publishing industry encompasses 35 years, featuring stints as a typesetter and proofreader for daily and weekly newspapers, and production manager at a small printing company. In the early 1990s, Ellen entered the free-lance realm, working out of her home so she could spend more time with her Arab/QH/POA pony.

Ellen joined the Holistic Horse team in 1999, expanding her understanding of alternative health care options. After 20 years in the south-central Pennsylvania area, Ellen and her husband Neil recently returned to the Rocky Mountains, settling in south-central Colorado with their four 4-legged children.

L.A. POMEROY
Ad Sales Rep

L.A. has more than two decades’ experience in equestrian sports, from FEI to rodeo, rare breeds and equine zoology, to fine art and history. She grew up in the Catskills near one of North America’s only Przewalski herds, has photographed Chincoteague ponies, and, after graduating summa cum laude from Johnson & Wales University with a degree in Equine Business, worked for USET public relations, later overseeing Equestrian Press for the 1996 Olympic Games, and serving as contributing editor for Mike Plumb’s Horse Journal. She joined the Holistic Horse family in 2007.

In 2008, L.A.’s feature work earned her a USEF Pegasus Awards nomination, American Horse Publications Annual Awards Honorable Mention, and praise from AHP judges for tackling a topic “that needed a story” -- equine breast and ovarian cancer -- published in Holistic Horse.

 

ROBIN GARDNER-SMITH

Designer

Robin has been involved in various aspects of the publishing and print industry for 25 years, including marketing, advertising, writing and public relations. She provides marketing and graphic design on a freelance basis to several clients and has enjoyed being part of the Holistic Horse team since 2007.

Growing up on a farm in the Midwest, she had horses and ponies as a child, and looks toward once again adding a four-legged friend to her family. She and her family reside in Eastern North Carolina.