Meet the Team
Rene Karapedian
Owner/Founder
Rene Karapedian has deep roots in the pet care industry and the local community, with more than three decades dedicated to elevating animal care services throughout Burbank and Glendale, California.
His career began in the mid-1990s with Glendale’s first mobile dog grooming service. He soon founded Pet Rush, a boutique pet shop and grooming business recognized by the City of Glendale as the community’s first Rescue-Only pet store. Rene’s advocacy for animals gained national recognition through organizations such as Best Friends Animal Society and the Humane Society of the United States, particularly for helping champion one of the first local ordinances banning the sale of dogs from puppy mills—legislation first adopted in Glendale and later echoed by communities across the country.
Over the years, Rene built several highly regarded pet care businesses, including Glendale Pet Resort, the city’s first dog and cat daycare and boarding facility, as well as Pet Rush Inn and Double Dog Dare Ya in Burbank—each known for exceptional standards of care and trusted by generations of local pet owners.
Most recently, Rene brought his vision for animal-centered community spaces to life through Silver Saddle Stables, located in the historic Glendale/Burbank Rancho district. Silver Saddle brings people together through meaningful interaction with animals and the natural environment, offering equine learning experiences, wellness programs, and canine services designed to foster connection, confidence, and well-being.
Through Silver Saddle, Rene continues his lifelong commitment to responsible animal care while helping create a welcoming place where people of all ages can learn, connect, and grow alongside horses and dogs.
Karen Pavliscak
Education and Program Director
Karen Pavliscak is a nationally recognized educational leader who has spent more than 25 years creating dynamic environments where people learn, reflect, and grow. She previously served as Associate Head of School for Teaching and Learning at The Archer School for Girls, where she led initiatives that enriched programs and advanced excellence in teaching. As co-founder of Spark Momentum Learning, she partners with schools across California to strengthen instructional practices and support high-quality learning environments.
Karen believes that animal-partnered learning offers a rare opportunity for participants to become more present, aware, and open. At Silver Saddle Stables, she brings together her deep educational expertise with her lifelong love of horses and dogs. Working with the leadership team, she integrates research-based practices into equine- and canine-assisted programming to help participants of every age meet their goals, deepen self-awareness, and experience a strong sense of belonging that extends far beyond the barn.
A lifelong rider and animal advocate, Karen is passionate about the role horses and other animals can play in helping people connect with themselves, others, and the natural world..
Natasha Davani
Equine-Assisted Learning Therapist
Natasha Davani is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and EAGALA-certified equine therapist with more than 9 years in the mental health field across a variety of clinical therapeutic settings. Her approach is warm, direct, and deeply relational: she believes healing happens in connection, not in isolation, and that the most honest insights often surface outside the four walls of a traditional office.
Horses have been a significant part of Natasha's life since childhood, growing up riding in the canyons of Malibu and at local ranches throughout Southern California, an early connection that continues to shape her work today. She is passionate about the unique ways horses can mirror and illuminate human experience and emotion. She offers predominantly ground-based equine therapy, meeting clients and horses on equal footing in a safe, warm space where clients can build self-awareness, process emotion, and develop healthier relational patterns.
Lexi Martindale
Equine-Partnered Occupational Therapist
Lexi Martindale is a Licensed Occupational Therapist and experienced educator, coach, and mentor who brings nearly 20 years of experience helping children, adolescents, and adults develop skills, overcome challenges, and achieve meaningful goals. She holds a Master of Science in Occupational Therapy and a Bachelor of Science in Applied Exercise Science.
Lexi’s professional experience spans pediatric therapy, rehabilitation, education, life-skills training, group facilitation, and individualized therapeutic intervention. As an Occupational Therapist, she has extensive experience assessing individual needs, developing meaningful goals, providing patient and family education, and collaborating with multidisciplinary teams.
Lexi has a longstanding passion for equine-assisted services and previously assisted with therapeutic riding programs, including Shadow Hills Therapeutic Riding and Ahead With Horses. Her clinical background in occupational therapy, combined with her extensive experience working with individuals of diverse ages and abilities, provides a strong foundation for equine-assisted coordinated care.
Through her work, Lexi integrates occupational therapy principles, relationship-centered care, movement, and the unique connection between humans and horses to create meaningful opportunities for growth, confidence, participation, and improved quality of life.
Pet
Resort
Daycare, grooming and enrichment for dogs
Equine
Programs
Horsemanship, Equine-Assisted Learning & Wellbeing
Community Programs & Special Events
Community events and private celebrations
Membership
Join the Silver Saddle Community
1900 Riverside Dr
Glendale, CA 91201
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