The Comox Valley Therapeutic Riding Society

01/21/2026

We're back!
Peaches didn't get the memo and dressed for summer holidays instead of winter. We helped her out and traded the cool shades for her warm blanket so she could join her pals in the field for a few weeks of R&R.

Over the holidays the horses enjoyed a week of just eating and socializing in the field, a week of liberty and play time, and finally some riding in the arena and trails! They are all rested up and didn't miss a beat getting back to classes.

We made it through our whole herd last year with "Horse of the Month" posts.

This year we thought we'd share some different topics like things we do to manage our horses care, choosing horses for the program, and some of the equipment we use!

Do you have questions you'd like to see answered? Drop them in the comments!

12/02/2025

December's horse of the month is a special one.
This is his big debut...
Meet ✨ Paintball ✨

PB is a 15hh, 23 year old Canadian-Paint cross gelding. He arrived to us only TWO days ago so we are at the very beginning of our journey with him.
PB has spent the last 15 years with a wonderful family, competing in jumping competitions and Para-dressage - even just last month!
While he is ready to slow down a *bit*, this ol' fella is not done yet and still has lots of fire🔥
We are so pleased to have him, and the extra special part is he has been so generously donated to our program by Virginia and Emily Browne.
He is settling in well, and we can already see his personality showing mixtures of soft and cuddly, with quirky gelding and can't wait to get to know him more!

11/18/2025

🎄It's the most wonderful time of the year! Our annual Hay for Horses campaign is off to a gallop, what a great Christmas gift for that special someone!
🎄There are 3 great ways to donate today!
🎁1-Donate through Canada Helps https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/94442
🎁2-Head to our website https://www.cvtrs.com/
🎁3- Donate through E-transfer to cvtrs@telus.net
🎄Our hard working therapy horses thank you for the gift that gives and gives, all year long!

11/04/2025

November's horse of the month is the mighty

✨ Maverick✨

Maverick is a 15hh, 7 year old draft cross. Bred in Alberta he made his way to the island then eventually to us in the fall of 2024, and is really starting to settle into our program.

Maverick is not inherently mighty. He is a sensitive soul and can be a bit skeptical but his curiosity gets the better of him, helping him to overcome his fears one step at a time. As he matures, each time he comes back to something he is just a little bit more brave and a little more confident until he owns it and that, my barn friends, is what makes him mighty.

He is great for our riders who benefit from a little less barrel movement from the horse, and while he is thick and sturdy he's not too taxing on tight hips...with a smooth sitting trot to boot! He is very straightforward and does exactly what our riders ask of him -nothing more, nothing less.

He loves trotting through the forest (I think that is in almost everyone's bio...what can I say, it's a popular activity), playing in the river (except when the fish touch him), and launching himself around during liberty play sessions.

Maverick is an amazing addition and investment into our program, and we are looking forward to many years with him.

10/07/2025

Presenting October's Horse of the month (a wee bit late!).....
✨ Sarge✨

Sarge is a 17-year-old 13.3hh halflinger gelding.
We purchased him locally in 2021 and haven't looked back - he is a rockstar!
He is such a character and a major chatterbox -he is the first, middle, and last to whinny anytime the wind changes direction. He nickers often even if he is just being stroked during a ride.
He is steady and tolerant, but will always gently make sure we know how he feels. Since his build is comparable to a small house he can carry from our smallest riders right up to many adults. His body doesn't produce as much movement as some of our other horses, so he is wonderful for riders who tire easily. He has a slow, smooth trot which makes it easy for our clients to balance and learn on.

The only thing that could make him willingly leave his haynet is his favourite horse in the world - our big Clydesdale named Hope. His little eyes light up when she walks by, and he dreams of the day they can share a field 💖.
He also loves trotting through the trails, splashing in the water, doing obstacles in working equitation, and long massages.
Some of his nicknames are Sargeant Peanut Butter, Wonder Horse, and Sarge the Barge.
It has been a wonderful 4 years with him and we are looking forward to many more!

