Twuana is our Co-Founder, Executive Director, Path Intl Certified Instructor & Equine Specialist in Mental Health & Learning, and a Wise Equine Assisted Coach. She has a passion for horses and individuals with special needs. She stumbled onto the concept of Therapeutic Riding while she was a 4H leader for the Sandoval StarBucks 4H Club. She is the mother of a special needs daughter with developmental delays and Autism, and a guardian to her granddaughter with ADHD. Her search for Equine services for her own daughter made her realize that there are not enough providers and especially ones who truly understand the goals of a parent with special needs children. So in 2008, she got to work becoming certified, forming a non profit, and providing services for families of New Mexico. She makes certain that Loving Thunder Therapeutic Riding is a program about the riders, not what is convenient for the instructor or volunteers. She strives to make certain that each rider is treated as an individual and is challenged to do as much as they can to become an accomplished horseman.
Victoria is a native New Mexican and Buquena in Alameda North Valley. Previously, she was a teacher and administrator with NM schools for 28 years. After retirement, she is now the owner of El Ranchito de Chavez Horse and Alpaca farm in Alameda. During the legislative sessions she dedicates her time to the Senate where she is a Legislative Administration Assistant. She has a passion for horses, animals and Non-Profits serving our community.
Nancy (Bolton) Freshour was born in Los Angeles in 1942. Since then she has been blessed to be able to live in many states, including the Alaska bush, and spent a year in Germany. She says she has lived 4 lives, all very different, and has learned from each. Her passions are horses, all other animals, music, teaching, and physical exercise.
A brief synopsis: studied math and music at UCLA; graduated from U of W; taught Gls studying to get their GEDS while in Germany; taught in Colorado; taught in Alaska with Tlingit and Haida students who to this day keep in touch; commercial fisherman in Alaska on a 40 foot troller; widowed; back to school getting an MBA at NAU; systems analyst at Sandia National Labs, retired as Division Information Officer responsible for multiple computer systems; sat in the War room with the Air Force as we rolled over the year 2000 (and yes it was a big deal, only not catastrophic because we computer nerds did our job well!). After retiring from Sandia Labs taught exercise classes for over 20 years.
Nancy got her first horse at 8. She has been a horse, and animal, person ever since. She is a firm believer in the power of animals to help people. Her horse, Aspen, is a natural and has gone to rehab centers, senior centers, and done one-on-one therapy with kids and PTSD adults. They gravitate to her as she selects them.
Nancy has received multiple awards over the years for her community service and service to the horse community: YWCA Woman on the Move (volunteering as a Sandia Scientist working with children in school), NM Horse Council Horseperson of the Year.
With over 80 years of experience working with diverse people, Nancy’s passion is animals. Currently the A team is Aspen, a horse, Ace, a dog, Abe, a mule, Amber, a horse, and Ash a cat. That is the order in which these precious animals joined the A TEAM.
Francisca (Fran) Jensen is a retired Nurse and Nurse Educator who has interest in community organizations that offer unique therapies to individuals with disabilities.
Graduated from the University of New Mexico with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing and worked as a Medical/Surgical/Oncology nurse at St. Joseph Hospital. Later became a Hospice Nurse working with the terminally ill and their families in the home.
Received a Master of Nursing Science from University of Phoenix. This degree not only included training for nursing education, but included management and financial focus. As a result, she was able to teach nursing at Central New Mexico Community College and the University of New Mexico. As a Nursing educator, it required detail focus and responsibility in order to ensure students achieve safe nursing skills and practice.
Fran’s experience as a nurse brings critical and safe application of skills which lends itself to working with unique forms of therapy to individuals with disabilities.
Mike is the Co-Founder of Loving Thunder and manages all the aspects of the barns, including horse management and facility management. He also co-leads the Equine Facilitated Learning program at the Youth Diagnostic Center. He is a PATH, Intl Certified Registered Instructor, and Equine Specialist in Mental Health.
The Loving Thunder horses feel loved and accepted because of his innate ability to whisper to them secretly and listen to them in silence.
He knows firsthand the impact a horse can have on a child struggling with difficult situations during childhood. His many hours of riding the Pajarito Plateaus of Los Alamos at the age of only 12 years old gave him the ability to empathize with our riders, making him a great instructor and ESMHL.
Chana (pronounced Hawna) Hodosh’s journey in therapeutic riding and teaching began in 2006. She is a PATH, Intl Certified Therapeutic Riding Instuctor. She brings over 20 years of horse riding and training expertise, She has volunteered at several facilities since and one of her favorite things,while interacting with students, is the joy and smiles her riders display while learning!
Chana graduated from Rocky Mountain College in Billings, Montana majoring in Equine Studies in 2012. She continues her training at Loving Thunder where she is training to become a Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor later this year. In her off time, she enjoys visiting with her two potbelly pigs, her horse Manzanita and two dogs Loretta and Lilac. Wherever Chana goes, her animals are not far behind.
Lauren is a 2025 graduate of UNM. She has always had a love for horses and began riding lessons in the fourth grade in Virginia. This only ignited her passions that continue to grow. She started as a volunteer at the age of 14. Progressed to part-time work on the ranch while attending CNM and UNM. She is now full-time is an integral part of our horse care team and assists in volunteer management and other office administration duties. She has been around these wonderful animals for many years and grateful to be a part of Loving Thunder since June 2018. Loving Thunder helped her grow as a person and develop her horsemanship skills. She has seen firsthand how this program helps riders grow and develop and can’t wait to see the amazing miracles it continues to facilitate.
Loving Thunder’s mission is to empower and improve the quality of life for people with mental and physical challenges through therapeutic horsemanship, therapies, and educational outreach.
2008 -Loving Thunder Therapeutic Riding was established by Mike & Twuana Raupp from a personal need for a supported riding environment for their own disabled daughter. Loving Thunder’s mission is to empower and improve the quality of life for people with mental and physical challenges through therapeutic horsemanship, equine assisted activities and educational outreach to all. LTTR currently serves 50 riders per week.
2010 – Loving Thunder became a Non-profit Charity with an IRS determination as a 501 (c)3. Donations to help support the organization are deductible to the extent of the law.
2012- Loving Thunder became a Premier Accredited Center through PATH, Intl. (Professional Assn. of Therapeutic Riding, Intl.) We continue to be the only PAC in the entire state of NM. Accreditation is awarded after site visitors confirm compliance with 165 standards of care including facility care, horse care, volunteer training, records documentation, and staff certification.
2013- Started serving wounded veterans.
2017- Recertified as a PAC.
2018- Started serving foster children.
2019- Started the EFL (Equine Facilitated Learning) programs and serving youth who are in detention.
2022- Rio Rancho Regional Chamber of Commerce Non-Profit of the Year!
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