Therapeutic Horsemanship & Horseback Riding Team

Isabel Gerron (Izzy)

Therapeutic Riding Instructor and Equine Specialist

Isabel Gerron has spent her entire life with horses, starting her riding at the age of 10 and she also grew up with a loving cousin that was diagnosed with Down’s syndrome. Isabel, loving both horses and special needs, longed to one day be able to work with both. In her high school career she volunteered at multiple therapeutic centers and when she graduated she started volunteering under Paws for Reflection director of equine. She soon became a trusted part of the Paws team, first as a feeder/ranch hand and then a riding instructor working towards her PATH certification as a therapeutic horse back riding instructor.

Leighann Hittle

Equine Specialist and Riding Instructor

Leighann Hittle started riding horses when she was 9 years old at Paws for Reflection Ranch. During middle school she volunteered at rescues and sanctuaries so she could learn more about the care and understanding of horses. She got her first horse at the age of 13. She was a young filly, about 7 months old. This filly taught her how to intuitively work with and train horses. Morning Star showed Leighann the true connection you can have with a horse. She helped keep her head on straight throughout high school years. Leighann returned to Paws as a feeder during those years and volunteered when she could at ranch events. She fed horses at Paws until she moved for college. In her intro to equine class she was partnered with a disabled student to help train a young colt. Working with him made her realize what she wanted to do with her life! That’s when she moved back and once again found herself at Paws for Reflection Ranch, now as a Therapeutic RIding Instructor and Horse Specialist. She is currently working on her PATH certification while teaching and helping to train horses at Paws. 

Cassandra Bellus, M.S., Director of Equestrian Services
P.A.T.H. Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor & Child Development Specialist

Cassandra Bellus received her B.S. in Psychology from the University of Texas at Arlington in 2015. Her desire to help special needs children and their families led her to pursue her M.S. in Human Development and Early Childhood Disorders from the University of Texas at Dallas. In Late 2016 she discovered the field of therapeutic horseback riding and immediately began volunteering at a center in Waxahachie. She quickly realized that she had found her calling and became a PATH certified instructor.

She has now joined the team at Paws as a Therapeutic Riding Instructor and Child Development Specialist. Cassandra specializes in providing early intervention therapy for children between the ages of birth to 6 years in many areas including gross motor, fine motor, speech and language, problem solving skills, sensory processing difficulties, adaptive life skills, social/behavioral skills, and literacy acquisition. She also functions as a central resource of knowledge and support for parents learning to cope with the birth of a special needs child or a new diagnosis. Cassandra believes strongly in the healing and motivating power of animals and a natural environment combined with evidence-based practices in helping little ones and their families overcome some of the obstacles that may hinder the pathway into a happy healthy childhood. 

​She is endorsed by First 3 Years (formerly Texas Association for Infant Mental Health). She specializes in utilizing animals and a natural environment to assist children and their families struggling with developmental delay or associated early childhood problems. ​

CBellus@Pawsranch.net