Southlands Therapeutic Riding Society

05/01/2024

⭐️ Our Volunteers! ⭐️

We would like to recognize and thank our wonderful group of volunteers, without their support we would not be able to run our program! 🤩

🐴 A BIG thank you to...

⭐️ Alyson, Ann, Caitlin, Edith, Elaine, Elise, Eliza, Elizabeth, Ellie, Isabel, Janet, Jenn
⭐️ June, Kathleen, Leslie, Marcia, Marguerite, Mary, Miranda, Nell, Noel, Priya, Rain
⭐️ Sally, Sara, Susan, Talia, & Vicky!

04/01/2024

⭐️ Thank You to Unity for Autism for their generous donation!
for.autism

21/10/2023

Thank you so much to the YP Heung Foundation for your generous donation to STaRS in support of the STaRS group lesson program! We could not operate without the generosity of our donors, and we are so grateful to you for your continued support. 🐴💖🌟

18/09/2023

STaRS is hiring!!

We are looking for therapeutic riding instructors who have at a minimum either their CanTRA Basic Instructor certification or the PATH International Therapeutic Riding Instructor certification. We require our instructors to meet established therapeutic riding criteria and standards of practice, including a knowledge of disabilities, equine and stable management, teaching methodologies and human-equine interactions.

* We offer competitive hourly rates for instructors, increasing according to level of certification and years of experience

* Our schedule is flexible – You can teach days, after school and/or weekends

* We are accessible – Based at Southlands Heritage Farm/Pony Meadows, we can easily be reached by Vancouver city bus

* We work in a unique environment – Southlands is an agricultural neighbourhood in Southwest Vancouver with many equine facilities and trails in a peaceful environment. Our students also have access to several ring riding options.

* We have enthusiastic, well-trained and experienced volunteers to tack up and lead our horses, as well as to support riders as side walkers.

If you are interested and available, please send a covering letter and resume to: [email protected]

03/09/2023

STaRS recently had the pleasure of hosting Michael A. Sachs and JNF Vancouver at the lovely Southlands Heritage Farm for the presentation of JNF's generous donation to STaRS. We are so grateful to JNF for their incredible generosity and support!

Amadeus, one of our amazing EAL horses, was very pleased to be included in the presentation as well 🐴🦄🌟

25/08/2023

STaRS is very excited to be working on a documentary film about our organization and the value of therapeutic riding. A short preview of the film can be seen here: https://vimeo.com/831665640

Many thanks to our wonderful filmmaker, Lee Buckley, for all of your hard work, dedication, and insight in creating this beautiful film!

This is "Stars - Equine Therapy" by Lee J Buckley on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

01/08/2023

STaRS was absolutely delighted to host a 2-part Equine Facilitated Wellness workshop this Spring and Summer for a group of youth ages 11 -16 at the beautiful Southlands Heritage Farm. Facilitated by our wonderful instructors, Alex, Rebekah, Ruth, and Charlotte, and supported by our amazing volunteers, Susan and Liz, the participants formed new friendships, worked on mindfulness activities, and learned about horses, horse care, and communication within the herd. Thank you so much to TELUS and TELUS Friendly Future Foundation for sponsoring this wonderful workshop and making this opportunity possible!

20/07/2023

We are so excited to welcome to the STaRS team our new Equine Assisted Learning and Wellness Instructor, Rebekah!

Rebekah grew up with a love for horses. She started riding at around 3 years old and has been riding ever since. She spent every hour possible at the barn from a very early age. Now, she still enjoys riding horses in the hunter/jumpers in her spare time. She’s completed horsemanship levels and worked as a summer student for some of the top barns in Ontario.

Rebekah has her BSc (Honours) in Environmental Sciences and is currently attending Vancouver College of Counsellor Training to pursue a career in the therapeutic space. She is certified in Cartier Farm’s Equine Assisted Learning and is excited to merge horses and therapeutic practices. She believes horses provide calm, honest feedback and have a unique ability to meet us where we’re at.

STaRS' Equine Assisted Learning and Wellness (EAL) program, is unmounted equine therapy working with horses from the ground. The focus of the sessions will vary depending on the student's specific interest and goals, including therapeutic healing, increased self-awareness, and personal growth. Session activities can include non-verbal communication with the horse, grooming and horse care, leading the horse, and natural horsemanship.

To book an EAL session or to learn more about the program, please contact [email protected] 🐴🦄🌟

15/07/2023

STaRS recently had the absolute pleasure of attending this year's JNF Pacific Negev Event!

We are so excited and honoured to be the local charity supported at this year's event, and we are very grateful to JNF for your generous donation to STaRS. Thank you to JNF Vancouver and Michael A. Sachs for your support and for this wonderful opportunity!

