Riding lessons started at 8 years old followed by my regular involvement in my local 4-H Club. At this point, I was BEGGING for a horse of my own. Riding lessons were my favourite part of the week, it was like having a play date with your best friend and my best friend was Daisy. Daisy and I learned the ropes together, she was only 1 when we started and we got to experience all of the firsts together. She is 25 years old now.

My parents had another surprise up their sleeve as they bartered some home renos in exchange for Daisy, I was over the moon! Daisy and I competed in Appaloosa shows over the Maritimes and did very well! For those who don’t know, Appaloosa horses colours change colours as they age, mostly to reveal new spots.

Because she and I were both young, this meant extra time and extra slow starting her training. For two years we did only groundwork: brushing, leading her safely and going through the ‘silly young horse’ stages. I think this is where my love for teaching groundwork and appreciation of non-riding activities stems from.

‘Daisy’ continued to teach me new things: patience, hard work, perseverance, and how to just breathe through it. At that age, I didn’t consider that I was being taught, I just knew that I was having so much fun with my best friend.

Together, we attended shows, agricultural fairs, 4-H club and competed in halter classes but I had yet to ride her due to her age. After an enormous amount of groundwork, I finally got on her back for the first time.

There are no words to describe the feeling of being so connected to another living being and knowing that all the work we did to build a bond paid off.

And, just like that, my love for horses became contagious. My mother, previously nervous around horses, fell in love. A little more bartering and Dad ensured Mom had a horse of her own. Now that we were a family of horse lovers, it didn’t make sense to keep boarding horses. We needed a home of our own with room to grow.

In 2001, we purchased the property on Scotch Settlement road in Irishtown.

I don’t think we fully recognized the work to be done. The barn was falling apart, the training barn was in ruins and should have been torn down, and the property was overgrown.

Thankfully, Dad rolled up his sleeves and put his skills as a contractor to use… and we built.

Today, the property can hold 30+ horses at any given time! With this extra space, we could now board enough horses to keep Mom home and work full-time.

Three beautiful children and some time being a stay-at-home mom later, I decided that it was time to share my overflowing love for horses with everyone. And Beloved Miniature Horses came to be.

Beloved Miniature horses offers a fresh and gentle approach to horse handling.

Why miniature horses? Full-sized horses can be intimidating for inexperienced handlers, and miniature horses have all of the lovable qualities of a full-sized horse in the perfect-sized package (bonus: they can fit through an average door).

My goal is to foster a sincere connection between humans and animals, building trust and exercising compassion.

At Beloved Miniature Horses, you are taught to live in the moment with these animals and take the time to get to know them and all their quirks. It doesn’t take long for their personalities to shine and, I guarantee you, you will fall in love too.

Relationships are fostered through lessons on the basics such as grooming, general care, and riding. Respectful communication is the key and is always the goal at our stables.

I welcome you to join me as I share 20+ years of experience, share the experience of authentic connection with horses.

With Love,