Bernadette Olsen

Founding Director

path Certified advanced therapeutic riding instructor

Bernadette Olsen is the founder and director of the Back Bay Therapeutic Club (BBTRC). She received her formal training in traditional horseback riding disciplines in Germany and continued her education to incorporate an advanced therapeutic riding certification. Bernadette created a therapeutic riding center for special needs children and adults.  She donates her time, equipment and horses to the her non-profit organization.

As the program director she developed a riding program appropriate to each individual rider/student focusing on their particular challenges. A lesson plan is proposed with goals for each riding session.

Bernadette has competed over the years in cross country, eventing, jumping, and Equitation over fences, most of the time on her rescued horses. She achieved a bronze medal for dressage, jumping and horsemanship (Deutsches Reitabzeichen), and has a gold medal in endurance riding in her home country, Germany. She earned championship titles in first, second, and third level dressage and has taught Pony Club, worked with western horses, gaited horses, as well as English show horses. She has lead horse camps, private and charity parties, and actively rides daily for over 40 years.

The last 15 years, she has been a passionate successful dressage rider, with her horse Durk, and is currently working on her Bronze medal in dressage on her adopted horse Abby, which is her first year ever in a dressage competition was awarded with a 3rd level reserve championship. She coached the equestrian team in Hunters/Jumpers and dressage for Corona del Mar High School, initiated the start of the Newport Harbor High equestrian team, which some of her teenage volunteers attended. She is a certified CTRI Path instructor, which enables her to mentor people through their Path certification. She always encourages to give the “undesirable” horses a chance, since horse love should not be about money, but knowledge and love. In her opinion with that combination almost every horse can become your soulmate, and your empowering equine partner and over the years she has proved that with many blue and red ribbons in any equine discipline or just simply horse camping at Casper’s Park. But most important she created an amazing team of equine therapists with her adopted, abused, or donated older horses for everybody to learn from, love, and enjoy at her facility in Newport Beach, California.

Meredith Balis

Program Director

Mental Health Professional

Master of Science Counseling

Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association (EAGALA) Certified Equine Specialist

California Credentialed Health and Biology Teacher

EMDR Trained

Stacy Grenier

path Certified therapeutic riding instructor

Stacy is a P.A.T.H. certified equine instructor and our Barn Manager. Stacy is an advocate for those facing intellectual disabilities, drug and alcohol rehabilitation and survivors of sexual abuse.