Lyn Shoemaker
President
Lyn is the founder and owner of Golden Age Ranch. After many years on island, Lyn recognized the dire need for a sanctuary for the island's abandon horses and took it upon herself to provide that shelter. All the horses that have come through our rescue owe their lives to Lyn's kindness and generosity.
Nikki Fernandes
Vice President
Nikki was raised on St. Thomas and learned how to ride at age 10 years old with Jerry James. Jerry gave Nikki her first two horses, one of which was a retired Thoroughbred from off the track who Nikki retrained. She took a break from horses and riding while she attended the University of North Carolina for her Bachelors in Medical Anthropology and then Tulane University in New Orleans for her Master’s in Public Health with a focus on International Health and Development. After working in the public health nonprofit sector in New Orleans for a few years, Nikki then moved back to St. Thomas to work on a disaster recovery project with the VI Department of Health. Nikki stepped in to help and temporarily manage the ranch after Jerry’s sudden passing, and continues to engage with the ranch as the Vice President of the Board of Directors. She is passionate about rehabilitating and offering the retired racehorses a second chance, as well as providing the community with a hub for learning about and enjoying the horses.
Holly Fletcher
Secretary
As a native to Michigan, Holly is no stranger to farm life and hard-work. She moved to St. Thomas in 2012 and has been active in our local community since then. Holly is always looking for ways to contribute to her island home.
Holly has done wonders for the ranch since her arrival and has contributed greatly to its recent success. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the ranch and is the chair of the Community Outreach Committee
Ashley Harrell
Executive Director
Ashley joined the Golden Age Ranch team in 2020 as the Ranch Manager. Ashley comes to GAR with over 30 years of equine husbandry, riding and educational programming experience. She is truly living out her dream of sunshine, beaches, and of course, horses!
Chloe Perkins
Barn Staff
Chloe began volunteering with the horses at 12 years old and learned most of what she knows about horses from previous ranch manager Jerry James. Chloe has been an irreplaceable asset to the ranch and the horses. She has devoted an incredible amount of time and effort to the well-being of our horses and we are immensely grateful.
Kelly Mason-Hudson
Barn Staff
Kelly moved to St Thomas full-time in July of 2018 and works as a First Mate with the local charter boat company, Stormy Pirates. Kelly is a licensed Registered Nurse that practiced in Labor & Delivery for 20+ years in Alabama and Tennessee. Her other careers have been as a volunteer firefighter in Alabama with her oldest son, a music journalist & photographer for an online magazine and operated a ferret rescue for special needs and unadoptable ferrets for 8 years. Kelly started helping out at the ranch in March of 2020, fell in love with the horses and the rest is history.
Doris Schiepan
Barn Staff
Doris is a native of Pennsylvania and Virginia. She grew up loving horses and going horseback riding during her travels. After moving to St. Thomas she became involved with the ranch. Her hardwork and dedication to the well-being of the horses is an asset to our team.
Danielle Caccamo
Barn Staff
Danielle grew up riding and caring for horses. After a 10 year hiatus from horse riding she moved to St Thomas to connect with her family here and ended up rekindling her love for horses through her work caring for the retired racehorses here at Golden Age Ranch.
Adrienne Dooley
Barn Staff
Adrienne moved to St. Thomas to pursue her career as a speech and language pathologist and was searching for a way to get more involved in the community. She found her way to GAR and was immediately taken with the horses and inspired by the dedication of the current volunteers. Adrienne grew up riding and has always sought out opportunities to be involved in the equestrian world. It is her goal to horseback ride in every country she visits. She believes that you haven’t truly understood a place until you have taken in the scenery from a saddle. So far, she has ridden in Hungary, Honduras, Galapagos, Ecuador, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Greece, and New Zealand.
Danielle Taylor
Barn Staff
Born in Florida and blessed to grow up in the Virgin Islands, I got the opportunity to spend my summers with my grandparents on their farm where my love for animals rooted. Although being a relatively new addition to the team I feel at home and my love for the horses has grown fonder through getting to work closer with these gentle giants.
