Meet the Swan River Lesson Team
OUR INSTRUCTORS
Our instructors work together to provide safe, supportive, and consistent instruction for riders of all ages and experience levels.
A Team Approach to Riding Instruction
At Swan River, riders are supported by a team of instructors who communicate, collaborate, and share a commitment to safety, horsemanship, confidence, and steady progress.
Samantha Cotter
LESSON PROGRAM DIRECTOR
Sam oversees the Swan River lesson program, including rider placement, scheduling, instructor communication, school-horse assignments, and student progression. With more than twenty years of teaching experience, she brings an extensive background in rider development, horse training, collegiate competition, coaching, and equestrian program management.
Sam competed in both hunt seat and western horsemanship for the St. Cloud State University Equestrian Team, qualifying for IHSA Regional Championships eight times, earning multiple Regional wins, and placing in the top five at Zones. She later served as the team’s head coach for twelve years and as IHSA Regional President for collegiate teams across six states. She is also a former PATH-certified therapeutic riding instructor with experience teaching riders with a wide range of physical, neurological, and behavioral needs.
At Swan River, Sam built the current lesson program from the ground up, developing its curriculum, rider levels, policies, instructor team, and educational opportunities. She has worked with riders of all ages and experience levels, from complete beginners discovering horses for the first time to experienced riders pursuing advanced skills and competitive goals. Her teaching focuses on rider mechanics, clear communication, and developing thoughtful, adaptable horse people. Sam believes unmounted horsemanship is just as important as riding ability and works to give students the practical knowledge, judgment, and confidence they will need to lease or own a horse responsibly in the future.
Sam currently owns two horses with very different specialties. Wiggles, an 18-hand Friesian Sporthorse, has progressed with her from Training Level to schooling Fourth Level dressage. Gunner, a High Brow Cat-bred Quarter Horse, is her Mounted Patrol partner and has joined her for trail rides, parades, community events, search-and-rescue training, cattle sorting, and cutting. Together, they reflect what Sam values most: versatile horses, capable riders, strong partnerships, and the confidence to take skills learned in the arena out into the world.
Meet Our Instructors
Each instructor brings their own experience, personality, and strengths to the Swan River lesson program.
Meet Katie
Katie began riding at four years old and has spent more than a decade actively competing in the horse industry. Her experience spans a wide variety of disciplines, including Western Pleasure, games, reining, roping, jumping, and dressage. Katie also spent many of her formative riding years as a student of Swan River Lesson Program Director Samantha Cotter, an experience that helped shape both her riding and the teaching philosophy she brings to her own students today.
For the past seven years, Katie has developed her skills as a trainer and instructor, working with riders of all ages and experience levels—from beginners taking their first steps in the saddle to advanced riders pursuing competitive goals. She is currently working toward her judge’s cards in several disciplines and serves as a judge for the Minnesota Extreme Obstacle Association.
As an instructor, Katie describes her approach as straightforward, goal-oriented, and strongly focused on education. She believes riders should understand not only how to do something, but why they are doing it. Her goal is to give students the knowledge and tools to become thoughtful, capable riders who can continue growing both in and out of the saddle.
Katie also believes that meaningful goals are an important part of riding, whether a student is working toward a championship, mastering a new skill, building confidence, or simply having fun. She especially enjoys watching students work through a challenge and experience the moment when something they have practiced finally clicks.
Outside of teaching, Katie owns two horses. Her retired show jumper now competes in extreme obstacle challenges and serves alongside her with the Stearns County Mounted Patrol, while her other horse is her active show jumper. She enjoys finding new adventures for both of them and appreciates horses who are willing to try just about anything.
Katie is excited to be part of the Swan River team and to help develop the next generation of riders—whether their journey leads to recreational riding, competition, or eventually having horses of their own.
Meet Gina
Gina began teaching riding lessons as a teenager at a YMCA camp, where she quickly became known for her ability to explain concepts clearly—and for somehow being able to tell all eleven gray ponies apart. She later spent many years teaching dressage and jumping under the mentorship of a professional trainer before continuing her teaching career independently.
