About Us

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Twuana is our  Co-Founder, Executive Director, Lead Instructor, and Equine Specialist in Mental Health & Learning.  She is a PATH, Intl Certified Therapeutic Riding Intructuctor with a passion for horses and individuals with special needs.  She stumbled onto the concept of Therapeutic Riding while she was a  4H leader for the Sandoval StarBucks 4H Club.  She is the mother of a special needs daughter with developmental delays and Autism, and a guardian to her grandaughter with ADHD.  Her search for Equine services for her own daughter made her realize that there are not enough providers and especially ones who truly understand the goals of a parent with special needs children.  So in 2008, she got to work becoming certified, forming a non profit, and providing services for families of New Mexico.  She makes certain that Loving Thunder Therapeutic Riding is a program about the riders, not what is convenient for the instructor or volunteers.  She strives to make certain that each rider is treated as an individual and is challenged to do as much as they can to become an accomplished horseman.   

Chana (pronounced Hawna) Hodosh's journey in therapeutic riding and teaching began in 2006.  She is a PATH, Intl Certified Therapeutic Riding Instuctor.  She brings over 20 years of horse riding and training expertise,  She has volunteered at several facilities since and one of her favorite things,while interacting with students, is the joy and smiles her riders display while learning! 

Chana graduated from Rocky Mountain College in Billings, Montana majoring in Equine Studies in 2012. She continues her training at Loving Thunder where she is training to become a Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor later this year. In her off time, she enjoys visiting with her two potbelly pigs, her horse Manzanita and two dogs Loretta and Lilac. Wherever Chana goes, her animals are not far behind.

Nancy fulfills a long-time need for Loving Thunder and we are exstatic to have her as our bilingual instructor. Nancy speaks fluent spanish and brings a diverse level of experience to Loving Thunder. Nancy spent 7 years as a surgical technician, over 20 years working with horses and coaching students, and was the owner and CEO of Bruno Brothers Baby Organic Produce in Phoenix, Arizona, Bruno Bontempo in Costa Rica. Nancy is a certified, riding instructor FEI, riding coach trained in Bogota Colombia with Lars Meyer Su Bexten, and Diana Scaglietti in Santa Ana Costa Rica, and PATH, Intl certified therapeutic riding instructor, who trained here with Loving Thunder. Nancy is also a student of “HeartMath” and seeks to use its scientifically backed applications where possible. HeartMath data, backed by science, proves that a horse will mirror, through their behavior, an individual’s emotional state. She says, “Horses do not lie, the emotional state of an individual in the presence of a horse is reflected in the behavior of the horse.” Nancy is passionate about horses and giving back to the community by serving those in need. After managing guest ranches in Arizona and Colorado with over 100 horses and guests, she arrived in New Mexico by way of Colorado, with her chocolate Lab – Cocoa and her beautiful, registered Oldenburg mare – Starlite. Please welcome her to the herd as she brings her remarkable skills, and love of being present with horses both on the ground, and in the saddle, to Loving Thunder’s mission. Atentamente

Mike is the Co-Founder of Loving Thunder and manages all the aspects of the barns, including horse management and facility management.  He is a PATH, Intl Certified Registered Instructor, and Equine Specialist in Mental Health.

The Loving Thunder horses feel loved and accepted because of his innate ability to whisper to them secretly and listen to them in silence.

He knows firsthand the impact a horse can have on a child struggling with difficult situations during childhood. His many hours of riding the Pajarito Plateaus of Los Alamos at the age of only 12 years old gave him the ability to empathize with our riders, making him a great instructor and ESMHL.

  I am a 2021 graduate of Rio Rancho High school and am currently attending college at CNM where I’m considering Equine Studies. I have always had a love for horses and began riding lessons in the fourth grade in Virginia. This only ignited my passions that continues to grow. I now have been around these wonderful animals for many years and am so grateful to be a part of Loving Thunder since June 2018. Loving Thunder has helped me grow as a person and my horsemanship. I have seen first hand how this program helps riders grow and develop and I can’t wait to see the amazing things it continues to do.