" I was that horse crazy kid right from the beginning.  My family had horses, but I definitely seemed to  I catch the bug the worst. 

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I started riding lessons at seven and joined Pony Club shortly after.  My first training project was a 9'1 hh Shetland rescue pony 'Smudge' that my Grandparents raised from two weeks old.  I certainly made her bombproof with all the toys I exposed her to playing with her on the lawn.  At ten, I backed her myself when she was a three-year-old. I only knew how to lead and ride, so I just walked beside her saying walk, then jogged and said trot, then would hop on and say the same.  Canter was trickier because I couldn't run that fast, but we got there eventually!   My training journey took me on some different paths after that, but recent influences have brought me back to that overall simplicity and fun.  

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​In my early teens, I spent the summers at my father's guest ranch in Manitoba.  I’d happily be in the saddle all day taking out trail rides. I even got a little experience with driving the team for hayrides and moving cattle with the horses.  I set up a summer riding camp, that continued to run for many years after.   One of my favorite skills that I picked up with public trail rides, was the ability to quickly assess which horse’s personality would suit each person best, so they could have a safe enjoyable ride.

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I was introduced to Three Day Eventing through a Pony Club viewing of the ’84 Olympics and was hooked.  It wasn’t until I was eighteen that I got my first horse, Power Surge aka “Jones” as an opinionated  five-year-old thoroughbred cross gelding.  When I finished school, I fully immersed myself to pursue the sport with him and became a working student, first with Margaret Godson and then with Peter Gray, each implementing a strong foundation in horse management, understanding conditioning, training, as well as competing. 

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​Following my working student positions, I worked at Cornerstone Farms for Barbara Mitchell and John Taylor, teaching up to 135 students of varying experience per week.  This was such a fabulous opportunity to gather lots of teaching experience with riders of all ages, it was also an opportunity to gain an understanding of operations involved with a robust facility.  They not only had a large riding school, but also over a hundred boarded horses and ran horse shows and clinics year-round.  There was a learning moment around every corner.

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​From there I went out on my own, I ran a small riding school, started and trained horses, galloped Thoroughbreds and continued to compete Power Surge up to the Advanced level.  We had great run at the Rolex Kentucky CCI**** and were named to the Canadian Eventing Shortlist.   The learning opportunities during this time were amazing, I was fortunate to receive coaching and mentorship from many world-class trainers that were involved with the Team.   After Power Surge retired happy and sound, I continued to bring along a number of other horses to the upper levels, keeping a spot on the CET lists or Talent Squad for over a decade.

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​Throughout my career teaching has always been my passion, starting young with creating the summer camp, on to riding schools, to being a coach and mentor to competitive students.  Many have become top competitors, top grooms and coaching professionals.  Regardless of the level, I find the greatest reward is helping the horse and human have a better understanding for each other, whatever the task. 

 

​More recently, I have competed in the Thoroughbred Makeover in Lexington, Kentucky  with finale finishes on both occasions.   In preparations for this unique competition I was introduced to Lindsey Partridge of Harmony Horsemanship TM.  With this new approach to my training and being inspired by watching Cavalia Odessyo, I have  become intrigued to learn more about liberty, trick training, the use of positive reinforcement and the science behind it.  Now with moving to Diamond Valley, Alberta, I've been bitten with the mountain trail bug, with living so close to the Kananaski's,  being able to explore this on horse back is certainly a whole other level of trail riding .   With these influences on my training, I have found a new level of partnership with the horses whether it is on the ground or in the saddle. 

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And like everything I do, as I learn it, I'm excited to share it with you!"

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