A former eventer with a strong foundation in dressage, Gina brings a well-rounded approach to rider and horse development. She believes in thoughtful cross-training and has developed a deep appreciation for the hunter, jumper, and equitation disciplines. Her specialty is helping riders build confidence, particularly those returning to riding after time away or working through nerves and anxiety in the saddle.
Gina owns two horses: Chip, a 22-year-old she has raised since birth and trained through Third Level dressage, and Iris, a Percheron/Quarter Horse cross. After suffering an injury as a foal, Iris became Gina's personal biomechanics project, and Gina has dedicated years to helping her develop strength, balance, and soundness through correct training.
Known for her patient, encouraging teaching style, Gina is passionate about creating a supportive learning environment where riders feel safe, challenged, and successful. She enjoys helping riders develop strong fundamentals, confidence, and meaningful partnerships with their horses, and is excited to share her knowledge and experience with the Swan River Stables community.
Meet Meredith
Meredith began taking weekly riding lessons at twelve years old. When her parents told her she would need to help pay for lessons if she wanted to continue, she arranged to work at the barn in exchange for saddle time. At fourteen, she answered an advertisement for a new barn looking for help—and that barn was Caille Farm, the property that Swan River Stables now calls home. She continued working there through high school, during college breaks, and after graduation, first earning lessons and eventually leasing a green-broke Appendix Quarter Horse whom she developed and showed through Second Level dressage.
Throughout more than 25 years with horses, Meredith has made a point of riding every kind of horse she could. She has helped start more than fifteen young horses and has worked with horses ranging from two-year-olds and off-track Thoroughbreds to Saddlebreds, cutting horses, and even mules. This wide variety of experiences helped shape her belief that riding different horses is essential to developing confidence, adaptability, and well-rounded horsemanship.
Although dressage is her primary discipline, Meredith has also enjoyed trail riding around the country, team penning, mounted shooting, jumping, and reining.
Meredith’s teaching experience includes working with beginning riders, helping friends and boarders, leading day camps, and volunteering for several years with a riding program serving children with disabilities. Her teaching style is calm, consistent, and encouraging. She emphasizes correct basics while helping riders safely step outside their comfort zones, celebrate small victories, and become more confident in the saddle.
One of Meredith’s favorite parts of teaching is watching a new skill finally “click,” whether a rider is learning to post the trot, finding the canter transition, or developing a more advanced connection with the horse. She is excited to return to the barn where so much of her own riding journey began and help a new generation of Swan River riders fall in love with horses.
Meet Monica
Monica began riding in the second grade and has developed a well-rounded equestrian background through a variety of disciplines. She started in the western riding world, competing in western pleasure and enjoying trail riding and recreational jumping before eventually discovering a passion for eventing.
Throughout high school and college, Monica competed in eventing, including as a member of the University of Kentucky Eventing Team. During her collegiate career, she also competed on the Intercollegiate Dressage Association circuit, qualifying for Nationals and placing ninth in the country.
Her love of dressage continued to grow through her partnership with her Off-the-Track Thoroughbred, Horseradish. Together, they progressed from Training Level through Third Level and earned all the scores required for her USDF Bronze Medal. Monica remains actively involved in competition and is currently pursuing her Bronze Medal with Distinction.
In addition to her equestrian career, Monica is a high school teacher with several years of experience working with students in grades 7–12. Her background in education has strengthened her ability to communicate clearly, adapt instruction to individual learning styles, and create a supportive environment where students feel comfortable learning, asking questions, and challenging themselves.
As an instructor, Monica believes that growth happens just outside of your comfort zone. She encourages riders to set meaningful goals, embrace challenges, and celebrate progress along the way. Viewing both horse and rider as athletes, she emphasizes strong partnerships, effective communication, and a lifelong commitment to learning. Her lessons focus on building confidence, developing skills, and helping riders reach their individual goals—whether they are riding for fun, personal growth, or competition.
