Dreamcatcher Meadows holds summer program

Kids age 12 to 17 are invited to spend the summer learning about horse care at the award-winning venue.

Written by Jennifer Thuncher and originally published in the Whister Question in June 2014. Read the original article HERE.

Kristen Mitchell, 17, on her Dreamcatcher Meadows-bred horse Lady of the Dance DMV. She was a summer student at the farm two years ago and now works and lives at the horse training and breeding centre.

For a few lucky horse-crazy youth there’s going to be a lot going on down at Dreamcatcher Meadows this summer.

The award-winning horse training and breeding centre, located 15 minutes outside of Pemberton, has spaces available in its summer program for youth age 12 to 17.

Students get to spend the summer learning almost every aspect of the care of horses.“Helping with the foals and with the grooming and with the day-to-day management of all the horses,” said Dreamcatcher Meadows co-owner Jill Giese.

Students can bring and board their own horse, lease a horse or simply help out with the horses on the farm. This is a program for those truly hooked on horses who are willing to get their hands dirty — not for princes or princesses afraid of hard work.

“The animals come first here. We eat after they do,” Giese said. “I am strict, but I also follow the whole 4H philosophy, which is you learn to do by doing.”

Students who commit to summer at the farm can work towards Equine Canada certification and get up to 16 high school credits towards graduation.

For 17-year-old Kirsten Mitchell, spending the summer at Dreamcatcher Meadows two years ago was just the beginning. Mitchell said before she came to the farm from her home in Vancouver two summers ago, horses were just a hobby.

By the end of her first summer at Dreamcatcher Mitchell said the “gentle giants” had become her obsession. “You get to ride and handle lots of horses, the best horses in North America, not just any horses,” she said.
Mitchell ended up extending her stay beyond that first summer. In fact, she is still there. As several other students had done before her, Mitchell decided to stay on at the farm and complete high school at Pemberton Secondary. She graduated with honours in January, and since then has been a Dreamcatcher Meadows employee helping with everything from the daily care of the horses to breeding and competitions. “I am my happiest when I am with the horses,” she said.

Prices for the summer program vary as each program is customized to the students’ needs, but Giese said she is also looking for adults who are willing to volunteer with the program to help keep costs down.

Also starting this summer, Dreamcatcher Meadows will offer a series of breeding clinics to teach horse and pony enthusiasts how to identify characteristics of a horse ideal for a chosen discipline, such as for pleasure riding or competition.

Breeding is a complicated science that is being lost in North America thanks to the recession and slick marking campaigns that draw North Americans to European breeders, according to Giese. “Since 2008 all (North American) breed societies have decreased in registrations, some as much as 85 per cent,” she said.

Dreamcatcher Meadows won the 2013 U.S. Dressage Federation’s Dressage Sport Horse Breeder of the Year. Giese said the farm’s mandate is to pass on the knowledge gained over the years from international experts to create more interest in breeding and buying in Canada.

“Ultimately our legacy is to help inform enthusiasts to breed responsibly and produce top quality horses for human partners to enjoy,” she said.

The number of clinics offered throughout the summer will depend on interest.

A formal two-day young breeders training course is scheduled to begin Sept. 17. Renowned German coach and judge Maren Schlender will judge the annual Hanoverian inspection at Dreamcatcher Meadows and a formal training seminar will follow. The course is open to all ages, but will help identify members for two teams of six youth aged 16 to 25 who will compete in England at the 2015 World Championship for Young Breeders.
The cost for this course is $90 per person.

For more information go to www.dreamcatchermeadows.com or check out the Dreamcatcher Meadows Facebook page.

-end-