Meet the committee
Nona Dane MCSP Chair ACPEA
I joined the ACPTR as a committee member in 2013 whilst still a student on the ACPTR Hippotherapy course. Once I completed the training in 2014, I started offering hippotherapy sessions from my farm using two ponies. At the time I was still working in the community as Highly Specialised Paediatric Physiotherapist but retired from the NHS in 2015. I eventually took on the role of professional network representative and professional affairs officer for CPTRH. After completing 9 years as an executive committee member, I had to relinquish my role on the committee. This break was short lived as I was asked to rejoin the committee in 2023. In June 2023 I was voted onto the ACPEA committee as Chairperson and currently enjoy being part of a fantastic team. I am also an active member of the European Equine Assisted Therapy Network (EEATN) HETI and EASP. Once a week I coach at a local RDA group and travel around the region, offering training and advice to other groups in my role as ACPEA RDA Regional Physiotherapist. The area I mainly cover is Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire but also parts of Hampshire, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire. I continue to offer a few sessions of equine assisted physiotherapy a week from the farm but spend most of my time mucking out, feeding and grooming.
Helen Forbes – Treasurer
Helen is a Paediatric Physiotherapist with nearly 2 decades of NHS experience, specialising in developmental and neurological disorders, as well as paediatric musculoskeletal and respiratory conditions. A qualified Hippotherapist, she joined ACPEA in 2021 to combine her clinical skills with her lifelong passion for horses. Helen runs H.O.P.E (Horses Offering Physical Enrichment) Hippotherapy in Hampshire and volunteers with Wellington and Dummer RDA. She is also a former horse owner.
Elspeth O’Donnell, retired Physiotherapist, serving a second spell as Secretary.
After 10 years she thought her committee days were over especially as the move to the new website seemed to be complete, but she was roped back in 2 years ago. Qualified in 1966, and worked in a variety of roles in this and other countries. Involved with Race horses through marrying a trainer. Started the Group which morphed into Muirfield while working with Learning Disabilities in East Lothian. Continued to promote and support RDA while working as a Community Paediatric Physio in Oxfordshire for 25 years. Rose to RDA Regional Physio for South, a post now shared with Nona, our Chair. Retired from active practice in 2020, but happy to continue HCPC at present and to support therapists from this role of Secretary.
Jo Parsons - Education Officer
Jo is a highly experienced Specialist Paediatric Physiotherapist with over 12 years dedicated to supporting children and young people. Prior to specialising in paediatrics, she worked extensively in community settings, developing a strong foundation in holistic, family-centred care.
For more than a decade, Jo has practised hippotherapy across both private and charitable sectors. She currently works with a North East charity delivering hippotherapy, rebound therapy, traditional physiotherapy, and hydrotherapy to children throughout the region. She works closely with the Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) and is passionate about championing the unique and transformative benefits of hippotherapy. Jo is also committed to supporting and inspiring other physiotherapists who aspire to work within this rewarding field.
A strong advocate for inclusive sport, Jo is dedicated to helping disabled people access recreational and competitive opportunities to enhance wellbeing and confidence. She is also a classifier for wheelchair rugby, supporting fair and inclusive participation within the sport.
In her spare time, Jo enjoys being outdoors — paddle boarding on rivers, lakes, or the sea, hiking in the Lake District, or hacking out in nearby fields on Dakota the cob.
