Meet the Team

Our team of experienced trainers and staff work hard everyday to ensure that our riders, the horses and the facility are well cared for. Having happy and healthy horses in a high quality facility, that we can share with our riders, is what makes our programs at Leashes & Leads Equine Park successful.

Our team of experienced trainers and staff work hard everyday to ensure that our riders, the horses and the facility are well cared for. Having happy and healthy horses in a high quality facility, that we can share with our riders, is what makes our programs at Leashes & Leads Equine Park successful.

Shelly McGulpin

Riding Instructor

Shelly was one of LLEP's original riding instructors when we first opened our doors. She has many years of experience having also worked at Ironwood Springs Christian Ranch in Stewartville prior to coming here. She has a very honest and practical approach to her style of teaching that is easily understood by young and old alike as they learn the basics of horseback riding.

Peggy Ferdinand

PATH Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor

Peggy is a PATH-certified riding instructor who will be offering therapeutic riding lessons at Leashes and Leads Equine Park. She began her journey in therapeutic horsemanship in 2016, when an unexpected job loss prompted her to explore certification through the Professional Association for Therapeutic Horsemanship (PATH). She has been teaching riders with disabilities, first as an instructor in training and then as a PATH Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor, since 2018. She is also working on her TagTEACH certification (feel free to ask her about this, but…when you have some time to chat, because she gets really excited about using TagTEACH in future riding lessons!).

Peggy says, "I have loved sharing all-things-horse ever since I was a horse crazy teenager who would interrupt trail rides to give kids pony rides. My desire to provide therapeutic riding opportunities to people with disabilities is part of that urge to share. I'm looking forward to meeting people and teaching at Leashes & Leads, starting in June!"

Peggy can be reached at 952-913-3229, either via text or by phone.

Special Thanks Other Team Members

We couldn’t have our wonderful Riding Lesson Program without all of our amazing staff that do the work behind the scenes. In addition to the staff that help consistently with riding lessons, the following staff are critical to our horse program ... Seneca Berndt, Calvin Betz, Erin Borgschatz, Rhett Carlisle, Lily Davick, Nat Dougan, Claire Faudskar, Marie Harreld, Shelly McGulpin, Annie Meyer, Kim Petrich, Ben Provost, Meredith Schulz, and Madison Sogla.