Our Instructors

Amy Sheffield

Amy Sheffield

Acting Program Director & PATH Certified Instructor

Amy spent her early childhood longing for horses in a climate unsuitable for their survival. She learned how to ride after moving from rural West Africa to small-town Wisconsin where she spent every possible minute gallivanting on horseback.

She joined the mentorship program here at MTRA while attending Stetson University in DeLand, FL. She has since graduated with her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and is working toward her Master’s Degree in Clinical and Counseling from Liberty University.

Amy began volunteering at MTRA in 2020 and became an instructor in 2021. She is now thrilled to be the Acting Program Director, where she can further contribute to the mission of MTRA. Before joining the staff at MTRA, Amy was the Coordinator for Safe Families for Children, where she served families in crisis seeking support and stability. She is passionate about improving the quality of life for children and adults facing challenges of all kinds.

Amy’s lifelong dream has been to combine her passions for people, horses, and psychology to facilitate healing and growth. She is grateful to be part of such a stellar team at MTRA and looks forward to seeing this organization and its people thrive.

Catherine Sears

Catherine Sears

Acting Executive Director & Path Certified Instructor

Catherine is a third generation Equine Enthusiast and Professional. She has been training, schooling, caring-for and riding horses of all breeds and disciplines her entire life. At just 22 months old, she competed in her first horse show in Western Equitation. In the mid 1990s, she started professionally teaching English and Western Equitation and timed competitions. At her family’s equine business, Rocky Top Stables, Catherine managed 300+ farrier clients and over 30 boarders, which consisted of foaling, training, schooling, riding lessons and rehabilitation. For over 18 years, she has been an apprentice certified farrier. In addition to being a farrier, Catherine found it important to become trained in Equine Massage Therapy. She says that the benefits of combining the two are extremely worthy in maintaining a horse’s well being, soundness and recuperation.

Because of her passion for teaching therapeutic riding, in 2008 she earned her PATH certification. She has been enjoying every minute of teaching and has made amazing friends and seen so many miracles that have touched her heart. Catherine joined the MTRA family in 2016 and feels blessed that she can make a positive difference in people’s lives through horses. Her riders inspire her with their determination and perseverance. When Catherine is not teaching, she enjoys taking care of her farm and horses and making memories with family. She also loves music, singing and writing songs. She released an album of all original songs titled, “Life’s Amazing Ride”. Her music is playing worldwide and topping various charts. The song, “Let Fate Dance” hit the top 10 charts in Italy and she was awarded Best Live Performance by the Independent Country Music Association in Nashville, TN. Her mottos are “Never stop learning” and “Patience and a smile can go a long way.”

Sally Ann Lyle

Sally Ann Lyle

PATH Certified Instructor

Our most senior Certified PATH Instructor with a lifetime with horses as a breeder, owner, exhibitor and fine artist, Sally moved to Ocala from Kansas City, Missouri. She has bred and owned World Champion Morgan Horses and currently shows the western pleasure gelding RWJ Flash Gordon. She was also the creative mind behind our beautiful MTRA horse and rider logo. Sally is one of our most senior PATH certified instructors and is a trusted friend to MTRA. She has won numerous awards for her beautiful equine art and frequently has her work featured in magazines and on the covers of show programs and horse magazines.

Jenna Rovira

Jenna Rovira

PATH Certified Instructor

A lifelong equine enthusiast, Jenna grew up showing 4-H and riding her Arabian every chance she had. She showed in English Equitation, Western Pleasure, Show Jumping, Reining, and Gymkhana events. She also showed in pleasure driving classes for a friend with Hafflingers.

Jenna attended Youngstown State University in Ohio, obtaining her Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work and pursuing a career in child welfare and human services with a long-term dream of combining love of horses and love of social work through some type of equine therapy programming. She exercised racehorses and obtained her Assistant Trainer’s license for Thoroughbred Racing at Mountaineer Racetrack, Tampa Bay Downs, and Thistledown through college, and continued working with Thoroughbreds through two-year old in training sales introducing her to Ocala’s Horse Capital of the World. Falling in love with the area, Jenna decided to move to Florida in 2006, where she continued galloping by morning and social working in child welfare/foster care field during afternoons and evenings as a Placement Specialist for Kids Central Inc., and Lead Case Manager for the Heart of FL Youth Ranch. She was a founding member of Unbridled Hope Therapeutic Horsemanship, a PATH Int’l member program, through the Heart of Florida Youth Ranch, which was designed for children residing in the program under foster care statutes in 2017 with a focus on teaching empathetic leaderships and establishing foundation for children to begin trusting others again. Jenna obtained her PATH Int’l Therapeutic Riding Instructor certification in December 2018 after completing her training and instructor hours through MTRA.

Jenna is also our Development Director and is an essential part of all things MTRA. We are extremely lucky to have her here!

Tasha Lawlor-Smith

Tasha Lawlor-Smith

PATH Certified Instructor

Tasha grew up in a family surrounded by horses with being immersed in raising Thoroughbreds, enjoying the racing scene for about 15 years. Through her mother, who is a Licensed Equine Massage Therapist, she learned even more about horses and their comfort and performance. Their horse farm was small, as her step-father was a Chiropractor and owned his own business, but they loved their horses and had fun celebrating their wins! While Tasha a bit too young to ride their race horses, she was able to enjoy riding their pleasure horses around their farm or on trails in their area, and once she was married, she and her family obtained their own land and their own horses to enjoy as well.

Tasha has been working full-time as a Licensed Massage Therapist since 1995, and she began volunteering at MTRA in 2017. Soon after, she joined our mentor program, getting certified through PATH International as a Therapeutic Riding Instructor in 2018. She is grateful for her second families through the Pentecostals of Gainesville Church, where she has participated her entire life and her more recently acquired family with MTRA. She values having more time to enjoy horses, her family, and the privilege of working with our team of instructors, staff, and volunteers, and the incredible students she gets to work with as an instructor, and we are happy to have her on our team in return!