The Comox Valley Therapeutic Riding Society

04/15/2026

Today is bittersweet here at CVTRS as we announce the retirement and say farewell to our senior instructor Tegwyn Harper.
Teg will be moving back home to England over the coming months to be closer to family, especially her granddaughter.
Teg has been a pillar of CVTRS since she first moved to Canada in 2007. We are so grateful for her dedication to the society for the last 😱 nearly 20 years 😱. We will miss her knowledge, skill and support, but most of all her compassion and infectious energy.
Before the packing starts she is heading on a trip to Portugal next week to immerse herself in the working equitation world and further her education.

Yes, her horses WILL be taking the journey to fulfill their destiny as English horses, but the verdict is still out if they will participate in tea time.

Teg, we will miss you SO much but wish you all the best on your return home, and a happy retirement.

Happy trails 🐎

04/02/2026

🐎 For the horses of therapeutic riding, the three “F”s – friends, forage and freedom – are key to their health. For the clients of therapeutic riding, two of those “F”s – friends and freedom – are critically important too!

🐴 It’s a key motivator for Hilary Doucette as Executive Director of the Comox Valley Therapeutic Riding Society. The opportunity to ride a horse is very beneficial to the physical and emotional health of the 60+ clients with disabilities who participate each week.

📍Comox Valley Therapeutic Ridings calls the CVRD’s Comox Valley Exhibition Grounds home – Celebrate recreation and tell us your story at https://engagecomoxvalley.ca/reccustomerservice

03/12/2026

A great infographic about the differences between the 2 helmets!

💁 We had a Mom for a new rider ask us the other day, so thought we'd share...

02/14/2026

🌹Roses are red ♥️
💠Violets are blue 💙
We'd like to introduce
🐎 Tetris to you! 🐎

Tetris is a 13 year old, 15.2hh draft cross gelding. He came to us from Squamish BC, where he has spent the last couple of years trail riding and keeping his tiny pony pasture mates in line. It's a big job - somebody's gotta do it.

Tetris only arrived 3 days ago, so he has just been spending his time settling in and getting to know his new home and routines.
When people say their horse has a " puppy dog personality", what they mean, is their horse is like Tetris.
Affectionately called Toodles, he loves to spend his time toodling around with kids and being groomed from sun up till sun down. This sounds like the making for a great therapy horse!
We immediately fell in love with his soft, sweet, gentle personality and can't wait to get to know him more💖

Happy Valentine's Day!

02/12/2026

02/04/2026

This is a great article that explains a bit about why us instructors are so fussy about position! Not only is it good for the rider, it's good for the horses too 🐎

01/30/2026

🌧️Oh the weather outside is frightful…but the BARN is so delightful!

While the fields and trails here at CVTRS are flooded, our horses are tucked up safe and dry in the barn!

All of us here send our thoughts to the humans and animals displaced by the flooding, and hope things dry out quickly!

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!