MEET THE TEAM
Brianna Navarro
FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Teddy’s Legacy was created in honor of Brianna’s beloved heart horse, Teddy. A lifelong equestrian and passionate advocate for animal welfare, Brianna established this organization to bridge the gap between equine veterinary science, educational opportunities, and access to diagnostic and compassionate health care for horses. Drawing on her professional background as a team leader and project manager, years of previous experience leading a 501c3 nonprofit committee, and her growing social media presence within the equestrian community, she leads Teddy’s Legacy with a focus on collaboration, transparency, and impact.
Abigail Cofer
director of BOARD & governance
After getting back into horses as an adult, Abigail bought Silver Destroyer, a bright and athletic OTTB mare. Unfortunately, Destroyer started showing signs of discomfort early on. Abigail sought advice from many training professionals, but most told her she was the problem, she needed to drug her horse, or to give up entirely. Convinced that Destroyer had something neurologically wrong, Abigail pursued every avenue to make Destroyer more comfortable. Destroyer declined rapidly and was ultimately humanely euthanized on September 23, 2025. Honoring a promise to Destroyer, Abigail now events with her new horse, Gumdrop, and channels her grief into advocacy. Her nonprofit experience and firsthand knowledge of neurological conditions inspired her to join the Teddy’s Legacy board. She aims to encourage conversations about equestrian mental health and equine neurological conditions so no horse or rider has to suffer through what she and Destroyer did.
Nora Kobayashi
Director of education & programs
Nora’s journey with Teddy’s Legacy began through her mare, Jinx, whose subtle but persistent symptoms sparked more questions than answers. Drawing on her nursing background and lifelong commitment to animal care, Nora refused to settle for dismissive explanations and pursued deeper understanding—work that ultimately led to Jinx’s ECVM diagnosis. As she navigated the overwhelming amount of misinformation surrounding ECVM, Nora became determined to ensure that other equestrians wouldn’t have to go through the same experience alone. After connecting with Brianna through social media, she felt called to contribute her skills, curiosity, and compassion to Teddy’s Legacy.
jennifer mulally
strategic advisor
Jennifer's horse Sonny was Teddy's best friend. Through the joys and love these two horses shared, along with the hardship and grief as Teddy's life came to a close, Brianna and Jennifer grew close. Through the journey they empowered themselves through education and learning and have discovered how powerful kindness and welfare can be in horse training and ownership. Together, Brianna and Jennifer are advocates for change to create a better world for horses. Sonny now lives with Brianna's Gypsy Vanner, Zephyr.
MEREDITH BOGACZ
DIRECTOR OF FUNDRAISING
Meredith began riding horses as a young child and pursued dressage training as a teenager and young adult. After a brief break to explore other interests, she returned to horses in 2017 and purchased Sausalito in 2021. When Sausi began to struggle with higher-level work in late 2025, she pursued a full performance evaluation, and neck X-rays revealed ECVM. Suddenly, all of his quirks started to make sense. With the help of knowledgeable veterinarians, trainers, and therapists, she and Sausi are forging their own path—and she hopes to give other owners access to the same kind of support. Meredith was invited to join Teddy’s Legacy after connecting with Brianna on Instagram, and she looks forward to channeling her experience in fundraising and donor management to help expand the organization’s impact.
Teddy
I bought Teddy in March of 2025 and said goodbye just eight short months later on October 29. It was hard to go through Teddy's diagnosis and eventual passing, but I don't regret a thing - Teddy was such a joy and a gift and I hope now I can share his legacy with many horses and people to come.
~Brianna
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