Debbie Mills

Debbie Mills is Gateway's Barn Manager and Equine Professional — and in many ways, she is the foundation the barn was built on. Debbie was Gateway's very first full-time hire, joining the team even before Gateway Family Services of Illinois became an official nonprofit. That kind of trust goes both ways, and it shows in everything she does.

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Debbie's relationship with horses began at age nine and never really stopped. Over the years she has worn many hats in the equine world — 4-H leader for young riders, staff at a Quarter Horse breeding and show barn, and even polo pony exerciser during her college years. That breadth of experience gives her an instinctive understanding of horses that is hard to teach and impossible to fake.

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Debbie has deepened her work in trauma-focused care through her in-person Intensive with The Natural Lifemanship Institute, which included extensive online learning and an in-person component at Horse Sense of the Carolinas in Marshall, North Carolina. This training sharpened her understanding of the nuances of TF-EAP and what it takes to create safe, attuned experiences for the horses and clients in her care.

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Behind the scenes, Debbie is the person who makes the barn run — building the systems, holding the routines, and ensuring that the space stays safe, clean, and functional day in and day out. She loves dogs and cats as much as she loves horses, and brings that same steadiness and care to every animal at Gateway.