Camelot Therapeutic Horsemanship • Scottsdale, Arizona • Horsemanship for Children and Adults with Disabilities

Our People

Mary Hadsall, Executive Director

Mary first walked through the gates of Camelot to gain information about starting her own therapeutic horsemanship program. Instead, she found her destiny. An hour after leaving, she returned with a fully completed application for our internship program, which she entered in 2002. Within a year she was Camelot’s assistant barn manger; within two years she became director of riding instruction. Since 2004, she has served as our executive director, trotting with us into the bright, beautiful future of Camelot.

Mary is a certified riding instructor through the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH Intl., formerly NARHA). Her horse career spans nearly forty years. As an avid dressage enthusiast, she is intrigued with the horse/human connection and shares this love of equus with Camelot’s students. “Camelot is a place of dreams and empowerment,” says Mary. “Our horses teach our riders to reach for the moon. Nothing is impossible!” In addition to teaching at Camelot and riding her horse, Cliffy, Mary also enjoys photography, hot air ballooning, trail riding, and—especially—being a mom.

Prior to Mary’s work at Camelot, she worked as an instructor at the National Ability Center, a non-profit organization in Park City, Utah, that offers a variety of outdoor activities for people with disabilities. She also worked for several years in the mortgage business, which equipped her with the tools to handle the financial aspects of running our organization.

Mary brings an enormous array of gifts and talents to Camelot, including dedication, drive, sensitivity, and proven leadership skills. Her passion for the ideals of Camelot is evident in the work that she does and the lessons she teaches. One of her favorite sayings is, “The speed of the team is the speed of the leader!”

Michelle Bartlett, Director of Community Relations & Principal Riding Instructor

Michelle is a therapeutic riding instructor, certified through the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATH Intl., formerly NARHA). She has always had a love of and admiration for horses and has been a student of dressage for many years. She has had several excellent riding instructors throughout her life, but her best teachers are right here at Camelot. “The students and horses at Camelot have taught me more about spirit, strength, and communication than almost anyone,” says Michelle. “I hope I can teach our students as much as they teach me.”

Michelle is a graduate from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism, with an emphasis in public relations and a minor in communications. She has been with Camelot since 1999. She also aspires to be a published children’s book author. Her two children, as well as the many horse dreams that whiz around the Camelot barn, are her source of inspiration. Through words, she enjoys reminding people of the power of imagination.

Robin Erlich, Office Manager

Robin first became interested in Camelot when a friend who participates in a similar program overseas directed her to our web site. She began as a volunteer, and then in 2006 assumed her current staff position. With a lifelong love of horses and a background in both education and banking, Robin is well-suited to be a member of Camelot’s royal family.

Robin attended Humboldt State University and California State University Los Angeles, graduating in 1975 with highest honors and a BA in Liberal Studies. She continued on to graduate school and earned both a standard elementary credential and special education credential in 1976. After several years of teaching for the Los Angeles County Superintendent of Schools, she changed tracks entirely and became a consumer credit loan officer for First Interstate Bank. In addition to keeping the rest of the Camelot staff in line, Robin also works part time for her husband’s Los Angeles-based consulting firm.

In her spare time, Robin likes to ride her Paint horse, Gizmo; play with her two Bouviers, Kramer and Kosmo; and play Mah Jongg. Robin sums up everything equine in a way well-known to every true horse lover: “There’s something about the smell of horses and a barn that’s so enlivening, invigorating, and renewing.” We all know exactly what she means!

We respect your privacy.