Our Staff

Dita Keith
Executive Director & Part-Time Instructor

Dita Keith has been an active member of the Bend community for the last 17 years enjoying not only all the area has to offer, but serving on numerous committees and private school and foundation boards. An avid equestrienne since the age of 10 with a passion for all things equine, she showed for many years as a junior hunter/jumper rider and now spends her free time logging trail miles and horse-camping in beautiful Central Oregon with her family. Dita has ridden with the Silver Edge Drill Team, is the Bend Senior High School Equestrian Drill Team coach, and is an enthusiastic member of the Deschutes County Sheriff's’s Posse. Dita has worked in all HR program capacities serving as lesson volunteer, Volunteer Coordinator, and PATH International Certified Registered Instructor. Dita is married and has two daughters who, between school, after-school sports and farm chores, delight in volunteering at Healing Reins! 

Polly Cohen

Program Director & Part-Time Instructor

Polly Cohen is a PATH International Certified Instructor with nearly two decades of experience with horses. She grew up in Lincoln County and participated in 4-H horse program for nine years and served as the 1997 Lincoln County Rodeo Queen. Polly Cohen worked for J Bar J Youth Services in Bend, OR, as the Equestrian Director before moving to Seattle to work at one of the top therapeutic riding centers in the U.S., Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center. Polly is married and has two young sons. 

Christie Rankin

Full-Time Instructor and Equine Coordinator

Bio soon to come.

Kathryn Smeeth

Full-Time Instructor and Participant Coordinator

Kathryn has had a lifelong passion for horses. She grew up in Northern Ontario, Canada, where she began riding at the age of ten. After a brief time riding Western, she switched to a barn that focused on dressage and jumping where she found her true passion in riding. She continued her education in horses in Arizona, where her family moved when she was 16. Kathryn has worked in the horse world since her late teens starting at the bottom as a stable hand. She worked her way up and has since spent time teaching private riding lessons to students ranging in age from 5 to 70, working as the Barn Manager and Riding Program Director at a college preparatory boarding school, and starting and training young horses. She moved to Bend in 2008 and started out volunteering at Healing Reins before becoming a PATH International Certified Registered Instructor there in 2009. Kathryn enjoys being able to share the joy of horses with others.

Marika Smiley

Development and Marketing Coordinator

Marika comes to Healing Reins with a background in marketing, non-profits, and project & event management. She grew up in Finland and is an active member of the Bend community, her involvement ranging from Bend 2030 Visioning Process to Green & Solar Tour. Marika feels privileged to be part of Healing Reins in serving the community while combining her passion for sustainability, as Healing Reins with its horses unquestionably provides a sustainable form of service. Marika enjoys spending time with her family, running, mountain & road biking, Nordic skiing, reading and volunteering in the community.

Darcy Justice

Volunteer Coordinator

Darcy Justice is the new Volunteer Coordinator at Healing Reins Therapeutic Riding Center.  Darcy was the NOVA Volunteer of the Year in 2010 and a regional awardee of the Governor’s Volunteer Award in 2010. She has been a volunteer at Healing Reins for three years. Darcy has worked as a secretary for the Bend La-Pine School District, as an administrative assistant in the City Manager’s office here in Bend, and also as an accountant with Vertex Business Services. She and her husband have lived in Central Oregon for 19 years.

Cindy Cronin

Part-Time Instructor

Cindy Cronin is our new Healing Reins Instructor. She is a Horse Trainer and Riding Instructor from Portland, Oregon with 30 years’ experience. She has an extensive background in driving, hunter jumpers, and dressage. Cindy has been a volunteer at Healing Reins for 6 months and became a PATH International Certified Instructor in June 2011. Please say hello to her when you’re in the barn!

Penny Campbell

Part-Time Instructor

Penny has been working with horses off and on for 25 years. Her experience includes working with various professional trainers where she gained skills in starting young horses and giving beginning riding lessons. Apart from the equine world, Penny spent 15 years in business managing & scheduling manufacturing plants in the Portland area. Soon after moving to Central Oregon in 1998, she met Healing Reins founder Pam Addington and proceeded to help her build the organization - bringing  it to Faiith Run Farms in 2001. Penny is a PATH International Certified Registered Instructor.  Outside of Healing Reins, Penny enjoys expanding her dressage skill with her National Show Horse, KC, and spending time with her family.

Katy Schroeder

Part-Time Instructor

Katy began riding as a teenager and quickly fell in love with the discipline of Three Day Eventing.  She was privileged to work and compete for Olympic gold medalist, Phillip Dutton, and credits this experience for guiding her to use her knowledge and appreciation of horses to heal others. After graduating from the University of Delaware with a BA in Sociology, Katy moved to Oregon and worked in wilderness therapy before starting her internship at Healing Reins. In 2007, she obtained her status as a PATH International Certified Registered Instructor. Katy has also been involved with integrating Equine Facilitated Mental Health activities into our program offerings. She is currently the Lead Instructor and attending Oregon State University to pursue her Masters Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. When she's not studying, Katy enjoys the live music scene, hiking with her dog Sydney, and hanging out with friends and family.