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The Herd

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Meet Our Board of Directors

United by our love of horses and an understanding that they have an incredibly positive impact on the minds and body's of people.

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Karolina Conroy, Director

My very first memory in life is seeing a horse for the first time. It has since been a life long passion of mine. As a rebellious teenager, my love of horses kept me out of trouble. The barn was always my sanctuary and second home. My most favorite thing about working with horses is that the entire world disappears when I'm around them. I arrive on another frequency where I am calm, patient and assertive- hours fly by. Horses are sensitive, big, majestic creatures and I am in constant awe of the trust they put in us.

Galloping on horse back has got to be the most freeing experience I have ever felt. This connection between horse and human is incredible and almost indescribable.

~Karolina is an entrepreneur, adventurer and equine enthusiast. She brings unmatchable passion to Freedom Equine Association we are beyond overjoyed to have her encouraging others to follow that passion through  Freedom Equine Association!

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Kaylei Hope, Director

Since the day I first sat on a horse with my Papa when I was 2, I have been in absolute love
with horses. Growing up in Northern BC near Fort Saint John, I had many opportunities to
learn about and work with horses and other livestock at either my friends or family ‘s
properties. When I was a teenager, we moved around a bit, and I found myself in the city for
the last 15 years. I hadn’t been around horses much at all in those years until one fateful
day!! I made a post looking for a volunteer opportunity so that I could have horses back in
my life. I had been struggling with mental health issues in those 15 years & found that
horses and being in the country were my passion. Without that, I was lost. In November of
2022, a member of the Freedom Equine team reached out to me in response to my post, saying the program was in need of volunteers and would love to have me come meet everyone. Since then, I have been a volunteer at Freedom Equine, and it has changed my life! I couldn’t be happier to be a part of such an
amazing organization as a long-time volunteer and more recently as a member of the board of directors.
Although I have always wanted my own horse, I have not had that experience yet!! I look forward to that day, but in the meantime, I love the love from our very special program horses.

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Simone Bourassa, Director

A lover of all animals and a helper of all kinds of people. From as far back as she can remember Simone has spent her life loving and caring for animals. Professionally, she dedicated 15+ years working with children, youth and adults on the Autism Spectrum & those with diverse abilities as a Behaviour Consultant. A life long dream realized when she experienced, first hand, the incredible impact horses have on the mind and body of a person. The growth and positive change she has seen in children, youth and adults as a result of working with horses has changed the trajectory of her personal and professional life. The most incredible aspects of working with horses for Simone ~ the continuous learning and the necessity for a person to be completely present; when you are with horses you cannot be anywhere else. There is so much liberation & peace to be found in that space.

~ With an extensive background working with individual's with diverse abilities, a Registered Autism Service Provider with ACT BC, with a heart felt passion for horses, animals and humans alike Freedom Equine Association couldn't imagine a better fit for our board of directors.

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Krista Pettit, Director

 Krista has guided backcountry horse back trail rides for 15 years, she loves liberty work as well as both English and Western riding and is learning positive reinforcement training. Krista truly believes in the positive effect horses can have on the mind and body and is proud to be joining the Freedom Equine team!

~Krista is an inspiration in the horse community of the Elk Valley and beyond! Her adventures are envious and awe inspiring! She gets out into the mountains and truly maximizes her experiences in the amazing country side of British Columbia and Alberta on horseback.

When she is not out adventuring, learning, and horsing, Krista is the driving force behind an incredible small business; Creating beautiful, functional and cohesive website's for equine based businesses (and beyond!) with Day Break Studio West.

If you know Krista, you know you are lucky to!

Freedom Equine is exceptionally fortunate to have her as a director on our board!

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Francesca Ter Poorten, Director

Francesca is an avid horse rider/ lover and spends most of her days She rides and has trained in both English and Western but her true passion is riding in the mountains and getting out under the stars with her horses and dogs. Francesca is a clinical counsellor in Fernie that works with a variety of modalities to help people heal.  She is passionate about the connection between horses and humans and all that is learned from that relationship. She is currently getting her Natural Lifemanship Certification and is certified in Equine-Assisted Therapy. She believes we can heal so much in our own relationships, by learning about our connections with horses.  She has a farm on 10 acres just outside of Fernie where she can be found petting a dog, hugging a cat or nuzzling a horse. Her clinical office is there as well as her equine-assisted therapy practice.

Our Sponsors

Our sponsors allow Freedom Equine to deliver programming such as equine assisted learning & therapeutic riding to those who may not otherwise have the opportunity.

Stay Tuned!

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