About Me

I was born to love animals. My parents always had dogs and cats even up to their deaths in their 80’s. I was enamored of horses like most young girls but I never grew out of my great love for them. Even when a childhood riding injury left me with brain trauma and hearing impaired (I have single sided deafness) and I was frightened to ride a horse for years, I never lost my awe of these amazing creatures. I drew pictures of them, I read books, and I took their photos. I touched every horse I could find and knew that someday I would get over my fear to be with them on both sides of the fence. As a teenager, I began to ride again… Tentatively at first but eventually as time went on, able to run with the wind in my hair. A healthy respect developed into a deep love and I knew that I was going to do my best to be a horseman in every sense of the word. In many ways, my disability was really a gift because I connected to animals better than most people did. In high school I didn’t really fit in that well because my hearing impairment impeded my responding correctly to questions or conversations. Horses ‘got’ me though, and that’s where I developed my first feel for communication with them. I started riding again at age 14 and by age 16 I had trained my first horse from scratch. (Many apologies to Ramey!) I was fortunate to have friends and relatives with horses to ride and train. And when I graduated from high school, I was given my first horse by a family whose kids I had taught to ride, and on June 12, 1973 I walked MY yearling filly home and into history. I was a horse owner! I would like to think that my hearing impairment was responsible for making me a better horseman because I became more intuitive about what they were trying to tell me, and what they needed. One thing that strikes me to this day is how you NEVER stop learning when you are around horses. And I am so grateful for the many lessons they teach me each and every day and I feel privileged that they have let me in to their world. I am a better human because of what the horses have taught me.

Taught Carriage Driving Clinics for the last 20 years in both British Columbia and Washington.

Carriage Driving Coaching, 1992. One of the first Driving Coaches in Canada, Canadian Equestrian Federation (CEF). National Chairman, CEF Driving Coaches Development Committee, 1996—2001.

Driving Coaching Examiner for Canada with the CEF for 4 years. Judge for local shows both under saddle and in harness. Judge for several 4-H Finals at the PNE for equitation and showmanship.

Handled three dogs to their Companion Dog (CD) titles in Obedience at CKC shows. Handled a Kerry Blue Terrier to his CDX title (Companion Dog Excellent) in 1994.

Shown Draft Horses to Miniature Horses including and not limited to: Haflinger, Morgan, Welsh Warmblood, Palomino, Pinto, Appaloosa, Arabian, Andalusian, Welsh ponies, Newfoundland Pony. Competed with numerous breeds of horses in various disciplines including: English, Hack, Sidesaddle, Dressage, Western, Driving and Combined Driving.

Written and published two dozen articles on Carriage Driving and horse training in various magazines in North America.

Sold both cover photos and filler photos to a natural animal health company called “A Drop in The Bucket” (Connecticut, USA) for use on their website and in their catalogs. Provided various other companies and breeders with photos for their websites. Cover photo for “The Canadian Horse” published 2010 by Lorimer Press. Cover photo for a recently published novel, “Ground Manners”. Produces photography on the farm and on outside farm trips. Provided ad layout and design for the Pacific Carriage Company.

Horse Play in the Winter

Posted by Deb on Jan 25, 2012 in About Me & Beyond | 1 comment

While we might be faced with extra chores during the winter, something about the snow and the cold brings out the goofiness in our horses that is a joy to watch. Dogs too…My Kerry Blue had a blast leaping into the snow and the Shih Tzu was all gung ho until he sank out of sight with the first drift he tried to follow the other dog into! For all the beauty of a fresh snowfall it seems like the humans have more work to do. It may be beautiful but there’s little time to admire it because we are out there packing warm water and...

Confessions of an Extrovert

Posted by Deb on Oct 7, 2011 in About Me & Beyond | 1 comment

I am an extrovert. A high energy, fast paced person and talker by nature, but I have learned to shut up and watch when I am working horses…. I do tend to talk more when I am working a horse in front of someone….. for the owner or a student…. just so they can be directed to what I am saying, doing, watching, thinking…because sometimes its just so darned subtle that it can be easily missed. And that’s the really cool part. A lot of horses are reactive JUST because of the people that handle them. ...

Welcome to my web site!

Posted by Deb on Sep 24, 2011 in About Me & Beyond | 1 comment

At our farm, ‘natural horsemanship’ goes far beyond the rope halter and the carrot stick…I include all aspects of ‘natural’ into keeping my horses as natural as possible in a barn/paddock and field situation. From diet to barefoot trimming…..I treat horses that come in for training as if they are my own. Each horse is an individual and no two training programs are alike. What makes me different is that I am looking at the WHOLE horse and not just his training because my own horses have taught me that good learning starts IN...

Labor Day Long weekend….judging and teaching! It doesn’t get any better than this

Posted by Deb on Sep 23, 2011 in About Me & Beyond | 0 comments

I was asked to judge the Miniature Horse Division at the Saanich Fair on the long weekend. It was an early morning…getting up at 4:30 to catch a ferry over to the Island. Yawn. I judged the conformation halter classes, and all the driving, obstacle, and the hunter/jumper classes. Hot Day…great fun and super people with fabulous horses. And then because I parked my truck and walked on the ferry as a foot passenger, I caught a ride up Island to stay over night in Cobble Hill and spent the holiday Monday giving driving...

A little more about me: Photography

Posted by Deb on Jul 25, 2011 in About Me & Beyond | 1 comment

I have always been interested in photography. I was 20 when I had the chance to assist a horse show photographer for several show seasons and he took me under his wing because I had a good eye. I was thankful for those early opportunities and I have continued to develop my own style based on the visions of what I would like to see framed and have on the wall of my own horses. Sometimes scenes TALK to me therefore I am rarely without a camera. I’ll be driving down the road; see something I like..exclaim out loud ..Ooh! Oooh! And...