Meet the Staff

Chief Executive Director
A young woman with curly brown hair, wearing glasses, a beige baseball cap with 'Blessed' embroidered on it, and a blue T-shirt with white text, standing outdoors in a lush green area.

Kassi Cartee

Kassi Cartee is our CEO.  She has 2 sons, Koda and Jetson and a bonus daughter, Luna.  Kassi and her fiancé, Dave, have 14 animals:  5 dogs, 3 cats, and 6 horses.  Kassi started out as a stall cleaner and instructor at the first location of Freedom Reins.   She joined the board in 2022 and was nominated as secretary.  She became the lead instructor in 2023.  Then in February of 2024, she became the Executive Director and led the move to Life Foursquare's property in 2025. She loves having horses as coworkers & getting to watch lives transform.  Kassi is blessed to get to share Jesus and pray for and with families.  Her vision for Freedom Reins is to continue to grow and become a resource to even more families, while increasing the skills of current students. God has given her lots of dreams, and she is excited for them to come to fruition in His timing.   

Part-Time Student Instructor

Marissa McCollum

Marissa is our newest staff member at Freedom Reins. She started by watching Kassi’s kids with two legs (Jetson & Koda) and has progressed to the four-legged ones. Marissa is a recent graduate of Warrensburg-Latham High School and is beginning the process of becoming PATH (Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship) certified.

Her dedication to learning and her natural affinity for the animals have already made her an invaluable part of the team. Marissa has enjoyed getting her boots dirty around the barn in all aspects, from cleaning stalls and walking horses to growing in her own riding skills.

When she’s not at the barn, you’ll find Marissa hanging out with her own furry canine baby, COCO and his siblings Zeke, Millie, and Izzy the cat. She loves country music and has started on her bucket list of favorite concerts to attend.

A woman with long curly hair, wearing glasses and a blue t-shirt, stands in a grassy field holding a leash attached to a white horse with brown patches. The woman is smiling, and there are tall trees and a fence in the background.

“I love all of our horses and it's truly an honor to know each of them so well. However, I do have to be biased and pick Sugar as my favorite. I received her as a present from my family in 2013. She was a 3 year old that didn't know anything besides a halter. We have grown and learned so much about each other. It has taken years of training to get her to be the incredible therapy horse she currently is. You can truly be yourself with her and trust she has your best interest at heart. Sugar is tried and true and has aided in assisting each of our students, along with their families. Sugar is my heart horse and we have a bond that allows us to communicate effectively through body language.” 

“I've been able to see countless breakthroughs with my students. Recently, I was working with a student that has autism and was experiencing anxiousness in school. I could tell he wasn't his normal bright self this particular lesson. By the end of our time, I knew there was something he was really bottling up, so I ‘opened it’. We sat in the arena with Sugar and talked through issues that lead to an anxiety attack. We prayed together, pet Sugar, cried, gave coping homework, and had lots of hugs. The next day, he went to school happy and confident with his light bright again. 

Horses are the best tool to relieve stress and provide a safe space to heal. Everyone can use some therapy!”

A young girl wearing a helmet is sitting on a horse, talking to a woman who is holding a sign that says 'Walk Back.' The scene is inside a barn or riding arena.