Crystal Merkel
Crystal is a Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor (CTRI) that joined the herd in 2014. At the Ranch, she’s done it all, from teaching, to helping train horses, to running volunteer training, and wrangling wildlife. In addition to working at Healing with Horses Ranch, she’s also a vet tech with Matthews Veterinary Services. She works with animals of all sizes, and is an integral part of keeping our herd healthy.
Crystal has been around animals her whole life, even “baptized” by a horse sneeze as a newborn when she came home from the hospital. She has her own personal zoo at home: dogs, cattle, horses, and her own chaotic baby donkey named Kai. In her free time she enjoys dog & horse training, listen to music, and doctoring her own animals. Crystal is pictured with her Great Dane, Tank, who you might see at the Ranch with her!