Melissa Ulmer - President

Melissa grew up around horses and her love for helping them drove her to start rescuing horses from slaughter. Her first rescue was a small pony named Scout that she got for her daughter. After seeing how many horses and ponies were sent to slaughter each year, she decided to open her own rescue to help as many horses she possibly could. In October of 2013 Melissa started A Pony's Paradise Equine Rescue and started rescuing horses immediately.

Melissa's determination goes above and beyond when it comes to the horses. She is at the barn rain or shine, most of the time by herself, caring for the horses and making sure they are happy and healthy. She never takes a day off and will stay at the barn until late at night and even into the early morning if one of the horses is sick, always making sure they receive the best of care.

Melissa has already helped many horses, giving them the care they need and finding several their forever homes. She is determined to help save more horses in the years to come and give them the chance at a future they deserve.

Lisa Haines - Vice President

Lisa has been a professional in the horse industry for 30 years, training, teaching and managing barns.  She is passionate about rescue and animal welfare. She uses her expertise to work with the rescued horses to give them the best possible education so they can fine great homes. She feels that working with rescue horses is a great way to use her skills and experience to give back.

Nicole Curcio - Secretary

Nicole has her masters degree in Library Science from the University at Albany.  She has been a horse fanatic since she was a child and now has 4 horses of her own; Sundance, Po, Comanche, and Big Ben who live among the APPER rescues.  She has helped out at APPER for the last couple years volunteering her time cleaning, mucking and grooming when she could.  As a board member she will be helping with all APPER's social media, fundraising, and community relations as well as helping out at the barn on a regular basis.  Nicole is also the mother of three dogs, two eels, two beta fish, and a crested gecko.  Feel free to contact Nicole through any of APPER's social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.

Janice Egan - Treasurer

Janice's love for horses has driven her to help us save as many horses as possible. Her knowledge of accounting has helped APPER with their finances. Janice's greatest love is for her horses Suzie and Merlyn.

Danielle Campbell - Program Coordinator

Danielle started working with horses when she was thirteen and she hasn't looked back since. Her first horse, Jack, taught her so much and made her love and passion for horses grow. In December 2014 she received her Bachelor's degree in Equine Science from the University of New Hampshire and plans continuing with her education in Equine Studies in Graduate school. Her goal is to teach at an agricultural university and pass on her love of horses to future Equine lovers.

In the summer of 2014 she interned at APPER and fell in love with the horses. Danielle spent most of the summer with Toby, our blind horse, and the two of them bonded immediately. In the eight weeks she interned with us, Danielle worked on voice commands and got Toby walk/trot/canter under saddle.
After she graduated, Melissa asked her to become a director for the rescue and she happily agreed.

She sets up fundraisers and helps Melissa out at the barn as much as she can.

Katherine Weber - Marketing

Katherine Weber is a Licensed Real Estate Salesperson with Keller Williams Realty Partners, specializing in equestrian properties and country homes. Prior to starting her career in real estate, Katherine worked for nine years in institutional foreign exchange sales. Her experience on the trading floor has proven to be extremely useful in her real estate career. She is comfortable acting as an intermediary in complex transactions, and insists on clear, accurate communication. In foreign exchange as in real estate, Katherine's clients have relied on her to provide thoughtful analysis of both the broad market environment as well as the nuances of each transaction. In addition to her work with clients, Katherine also manages her horse farm, Grey Ledges, and a small portfolio of investment properties.  She graduated magna cum laude from Cornell University with a B.S. in Applied Economics and Management.​

Leanne Keeley - Web Solutions

Leanne is a professional computer programmer and horse lover. She has been working with rescues in the Dutchess County area for over 10 years. She met Melissa and the rest of the APPER team when she came to volunteer around the barn. In January 2017 she adopted Jewel, rescued by APPER in January 2016. She helps out around the barn and uses her professional knowledge to help with the website and other technical jobs.

Jessica Carson - Fundraising and Outreach

Jessica has been on the back of a horse since she was a little girl, and hasn’t gotten off since. In April of 2018, she adopted one of APPER’s rescues, Roman, and loves him to the moon and back. Jessica is currently getting her Master’s in Social Work and would one day like to combine clinical therapy and horses, because there is no denying the way horses can heal our hearts.