Our Staff
Laura R. Corsun
As the Founder of High & Mighty, Laura is the woman behind all the magic. High & Mighty was founded in 2011 as a PATH Member Center, became a 501(c)(3) in 2013 and in 2019 became a PATH Premier Accredited Center. None of these accomplishments would have been possible without her whole-hearted dedication to the High & Mighty mission. Prior to founding High & Mighty, Laura obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Dance and a Masters in Education. She served as the Executive Director from 2011-2023 and continues to assist our current director, Rachel, as she steps into the role. Laura is also a PATH Certified Riding Instructor and a PATH Therapeutic Driving Instructor. She finds enjoyment in the involvement of all aspects of our mission as well as in watching our participants, volunteers, staff and horses develop and change due to the work we do. It could be watching a horse drop their head and breathe into a child’s hand, or an adult while riding who tells you they have never felt their body balanced before. When she has free time, Laura enjoys being outdoors, traveling, learning new things and spending time with friends and family. Laura is proud of what High & Mighty does, who we serve and is truly inspired by the community that supports us!
Laura R. Corsun
Founder,
PATH Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor,
PATH Certified Driving Instructor
“Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is the future. Today is a gift.”
– Bill Keane
Rachel Conaway
After graduating from SUNY Cobleskill with a Bachelors in Animal Science, Rachel joined the High & Mighty team in 2014 as an Instructor-in-training under Laura’s mentorship. After officially becoming a PATH certified instructor in April of 2015, Rachel became a part-time instructor at High & Mighty. After realizing that equine assisted services were truly her passion, Rachel began a full-time position at in February of 2018. Since then, she has held many titles, and most recently was appointed as the Executive Director effective as of 2024. In this new role, Rachel is learning under Laura’s guidance about the many facets of managing the organization including; finances, developing the goals and mission of High & Mighty, providing leadership to the staff and volunteers, reports to the board, and overseeing daily operation. She continues to enjoy working with participants, mentoring instructors-in-training and assisting in keeping the herd happy and healthy. When she is not at work, Rachel can be found spending quality time with her husband Rhett and their daughters, Harper and Lyla. She also enjoys traveling to new places, trying new food, spending time with her horse Fly and cuddling her two cats; Talia and Wayne. In the future, Rachel would like to become certified as an Interactive Vaulting Instructor and an Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning.
Rachel Conaway
Executive Director,
PATH Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor
“You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think.”
– Winnie the Pooh
Paloma Talbott
Paloma has been a part of High & Mighty in one way or another for many years. She began as a barn and program volunteer, where her obvious skill and work ethic made hiring her an easy choice. At first Paloma only worked on the weekends, then expanded her hours to include some weekdays as well. Since then, Paloma has worked varying hours while pursuing her education and has most recently taken on more of an administrative role as our Program Coordinator and most recently our interim Volunteer Coordinator, all in addition to her barn role. Paloma is the first person that the horses see many mornings and she says it is the best part of her day. They are always so excited to get their hay and greet her in their own special way. When Paloma isn’t busy with her daily tasks on the farm; she especially enjoys spending time with Thomas. He has the cutest personality and never fails to make me laugh or put a smile on my face.
Paloma Talbott
Program Coordinator, Interim Volunteer Coordinator,
and Barn Staff
“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending”
-C.S. Lewis
Ally Bray
Ally joined our team as a volunteer where she demonstrated determination, ambition and organization. These qualities led to us hiring Ally as a member of our barn staff in 2014. In 2023, Ally accepted the position of Barn Manager. In this role, she oversees the daily operations of the facility and the direct care of the horses. This includes feeding and water, daily medications, turn in/out, stall cleaning, medical care and observing daily horse behaviors. She also assists with scheduling farrier and vet appointments, filed maintenance and ordering grain, shavings and medications. One of best part of Ally’s day is interacting with the horses and assisting with their daily exercise and care routines. She enjoys getting to know their unique personalities and how these each communicate in their own way. Ally is especially close to Sonya. She loves that Sonya is calm and collected and always listens when you give her 100% of your attention. Ally is also in the process of becoming a PATH Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor and is mentoring under our senior instructors as she undergoes this rigorous and rewarding journey.
Ally Bray
Barn Manager
PATH Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor-In-Training
Evelyn Crosby
We welcomed Evelyn as the newest member of the High & Mighty team in February of 2024. While that was her official introduction as staff, Evelyn has been working with us over the summers via the Columbia Greene Workforce in addition to volunteering since 2018. Currently, Evelyn is an instructor-in-training as well as part of our barn staff. As an instructor, she loves being able to see both horses and riders’ progression. Seeing that moment when something they’ve been working on finally clicks and they just understand what they’re doing.. That’s really special. In the barn, Evelyn enjoys working with Brass the most; but Vernon is a close second! Evelyn says she feels pretty lucky to have been matched up with this place all those years ago. She never even thought a job like this was an option for her since she didn’t grow up riding horses. “I feel like I’ve found my niche.” When Evelyn is not at High & Mighty, she enjoys spending time with her cats, relaxing at home, and going on outings with her High & Mighty friends.
Evelyn Crosby
Barn Staff
PATH Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor-In-Training
Dianne Ortmann, MSW
As Development Director, Dianne has one of the most important jobs on the farm. She is in charge of all things fundraising! This includes grant writing, appeal letters, event planning, board recruitment, acquiring new donors and maintaining our current donors. Without her, High & Mighty truly could not operate. Dianne has a special attachment to Cooper, because she and her daughter Louise are his owners! Cooper took such good care of Louise as her competition horse, that Dianne knew he would excel at taking care of our participants as a therapy horse–and she was right! Dianne enjoys seeing how Cooper and the other herd members benefit so many different people. When she is not busy at High & Mighty, Dianne enjoys riding, reading and watching movies with her family. Her family includes her husband Joe, daughters Tess and Louise, as well as two dogs, two cats and three horses.
Dianne Ortmann
Development Director
“There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.”
– Winston Churchill
Kevin Gordon
Kevin joined the High & Mighty team in October of 2023. As the Facilities Manager, Kevin’s daily activities can include regular repairs and maintenance, clearing and creating trails, mowing the grass and fields, plowing snow in the winter, painting buildings and fences as well as helping with the care of the horses. The best part of Kevin’s job is being able to enjoy the outdoors while building relationships with the High & Mighty staff and watching the bonds made between the participants and the horses. If he had to choose a favorite horse, it would be a tough choice between Brass and Lucky (although Lucky does belong to Kevin’s wife, Meryl, so he may have an unfair advantage!). A close second to his favorite High & Mighty animal is Vernon, the barn cat. Kevin is hard working, dependable and flexible. When he is not at the farm, Kevin enjoys playing disc golf and spending time with his family; which includes Meryl, their two children Leander and Rose, and their dog Lily and Cat Misty.
Kevin Gordon
Facilities Manager