12/07/2023

STaRS is so pleased to share the story of our July featured rider, Simone!

Simone's Story:

"When I first joined the STARS program, I was really excited, but also very nervous, since I had not been on a horse since I was really little, and horseback riding was still a brand new sport to me. I decided to take it up again after watching my favourite show on CBC, Heartland.

When I met Gail, Ruth, Susan and Sally I instantly felt comfortable. They were very patient with me and really encouraging, which definitely made me feel more confident. Susan and Sally were amazing side walkers and Gail and Ruth were amazing teachers.

I was excited to see Lexi every single day and give her some carrots as an extra treat after practice. I felt like Lexi knew I was anxious, and that’s why she was so calm when I was mounting her for the first time, which I was nervous about doing. Once I got on Lexi, I felt so comfortable and relaxed. She was such a great horse, and riding her instantly made my anxiety go away and my everyday worries. I’m so glad that I got paired with her.

I felt so calm in the STARS environment, and everyone was so incredibly supportive and patient with me, which I couldn’t be more grateful for. I’m so glad that this program exists and I will continue to support it for a very, very long time and everyone involved."

Thank you very much to Simone for sharing your story and for being our July Featured Rider! 🤩🦄🌟

You can see Simone's story and our full July 2023 newsletter at: https://mailchi.mp/9b7032ee7314/july-2023-donor-newsletter

08/06/2023

We would like to say a huge, heartfelt thank-you to the Al Roadburg Foundation for your generous donation to STaRS! We could not operate and support our riders without the support of our amazing donors, and we are so grateful to you for your generosity 🌟🐴❤️

03/06/2023

It’s Canada’s National Day of the Horse!! On this day STaRS would like to salute our horse heroes! STaRS could not do the work we do without our therapeutic herd. Thank you to the owners of our therapeutic herd: Southlands Heritage Farm, Robyn Hunt and Shannon Stables.

STaRS’ mission is to share the wonder of the horse to inspire confidence and purpose by helping children, youth and adults with special needs or personal challenges to reach their behavioural, emotional and physical goals through therapeutic riding.

To salute our horse heroes Sprite, Pirate, Austin, Lexi, Echo, Briggs, and Leo – thank you 🙏💖

We hope that you will consider donating to STaRS on Canada’s National Day of the Horse at 6767 Balaclava St., Vancouver, BC, V6N 1R7 or by etransfer to [email protected] or through CanadaHelps https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/30635?v1=true. We provide tax receipts for all donations $25 and above. All funds raised will be used to financially support riders, expand our program, hire additional instructors and rent ring riding space. STaRS is a registered CRA charity and relies on donations and grants to operate. Thank you!

29/05/2023

STaRS would like to say a huge thank you to TELUS and TELUS Friendly Future Foundation for your generous donation to STaRS as part of the Telus Critter Comforts Campaign. At STaRS, we are very fortunate that we get to see the incredible impacts that working with animals has on physical, emotional, and mental health every day. We are grateful to Telus for your support, generosity, and commitment to creating healthy and strong communities that bring animals and people together.

17/05/2023

Calling all EFW/EAL Professionals: STaRS is Hiring! 🤩🌟

The Southlands Therapeutic Riding Society (STaRS) is looking for an Equine Facilitated Wellness/Equine Assisted Learning professional, with certification and experience in equine-facilitated wellness (EFW) and/or equine-assisted learning (EAL). STaRS offers private and small group EFW/EAL lessons using our experienced therapeutic horses for health and wellness experiences.

Responsibilities for the EFW/EAL professional include:
• Design and implementation of EFW/EAL sessions
• Horse care
• Liaison with STaRS Coordinator
• Maintaining client baseline and progress reports
• Supervision of EAL/EFW session volunteers as required

STaRS currently has 15 EFW/EAL clients and receives 4-5 enquiries per month for EAL. Schedules and coaching hours can be flexible, depending on the needs of clients and the work schedule of the applicant. Please send c.v. and letter of interest to [email protected].

15/05/2023

STaRS' horses, riders, volunteers, and staff have all been enjoying the beautiful, sunny weather lately! Wishing everyone a fantastic week! 😎🐴🌞

03/05/2023

Thank you to Michael A. Sachs and JNF Vancouver for visiting with the STaRS team this week at the beautiful Southlands Heritage Farm! STaRS is very excited and honoured to be the local charity supported at this year's JNF Pacific Negev Event. We are so grateful for your support and excited to be part of this wonderful event!

