Those mountains are a lot taller than one might imagine. I should know, I had to cross over them in order to move to Alberta. Incredible as it may seem, that process took me over two years. The good news is; officially, for the second time in my life, once again I’m an Albertan.

Although I love all parts of Western Canada, my move to Alberta is entirely based on keeping my loved ones united as a family. In doing so, my family will have an opportunity to enjoy and take part in what the Alberta horse industry has to offer.

I have lived in Invermere BC for over twenty some odd years and in that time; I’ve managed to collect a lot of “stuff”! For the last few months I have been primarily focused on physically moving all of that stuff! You know, load up the horse trailer, drive to Calgary, unload the trailer, drive back to BC, load up the trailer, drive to Calgary, and on and on it went. Throughout this entire process, I must admit, the moving has left me feeling pretty much “disconnected” to all aspects of my life and career.

I will be using the month of September/08 to get my horses settled into their new facility and back into a consistent training program. For myself, I will also be adjusting to a new home, all of which is going to be very exciting! They say variety is the spice of life, so I guess I’m in for some serious “spice”.

Two years ago my wife Caroline and I leased a training facility in Spring Bank, a community on the western edge of the Calgary city limits. Like our facility in BC, we are using the name “Stoddart Creek Stables” for the Spring Bank facility. For the past two years Caroline has built up a cliental of both junior and adult riders who are wonderful people, so wonderful in fact that we consider them as family. I guess what I’m trying to say is that the atmosphere at the barn is very warm and friendly. I should mention here that Caroline and our daughter “Erin” are Hunter/Jumper riders and trainers. Caroline has worked hard to break into the Calgary horse show scene, and her students keep proving how effective she is as a coach. On a competitive level, they keep bring home the ribbons!

I will also be using the Stoddart Creek Stables facility here in Calgary as a home base when I’m not traveling down the road with “Horses Naturally” doing clinics or demonstrations.

On a closing note, I would just like to say that I am now on a journey of connection, or should I say, a journey of getting “re-connected”, as I work my way into the horse industry here in Alberta. I look forward to meeting new friends, I know there are a lot of good people and good horses in this part of the world and I hope to meet as many of them as I can. So, don’t be shy, send me a note or a letter and let me know what’s happening!

Cheers,
Jay O’Jay