Meet The Team
Owner, OTR/L
Taneal Behm
Taneal is our fantastic leader. She started NoCo Pediatric OT LLC in 2013 as a partner with Sheryl Daneman and she has continued to grow it ever since. She is experienced in the school setting, skilled nursing facilities, pediatric home health, clinic settings, and therapeutic horseback riding. She developed a passion for kids with sensory needs and thus came the dream of IPTA.
Taneal has continued to lead her growing team and see a caseload of patients both in the home and in hippotherapy. Her compassion and leadership have been the driving force of a growing practice.
Clinical Director - Farm, COTA/L
Stephanie Voorhes
Stephanie has worked as an Occupational Therapy Assistant for over 17 years. She completed her schooling in Minnesota and her first therapy job was in a school setting combined with Early Intervention. Her love of the mountains brought her to Wyoming where she found her passion in hippotherapy. She helped create a farm-based therapy program for adults that is still up and running in Laramie. Montana was the next step in expanding her knowledge while working in an acute and long-term rehab facility. Family brought her back to Colorado where she worked in home health and has now found her forever job at the farm in pediatrics! Steph and her husband enjoy taking care of their cat and chickens, camping, hiking, and gardening in her free time.
Equine Program Director
Marley Higgins
Marley grew up in Colorado working with horses and volunteering at various therapeutic riding centers. She has always been passionate about helping individuals with all abilities through equine movement. Marley has also fallen in love with rehabilitation of equine and canine companions. Prior to working at Iron Horse she was working in canine rehabilitation. She graduated from Colorado State University in 2022 with a BS in Equine Science. In her free time Marley enjoys hanging out with her two dogs, snowboarding, yoga, going to trivia nights and spending time with friends and family.
Lead Therapist - Farm, Volunteer Coordinator, OTR/L
Lindsey Messenger
Lindsey graduated from Colorado State University with her MS in Occupational Therapy in December of 2020. She received her BS in Psychology and Pre-Occupational Therapy and a minor in American Sign Language. A Las Vegas native, Lindsey grew up with an older sister, Kelli, who had Rett Syndrome. She now practices pediatric OT in her sister's memory to give back to the community that shaped so much of her life. Lindsey utilizes a trauma-informed background in all of her treatments. In her free time, Lindsey can be found snuggling her cats, spending time with friends, and working with her horse, Ilias, at the farm.
Lead Horse Handler
Rosalyn Luque
Rosalyn initially started working with animals via shelters and rescues. After discovering her interest in horseshoeing and with a goal of becoming a certified farrier, Rosalyn has found many different avenues to be around hooved critters in her professional career. Being at Iron Horse and getting to work with kids that have a similar appreciation for these animals has been nothing short of a gift. In her time away from the farm you can find Rosalyn on a river fly fishing or out in the mountains with her dog Rhye.
COTA/L
Heather Hiltz
Heather has spent the last decade teaching developmental gymnastics classes to children both on the West and East coast. After falling in love with the magic that is Occupational Therapy, Heather switched career paths and graduated as an OTA from Pima Medical Institute in 2021. Heather is passionate about helping children learn, grow, and celebrate all of their incredible victories. Heather has pursued continuing education in sensory processing and is constantly in pursuit of learning and developing in all areas of pediatric OT. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, board games, exploring the outdoors with her son, dancing, and anything involving crafts and baking!
OTR/L
Erin Kelley
Erin graduated from Colorado State University with her Master of Science in Occupational Therapy in 2021! She has always been passionate about working in pediatrics and has a specific interest in incorporating animals into her practice. She got undergraduate degrees in both Human Development and Equine Science from CSU, with the hopes of utilizing horses to support kids with disabilities! She also has an interest in using dogs in her practice and has raised a service dog for Canine Companions. On days off, Erin is most often spending time with her dog outdoors or inside baking something!
OTR/L
Andrea Gurga
Andrea graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago with her Master of Occupational Therapy and Doctor of Occupational Therapy. Andrea is a lifelong Chicagoan and graduated from Loyola University with a BS in Psychology. She has a passion for working with children and their families. She is a research-informed clinician and has training and experience in participation measures and outcomes, environmental modifications, as well as integration of the Intentional Relationship Model (IRM) and DIR/Floortime with children and families. Outside of work, Andrea enjoys exploring new hiking trails, traveling to National Parks, and aspires to be a Search and Rescue Team Member and solo skydiver.
OTR/L
Emily Stockert
Emily graduated from Colorado State University with her Masters of Occupational Therapy in 2021. She is originally from Atlanta, Georgia and received her undergraduate degree in Special Education from the University of Georgia. Emily has always been passionate about working with children- prior to pursuing her graduate degree in Occupational Therapy Emily worked as a teacher both in Denver and in Madrid, Spain. Emily strives to deliver neurodiversity-affirming OT and feels so fortunate to be able to support children and their families both in the clinic and at the farm. When she isn’t working Emily enjoys running, camping, skiing and enjoying the beautiful Colorado mountains!
OTR/L
Carolee Jaynes
As a teenager, Carolee learned about occupational therapy by watching her nephew with Down Syndrome participate in early intervention services. Seeing how play based intervention helped build functional skills and independence inspired her to study occupational therapy at the University of Utah. Carolee has primarily worked as a school based therapist and after completing the American Hippotherapy Association courses, she knew that horses and occupational therapy were a perfect match. Carolee enjoys spending time with her husband and four awesome kids exploring outdoors, cooking and gardening. She also loves caring for her sweet horses on their little farm.
COTA/L
April Monroe
April is a mother and occupational therapy assistant who received her education in Pueblo, Colorado. In addition to her education as an occupational therapy assistant April also has an extensive education in nutrition, meditation and is a certified personal trainer and yoga instructor. April is experienced in rehab settings, skilled nursing, mental health, outpatient pediatrics and early intervention. April draws on her diverse experience for a holistic approach to help the families she works with find balance. In her free time April is working to continue her education, running and exploring the outdoors with her daughter.
Horse Leader, Saturday Barn Manager
Savannah Niedrick
Savannah has always had a love for animals with horses holding a special place in her heart. She has been involved with horses her whole life, riding in a mounted drill team and barrel racing for many years. After graduating with her BS in environmental engineering in 2022, she has since found herself back following her heart working with horses. Savannah is passionate about making a difference, giving back to the community, and helping support the healing abilities of horses for all to experience. Greatly valuing her time spent here with the herd, she is looking forward to continuing to learn and grow with Iron Horse. When she is not spending time with the animals you can most likely find her adventuring in nature, rock hunting, drawing, or working on a new fun project.
Horse Leader
Gabriana Schommer
Gabriana is from Berthoud, CO and has experience riding for english style equestrian teams in both high school and college. She recently graduated with her bachelor’s degree in psychology and will be pursuing a master's degree in occupational therapy. She is grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the team.