30/04/2023

We are incredibly grateful to the British Columbia Therapeutic Riding Association (BCTRA) for their recent award of two grants to STaRS. Through these grants, we are able to provide financial bursaries to riders who would otherwise not be able to participate in therapeutic riding and we are able to support the education of our current instructors and instructors in training. Thank you so much for ongoing support of STaRS! 🐴🌟

21/04/2023

This week is Canada's National Volunteer Appreciation Week, and STaRS is so grateful to all of our incredible volunteers, who work so hard to support STaRS' students, instructors, and ponies every day in the rain, snow, and sunshine! We truly could not operate without your generosity, time, and dedication.

Thank you to Susan, Mary, June, Marguerite, Alyson, Nicole, Marcia, Janet, Emily, Riley, Vicky, Sally, Andrea, Elise, Caitlin, Liz, and Nell 💖🌟

"Volunteering weaves us together, strengthening the fabric of our community by sharing our time, talent and energy to support one another." from Volunteer Canada

12/04/2023

STaRS would like to extend a heart-felt thank you to the Hamber Foundation for your generous support for rider bursaries in 2023. We are so grateful! 🐴🌟

09/04/2023

🐣Wishing everyone a very happy Easter from STaRS! 🐰

Photo by George Dolgikh from Pexels

06/04/2023

STaRS IS LOOKING FOR A TREASURER!

The Southlands Therapeutic Riding Society (STaRS) is looking for a special person who has an interest in giving back to the community by supporting children and adults with disabilities to benefit from equine therapy.

The STaRS treasurer attends monthly Board meetings, liaises with our bookkeeper, monitors and approves monthly expenditures and financial reports, assists in the preparation of the operating budget and prepares the annual financial report.

Even if you have no equine experience, please consider joining our Board of Directors to provide support to children, youth and adults who benefit physically and emotionally from the wonder of the horse! Email STaRS' Coordinator at [email protected] for more information.

31/03/2023

STaRS is Hiring!!

The Southlands Therapeutic Riding Society (STaRS) is looking for therapeutic riding instructors with CANtra or PATH certification. We are very flexible and can offer hours that fit with your schedule. Our instructor compensation is competitive with other therapeutic riding operations in the Lower Mainland.

Please join our wonderful team and help us provide support to children, youth and adults who benefit physically and emotionally from the wonder of the horse! Email STaRS' Coordinator, [email protected] for more information.

Photo by Linda Ellershein from Pexels.com

03/03/2023

NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

This is the Notice of Annual General Meeting for Southlands Therapeutic Riding Society which will be held on:

Tuesday, April 4, 2023
7:00 p.m.
At
Southlands Riding Club
Inside Clubhouse
7025 Macdonald St
Vancouver, BC
V6N 1G2

The Annual General Meeting will be held for the following purposes:

• To approve the Annual General Meeting minutes of April 19, 2022.
• To receive and consider the financial statements for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2022.
• To receive and consider the President’s Report, the Treasurer’s Report and the Program Coordinators Report.
• To elect the directors.

All members, volunteers and interested parties are welcome to attend. Please RSVP to: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdxtC1pib9E4iVYYfpcnMI30TDhUpi_Z04KGJ_-Vyzff8gbQg/viewform?usp=sf_link

We look forward to seeing you there!

Yours truly,

Ann Thomson
President

Date: Tuesday, April 4 Time: 7:00pm (Doors open at 6:45pm) Location: Southlands Riding Club - Inside the Clubhouse

15/01/2023

The Southlands Therapeutic Riding Society (STaRS) is a CRA registered charity and an established therapeutic riding facility based at Southlands Heritage Farm. The demand for our services is growing monthly and we are looking to meet that demand.

If you have experience with horses, knowledge and empathy for children and adults with disabilities, and a willingness to contribute to the expansion of STaRS’ services, we would encourage you to become a member of our volunteer Board. We are particularly looking for someone with financial experience to be our Treasurer. STaRS has a paid bookkeeper, so the role of the Treasurer is to monitor and report on Stars financial matters while ensuring that Board members are adequately informed of financial related issues to ensure good decision-making.

We are also looking for members at large to assist with fund raising. However, we welcome all those who are interested and have fresh ideas for helping us to expand our wonderful program! Horse experience is not a prerequisite.

For more information visit our website at: www.southlandstherapeuticridingsociety.ca

Please send a brief resume to our STaRS Program Coordinator at [email protected].

12/01/2023

Southlands Therapeutic Riding Society “STaRS” is pleased to feature our wonderful therapeutic riding instructor and Equine Facilitated Wellness counsellor, Penelope Harper! STaRS would not be where we are today without her dedication to our programs.

