Mary Richards has over two decades of professional experience training animals in a variety of environments and institutions. Emphasizing positive reinforcement techniques, she has trained multiple exotic and domestic species, with her recent focus and passion being equines and how positive reinforcement can improve their welfare. She is currently Zoological Manager at Walt Disney World’s equine facility, and has served as Animal Behavior and Welfare Consultant for the ACAT Lab at University of Central Florida. She is co-chair of the PPG Equine Steering Committee, an organization that promotes force free training for animal companions, and is a member of ABMA. More recently, Mary has served as a behavior and training consultant for both established equine rescues as well as individuals seeking one on one coaching and instruction in both equine management and training techniques.
