Our Team
Meet the team at ClearWind Farm
James Jefferies
James Jefferies is an experienced horseman and barn manager whose warmth, professionalism and expertise bring an additional dimension of comfort to the farm. The farm could not run as well as it does without his dependability, work ethic and calm manner. He has been a cherished friend and has worked with Matt and Suzanne for nearly 20 years.
Leigh Ann Apanites
Leigh Ann Apanites is an equine wellness specialist here at the farm. She has an animal science degree from NC State University. Riding hunter-jumpers and owning her own horse as a teenager helped her manage both adolescence and the additional challenges of depression and anxiety. As an adult, she was introduced to the more structured healing influence of horses through volunteering with a therapeutic riding program and helping friends with their equine-assisted psychotherapy practice. Leigh Ann’s current passion is finding ways to support other people in experiencing that healing influence. To that end, Leigh Ann is committed to applying her skills and knowledge of horsemanship to support Veterans through her work with Peace Reins. She loves furthering her education in EAL/EFL/EAP and has participated in training in trauma-focused equine-assisted psychotherapy (TF-EAP™) training at Natural Lifemanship in Texas. She is a certified Equus Effect facilitator.
Abby Ward
Abby Ward started at Clearwind as a volunteer, quickly realizing that horses are the best coworkers. After a year as a graduate intern, she joined the team part-time because she simply couldn’t stay away.
A social worker, Abby is passionate about the healing power of connection with animals. She feels especially strongly about Mac and Muffin, who she can be caught sneaking treats to often!
Bibi Thomas
Bibi Thomas graduated with a BA in Psychology from the University of Kentucky. She started riding saddle seat as a child and has been hooked on horses ever since! Most of her experience has been working with American Saddlebreds and Morgan horses, so they will always have a special place in her heart.
Bibi’s favorite part of working with horses is getting to know each horse’s individual personality and what makes them tick. You can usually find Bibi grooming and chatting with the horses on the farm, or working with Muffin on sharpening her ground work techniques and skills.
Garland Thomas
Garland Thomas is a native of Chapel Hill. She grew up loving and riding horses! Garland had two Welsh ponies early on and rode hunt seat. As an adolescent, she owned an Arabian mare and rode saddle seat. Garland always longed to return to a horse farm environment. After a very long leave of absence, she found her way to ClearWind Farm in 2021. Garland owns and operates a pre-school in Chapel Hill, founded in 1997. In her spare time, you’ll find her doing yoga and/or working on the farm. Garland finds it spritually fulfilling to break a sweat doing farm chores, developing relationships with the horses, admiring the view, and participating in the farm community.
Barb Ford
Barb Ford is the farm’s bookkeeper, office manager, and resident “jill of all trades”. She brings to ClearWind over 35 years experience in a variety of settings, including advertising, marketing, software, and newspaper publishing. She has a love of plants and gardening, and is enjoying sharing that at ClearWind.
Matt and Suzanne Case
We started ClearWind Farm shortly after we married in 2000, drawing upon Suzanne’s long career with horses and Matt’s then-new career in counseling. We have moved locations and evolved our approach, and in 2018 built our own facility. We have learned a lot in the 20+ years of providing equine assisted therapy, caring for horses and working with each other. We are proud of the facility, the people who work here, and the quirky herd we have gathered. We will continue to learn and evolve our programs and projects, and look forward to partnering with like-minded individuals and agencies in the area.