Penelope joined STaRS in 2014 as a volunteer and went on to complete her certification with CanTRA as a certified therapeutic riding instructor in 2017. Penelope teaches between 15-20 students a week and tailors her lessons to each individual’s needs. For the kids, she makes sure the lesson is FUN and keeps them engaged throughout the lesson. For adults, she focuses mainly on working with the movement and natural rhythm of the horse, combining Pilates exercises with regulation techniques for the client’s emotional and physical improvement.

Penelope also finds the time within her busy schedule (as a single parent) to Mentor and assist STaRS instructors in training.

Penelope has a love for learning and is always seeking ways to improve her work with people and horses. In 2022 she received her counselling diploma and is now able to provide counselling EFW. She has assisted STaRS in expanding our EFW work to include upcoming workshops for Big Sisters and youth at risk. She also currently provides 1:1 sessions for those living with depression, anxiety, grief, trauma and end of life care. Penelope has a kind,
supportive, empathetic nature and if you have been fortunate to watch her in action with her EFW work she is so “in tune” with her clients needs.

Penelope grew up on a farm in New Zealand and fell in love with horses at a very young age exploring the world of pony club and competing in the ‘traditional’ horse world. It wasn’t until 20 years later that she re-connected with horses again in Vancouver and saw them more for the incredible sentient beings they are. Penelope has since been on a journey of learning from many professionals in the horse field so she can bring an eclectic quality to her equine assisted services.

Penelope is a woman of many talents … her original training was in graphic design in television which led her to Vancouver in January 1999. She worked in the world of television for over 22 years before opting a second career in the ‘helper’ field. With her design skills, she designed the STaRS logo and the website, as well as crafting a fun coloured neck strap and pommel strap that she donated to the STaRS program.

STaRS is grateful to have Penelope as an instructor and EFW facilitator!! She truly is our superstar! 🌟

22/12/2022

We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to Unity for Autism for supporting STaRS with a recent grant award! We are so grateful for your generous support, which funds bursaries for riders. This means so much to us and our riders; thank you! 💖

20/12/2022

STaRS' latest newsletter is out now! Check out all of the exciting updates, our wonderful rider feature, and lots of cute pony photos here:

In this Christmas season, we are so pleased to report to our donors and friends that the STaRS family has continued to grow since our recovery from COVID restrictions.  

14/12/2022

We want to highlight and say a huge thank-you to our Platinum Sponsor, Henriquez Partners Architects Ltd, for their generous support of STaRS! We rely on donations to operate, offer, and expand our programming, and we couldn't do it without the support of our wonderful donors. Thank you so much ⭐️

Henriquez Partners Architects

10/12/2022

STaRS recently had the pleasure to meet and work with Dominic and the Canuck Place Children's Hospice. With our fabulous instructor, Penelope, Dominic spent a wonderful morning with Twister, Carmy, and Austin at the Southlands Heritage Farm.

A few words about the experience from Dominic's family: Dominic enjoyed his morning at Southlands, learning about and caring for horses. He obtained a certificate of achievement. Canuck Place Children's Hospice coordinated this special outing with Southlands Heritage Farm and Penelope Harper from Southlands Therapeutic Riding Society. Dominic loves animals especially horses and dogs. It was his wish, to have this opportunity as a special outing during his graduation stay at Canuck Place Children's Hospice.

Thank you to Canuck Place Children's Hospice, Dominic, and Dominic's family for sharing your experience with us❤️

29/11/2022

This Giving Tuesday STaRS is proud to be participating in a global day of giving!

Our mission is to share the wonder of the horse to inspire confidence and purpose by helping children, youth and adults with special needs or personal challenges to reach their behavioural, emotional and physical goals through therapeutic riding and equine facilitated wellness programs. We believe that Giving Tuesday is a great way to further this mission. On this special day, STaRS is asking for your help to support our work. Please consider making a donation to our campaign. Every little bit helps and we are so grateful for your support this !

STaRS is asking that you consider donating the equivalent of one or two cups of coffee ($5.00 or $10.00) on a monthly basis to STaRS through or make a one time donation this Giving Tuesday.

STaRS would like pay tribute to Sprite who is owned by The Maynard Family/Southlands Heritage Farm. Sprite, since STaRS inception has been an instrumental element of STaRS program and is “the best pony ever”. Sprite is very in tune with his riders and is kind and gentle and knows his therapeutic job well and is always willing to participate. His heart shaped spots reflect how large this pony’s heart really is.

Giving Tuesday funds will be used to financially support riders, expand our program, hire additional instructors and rent ring riding space.

We hope that you will consider donating to STaRS on this Giving Tuesday at 6767 Balaclava St., Vancouver, BC, V6N 0A7 or by etransfer to [email protected] or through CanadaHelps (https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/30635?v1=true). We provide tax receipts for all donations $25 and above.

STaRS is a registered CRA charity and relies on donations and grants to operate! Thank you!