Meet our team
Michele Pickel, Ph.D. created Horse Powered Reading® Instruction in 2012, as an experiential strategy to help struggling readers not only learn missing reading skills, but also to assist them in overcoming the social-emotional challenges interfering with their learning.
Michele Pickel, Ph.D.
Horse Powered Reading® founder, owner Cross P Ranch, Eagala Equine Specialist Certified
Dr. Pickel is a Professor at Concordia University, St Paul, MN. Her specialty is literacy education. She has experience teaching in early childhood and elementary schools and is a licensed PreK-8 teacher and K-12 Reading Specialist. Dr. Pickel holds Advanced Certification as an Equine Specialist through the Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association (EAGALA).
Due to the success of Horse Powered Reading® at Cross P Ranch, and hoping to change the lives of children across the world, she developed an online class to teach other Mental Health Professionals, Equine Specialists, and Educators who would like to learn how to use Horse Powered Reading to help their clients and students.
Elizabeth Allen
Teacher/Administrator, Eagala Equine Specialist Certified, Horse Powered Reading® Instructor
An education professional for over 20 years, Elizabeth is passionate about teaching and helping people find paths to success; especially those needing something “outside the box” to enhance growth. Experiences span teaching preschool, various elementary grades, facilitating learning for all content areas. Additionally, she has over six years administrative experience at both elementary and middle school levels, focusing on behaviors and at-risk youth. Prior to becoming an educator, she was a business managerial supervisor working with adults at a variety of management levels. She is now President of her own equine business, Successful Strides, Inc.
Nancy Lyon
Eagala Equine Specialist Certified, Horse Powered Reading® Instructor
Nancy is the Executive Director of LyonHeart™ Equine Assisted Learning and Therapy in Kearny, Nebraska. There, she founded horse powered math to help children.
University of Nebraska at Kearney
Elementary Education Degree - 1980
K-12 School Counselor Degree - 1996
HorsePowered Reading Certificate - 2015
EAGALA certified since 2014
Former Title One Math & Reading Instructor
Worked with at-risk youth for 35+ years
Ruth Gunnett
Horse Powered Reading® Instructor & Director of Communication
Ruth is a Horse Powered Reading® facilitator and community outreach coordinator for Reins of Rhythm, a 501(c)(3),non-profit organization bring hope, healing and happiness to youth of all ages, abilities and backgrounds through the power of horses. Reins of Rhythm is located in South-central Pennsylvania.
Ruth joined the Horse Powered Reading® team in 2022 as an instructor, communications director and technology advisor. Ruth also teaches a variety of workshops for HPR facilitators to provide tools and support in growing a non-profit, how to fund your program, growth mindset initiatives and ways to use technology to enhance your business or program.
Sally A. Baas,
Ed.D.
Mental Health Specialist for sessions at Cross P Ranch
Sally Bass, Ed.D. is a licensed school psychologist who has spent many of her professional years working cross culturally in Preschool-12th grade settings. She is past president of the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP).
Her areas of expertise include:
cross cultural models
child and adolescent development
social emotional learning
children’s mental health
crisis response
leadership
advocacy
training
She is certified in the EAGALA Model and serves as Dr. Pickel’s Mental Health Professional for Horse Powered Reading® Sessions.
Cowboy Steve Pickel
Lead Wrangler and Chuckwagon Dinner Chef
"Cowboy Steve" and Dr. Michele Pickel, fell in love and married while they were students at Concordia University located in St. Paul, Minnesota. After graduation, Steve served for 23 years as a Director of Christian Education serving several states. Eventually, the couple moved back to Minnesota.
Steve now works as a Financial Advisor for Thrivent. Throughout their marriage, horses have always been an important part of their life and ministry.
"Cowboy Steve" enjoys teaching children how to use a lariat to rope steers during Wild West Field Trips at Cross P Ranch. He also has an authentic chuck-wagon, where he delights in serving hearty cowboy meals for equine facilitated retreats, gatherings, and leadership training events.
Experience Includes:
Director of Christian Education
Member of National Versatility Ranch Horse Association
Our Ranch Roping Specialist
Owner/Operator of Cross P Ranch