GENERAL INFO

 

Our location is spectacular. Perched on the side of a mountain we overlook a large lake in the heart of the northern British Columbia wilderness.
Nathan and Elly arrived at this spot in 1973 with four horses and a dog. They had ridden all the way from the tip of South America, a journey that took almost five years and covered some twenty-thousand miles.
They decided to make the Uncha Valley their home and thus the "saddletramps" became ranchers as they set out to forge a life and a lifestyle training and raising horses, teaching horsemanship and riding, farming and logging with Belgian Draft horses and running a saddle and harness shop. More land was added to the original quarter section, with thousands of acres of range and forest lands also becoming part of the ranch operation.
Three daughters: Raya, Conchita and Naomi have grown up on the ranch to become solid horsemen and accomplished equestrians and it is much thanks to their avid interest and hard work the ranch has evolved into the equestrian facility it is today.
The big bright red indoor arena, built in 1995 on the site of the original round pen, stands as testimony to the family philosophy that hard work and a vision forge dreams into new realities. While the land on the old homestead isn't much good for farming, the gravel and sand provide excellent footing for riding rings. There are two outdoor dressage arenas, tucked away amongst the trees and a large outdoor jumper ring. There are three barns, including a uniquely designed show barn, capable of housing forty horses for clinics and special events.
Summer students stay in a simple frame building bunk house; two rooms sleep six in each with an adjoining living room area. The large covered front porch offers a panoramic view of the ranch, the lakes, the forests and the snowcapped range beyond. Meals are at the log main house. There are several good cooks in the family, students take turns helping out and together we function as a large family.

TOP THE FIVE OF US Summer camps and clinics have been part of life on the ranch since the beginning. All of us enjoy sharing our world, our love of horses and our knowledge. Many life long friendships have grown out of our summer programs. Nathan is a sailor turned horseman, an intellectual (Harvard Œ63) turned rancher. He met Elly in Europe in Œ62. They travelled and studied together, worked in the slums of Venezuela, lived with the gypsies and built a house in Spain and made the longest ride in history with Argentine Criollo horses. Elly grew up in Sweden. She did anything just to be around horses. She drove logging horses in the bush, galloped Thoroughbreds for the track, rode cavalry remounts and anything she could get her bridle on in a field when nobody was looking. She rode at Stromsholm, coached by Swedish cavalry officers. Daughters Raya, Conchita and Naomi all acquired a solid basis of practical horsemanship as partners in the family horse logging and horse training business. Raya became an Equine Canada coach, worked for internationally recognized dressage rider Lisa Bukowski and trained with coaches of international caliber such as Sonja Vracko of Woodinville, Wa. Raya has shown extensively at provincial and national levels in dressage. She brought the imported Holsteiner gelding Lord Laredo to Prix St George to take the very talented Laredo to Grand Prix Level while she concentrates on being a new mom, a business partner with husband Reg and pursuing her BA Degree through distance learning. Her new project horse is home-grown Enrique, a 3 year old out of the wonderful show mare Esprit Gris, now owned by Stephanie Birdsong of Carmel, and Hylee Recommended. Conchita is a level 2 Equine Canada Coach and very successful trainer of horses for both dressage and jumpers. She trained and showed her Trakehner stallion Hylee Recommended in both jumpers and dressage, up to Prix St George. She made the difficult decision to sell the wonderful young stallion and he is now very successful in the Jumper Eq circuit on the East Coast with a student of international rider Mark Lasken. Conchita pursues a wide array of interests. She has had two solo art shows, one in Calgary and toured Western Canada in the fall of 2004. She continues to work on her song writing; finds opportunities to work in the film industry and has accreditation as a personal trainer. She will be pursuing her goal to ride Grand Prix with Sonja Vracko in the coming year. Naomi married Steve Davidsen last August and is living in Calgary, concentrating on her studies to become an interior decorator. Her black Hannoverian gelding Vaultann by Vaultair is at the ranch until she can bring him to Calgary, where she hopes to show and pursue coaching as well. Naomi¹s old horse Guinness continues to have great success at Spruce Meadows with his new rider and Magic Dragon, the Welara pony that brought so much success to Conchita and then Naomi continues his winning ways on the Alberta jumper circuit. TOP OUR PHILOSOPHY At ST Training Stables we don't believe in gimmicks or quick fixes. Horses are our partners and our friends.  Becoming a horseman is a lifelong learning process. Our commitment to our students is simple: we will broaden and deepen your understanding of horses and we will help develop your skills in specific disciplines such as dressage, jumping, western riding and driving. A working horse ranch that has a wide base of interests in the horse world, ST Training Stables provides a unique opportunity for hands on learning. RIDING LESSONS We tailor our program around the specific interests, levels of skill and goals of each student. All of us are here to help you and we encourage each and every one to take full advantage of our expertise. By keeping our summer program enrollment small, we can offer maximum flexibility and opportunity to each student to enjoy individual attention. You will be able to ride in private, semi private and group lessons on different horses, exploring different disciplines. TOP DRESSAGE The discipline of Dressage benefits all riders and all horses. We strive to develop a balanced rider with a secure set that will produce a supple, relaxed, flexible and obedient horse. We have well trained school horses, capable of performing the requirements of the Basic level tests; more advanced students may have access to Medium Level horses. JUMPING You will learn jumping from the ground up. We use a lot of ground poles and very small fences to develop the rider's eye, balance, sense of pace and rhythm.  You will develop a strong base to build on through a progressive training program of gymnastic exercises and to set and ride courses, both hunter and jumper. TOP

WESTERN Our horses are trained both English and Western and most of our colts are started Western. We believe that each discipline benefits the other and encourage students to explore the western approach, learning the fundamentals of reining and western pleasure. RIDER: Kristi Rensby

DRIVING Our Belgian Draft horses, the gentle giants, are the king pin of our whole operation. They work logging all winter, supporting all of us. During the summer, they enjoy being driven and ridden by students. We make long line driving part of the education of all young horses and encourage the students to learn the skills with us. TOP TRAINING COLTS There are always some young horses in various stages of training and we are glad to offer students the opportunity to participate in the training process, learning the skills necessary in making this safe and enjoyable for both horse and rider. STABLE MANAGEMENT In order for a horse to be able to work for you, you must know how to take proper care of him. We keep a handful of show horses in the barn and students will benefit from Rayaís meticulous attention to their care. Learning proper feeding, grooming, exercise, routine health care and first aid are very important part of our program. TOP OUR GRADUATES The equine tact, the skills and the versatility of girls who have spent time with us at the ranch have always impressed professionals and the general public alike. We have a number of former students who have gone on to pursue  professional careers with horses. Susie, who announced plans to become a veterinarian when she first came here at age ten. She spent nine summers with us and now runs her own vet clinic in Alberta. Debbie learned to make harness in our shop, she farmed and logged with us and used her experience to launch a very busy career operating a harness shop, raising, showing and promoting Suffolk horses in Tennessee. Lori landed a job riding horses for Laura Balisky at Thunderbird. Delphine moved to Calgary to pursue her dream to keep a horse and ride at Spruce Meadows, working at a Standard bred barn to help pay her way. Amanda is finding much demand for her coaching and horsemanship skills in Prince George. Lonnie told us a story that sums up what me mean by versatility. She was boarding at an English barn in Kelowna. A team of Percheron horses were kept there in a field. When the regular teamster took ill and a couple's wedding plans were in jeopardy, Lonnie volunteered.  People were somewhat skeptical: Lonnie was, after all, a jumper rider. I know how to drive she said and she did. TOP