CYNTHIA SPRAGUE

Owner of Starwind Farm

Cynthia Sprague is a lifelong student of everything horses. With 30 years of equine experience, she has established Starwind Farm LLC to ensure that her love of horses and equine development is central to her life. Cynthia is Level 3 Natural Horsemanship certified and currently competes in both Eventing and Dressage. Cynthia’s love of the Pioneer Valley has brought her back to the Berkshire Region, where her love for learning began. Her education and certifications include:

  • BA in Psychology and Education from Mount Holyoke College
  • Postgraduate Studies at Florida International University
  • Participation in the URI Physical Therapy Master’s Program
  • Massage Therapy Certification from the Muscular Therapy Institute in Cambridge
  • Certifications in Orthopedic Massage, Sports Massage, Geriatrics, and Pathology

OUR TRAINERS

Starwind Farm is more than just a place to comfortably board your horses, we offer training by our elite and accomplished staff.

SUZANNE MENTE
SUZANNE MENTETrainer
Suzanne enjoys helping riders find creative ways to tap into their horse’s abilities. She works with riders to help them clarify their goals (whatever they are!) and improve communication with their horses. Clarity builds confidence.

For riders with showing goals in mind, her teaching reflects the training scale that develop horses & riders as they move up the levels. In addition to lessons and clinics, she coaches riders at both local and recognized shows and has helped students earn their USDF Bronze & Silver medals.

Suzanne started teaching over 20 years ago. She spent many years at UMass, teaching dressage & jumping, equine management and coached the dressage team. She was voted coach of the year for the Intercollegiate Dressage Association (2010) and was inducted into their Hall of Fame. Suzanne is a certified Level I instructor through the USEA (US Eventing Association), and a USDF L graduate (US Dressage Federation’s judge education program). Suzanne judges schooling shows throughout New England.

FRAN LUKEHART
FRAN LUKEHARTClinician
Fran Latané is a lifelong student of horses. She began riding at age 7 and has been a professional since 2008. She was licensed as a Parelli Professional from 2010 to 2016. As a teen, Fran studied and competed in dressage, jumpers, and eventers with local and regionally recognized trainers, and was active in the 4-H horse program. In 2010, she worked as an assistant trainer at Heartland Ventures, a world-class Arabian breeding facility in South Dakota, where she developed young horses under saddle.

Fran now enjoys riding competitive Eventers, Jumpers, and Dressage, and is passionate about developing her young horses for English sports training through natural horsemanship philosophies. She is also a student at Penn State via their World Campus, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology with eventual goals of attaining her Ph.D. in clinical psychology.