09/30/2025

There are no classes today, Sept 30th -
We are closed for Truth and Reconciliation Day.

09/25/2025

Wow, what a busy month!

We started September off with putting up fences and preparing the barn, horses returning, volunteer training workshops, and of course our Fall Session classes.

The horses had a wonderful summer. From participating in Working Equitation shows, trail riding, riding lessons, obstacles and liberty, to a whole lot of napping in the sun, cooling baths on hot days, and extra time to relax and scratch themselves on trees, they all had a well deserved 3 month holiday.

As much fun as summer was, we are all happy to be back in full swing - the lobby was far too quiet!

Stay tuned next week for Horse of the Month - we haven't made it all the way through our herd yet ✨

09/25/2025

Wow, what a busy month!

We started September off with putting up fences and preparing the barn, horses returning, volunteer training workshops, and of course our Fall Session classes.

The horses had a wonderful summer. From participating in Working Equitation shows, trail riding, riding lessons, obstacles and liberty, to a whole lot of napping in the sun, cooling baths on hot days, and extra time to relax and scratch themselves on trees, they all had a well deserved 3 month holiday.

As much fun as summer was, we are all happy to be back in full swing - the lobby was far too quiet!

Stay tuned next week for Horse of the Month - we haven't made it all the way through our herd yet ✨

08/18/2025

What a great resource Foundry Comox Valley is! Check out this informative workshop here in Courtenay.

Life in the Fast Brain is back!! This time with a focus on substance use. Join us for real talk about ADHD (not just symptoms) and explore why substances hit different for us. Let's get together and share tools, not shame. For more information, and to register, please connect with Rachel at rachel.ducommun@jhsni.bc.ca

06/02/2025

June's star of the month is ✨ Bailey ✨

Bailey is a 19 year old, 14.3hh Fjord Thoroughbred cross.
She has the power of a fjord crossed the speed of a racehorse - a very forward mix!
She has been in our program for 2 years now, but in her younger days she did jumping competitions and Gymkhanas.
She is a very sensitive mare who is particular about how she connects with people. While some horses love to be touched all over and have lots of hands on time, Bailey is a "space-sharer". She is an excellent teacher of personal space, body language, and different ways to connect. She thrives with our youth riders and even if she is a bit tall for our youngest riders, she is excellent at taking care of them.
In her spare time Bailey enjoys going for endless laps of the forest, and loves a good run at liberty where she can show off all her best moves, which rarely involve many feet on the ground!

05/29/2025

Today was our last day of classes for the session!
It was another amazing season. We are so proud of our riders, and thankful to our incredible volunteers, staff and horses.
Looking forward to seeing familiar faces and meeting new ones in September.
(We haven't made it through the whole herd for Horse of the Month posts, so keep your eyes peeled 🫣 over the summer)
Happy Trails!

05/03/2025

This May we are mad about ✨ Moxie! ✨

Standing at 14hh, Moxie is a 22 year old Fjord x Qh - containing all the power of a Norwegian Fjord and the Moxy dumptruck she was named after, with the sweetness of a caramel cube.
Before joining our program 3 years ago Moxie lived in the wilds of Terrace spending time training as a pack horse, becoming a mountainside and obstacle queen. When she came to the island we were thrilled to have her in our program, snaffling up both her and her previous owner to become one of our instructors, a 2 for 1 deal!
She has 2 push button modes which make her adaptable for a variety of skill levels - Luxury-mode-cruise-control- steady-eddy-therapy-pony, or Sport Mode.
Moxie LOVES a good liberty run, trotting and cantering through the trails to the river, sneaking cookies, and massages.
Her sweet, friendly and calm nature builds confidence in our most timid and anxious riders, while her sensitive side and need for autonomy helps people to learn about horses as a sentient being. We all have a lot to learn from a horse like Queen Moxie 👑