INSTRUCTOR
Michelle Dougherty
At HART: Michelle is a Riding Instructor at HART as well as a volunteer. She teaches lessons ranging from beginner/pony school through intermediate level riders, focusing on fostering an understanding of techniques used and encouraging a solid relationship between the horse and rider.
Michelle also rides many of the rescues at HART, helping with whatever is needed. She enjoys helping train the horses and getting them more experience under saddle. When Michelle is not teaching lessons, she can often be found riding multiple horses per day.
Off the Clock: When not at the barn, Michelle can be found writing, blogging, spending time with her family, or finding another adventure. She enjoys competitions, participating in local runs ranging from 2 miles to full marathons, as well as other physical challenges such as mud runs and obstacle races.
Background: Michelle has a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology. She completed her thesis research on the effects of Equine Assisted Therapy for people with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder with mentors at Florida Atlantic University.
She has been riding horses since she was 7, starting with a trail ride where she was bucked off, came back leading her horse saying “Mommy I want to ride.” Since then she has competed in English and Western Pleasure, Hunter, Jumper, and Hunt Seat. She was Captain and Vice President of her school’s Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) hunt seat team and competed at Regionals her senior year.