About Us
Spa Alp Equines has been training horses since 2016. Our team brings a wide background of equine experience to our unique program. We start and develop on a working farm where each horse can become accustomed to the busy environments they will encounter every day, from vehicles and equipment to dogs, cats and other barnyard companions. Our access to the wild backcountry of the Spa Hills means your animal will confidently tackle any terrain and take surprise encounters in stride.
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We also provide a learning experience for you as an owner and rider. Our team provides lessons and clinics to deepen your relationship and experience with your equine partner. We also offer lessons and camps tailored to help start your children along their equine experience.
Stephanie Schenkel
Owner, Head Trainer, Head Coach of Spa Alp Equines LTD.
I have loved animals for as long as I can remember, I come from an animal loving family and spent the first 6 years of my life on a goat dairy. My parents immigrated to Canada from Switzerland in 1997. They had milked 400 head of goats and both had horses in Switzerland. My dad had a riding horse and teams of horses that he drove at weddings and my mom had a horse that she rode recreationally. When we moved to the farm we are at now, the opportunity came up to purchase a horse and donkey pair. I spent every spare second with those two and even made an attempt to start the donkey under saddle and rode the horse everywhere bareback.
I started taking riding lessons during this time and a couple years later, my parents bought a second mare who we still have today. This mare was a green, 4 year old, morgan who was quite flighty and wasn’t well started and I was determined to ride both horses. Interested in learning more, I always checked out books and DVDs on equine care, herbs/ healing, the body and natural horsemanship, then tried doing what I learned with my horses. In 2009, I talked my parents into letting me adopt a yearling filly from the SPCA when a fostered filly and I had a special connection. I got through teaching her and I learned so much about starting and training by working with her. I ended up selling her as a four year old.
Pony club gave me the knowledge I have today about stable management and gave me the foundation to my riding career. In 2013, my parents purchased a six year old, warmblood mare for me and that is when I really started to take a lot more private lessons, attending clinics, pony club events and competitions. That mare improved my riding at a very accelerated rate. I continued to learn and build on my horsemanship and riding skills with that mare. Learning the more “structured ways” of dressage while still seeking to better understand the “other side” of horses, the way they think and how to get into their minds.
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I had my first client colt to start in 2014. In 2015, I started 3 ponies as projects. In the fall of 2015, I had another client mare that struggled with picking up the left lead, and I got to correct that issue. Over the winter of 2015-2016 my parents built a six stall barn to allow me to safely house client horses and in the summer of 2016, I started Spa Alp Equines when I had started to take on a couple client horses during the summer break, as well as started a few more pony projects as resales. In this time, I started to learn about the ground work necessary for a successful start with a horse. This same summer I got a young mule in to start and this really tested all my skills. Working with these horses and mules really forced me to further learn how to get into their minds and how to work with them, not against them. I did get him successfully started and even got to show him the following year at the IPE. I continued taking private lessons, attending clinics, and competing a lot of times with young horses and I kept taking in client horses. This is where my program really started to form with understanding the importance of ground work in both starting horses and solving issues and I began to have more success with the starts becoming easier and the results being better.
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In the Fall of 2016, I began to Attend the BC College of Equine Therapy in Vernon B.C run by Dave Collins. This is where I really got to dive into my passion for therapy and the use of different modalities. I don’t know where exactly this interest came from but it was always there and this course still majorly influences the way we do things here today because as Dave always said “ I am the voice for the horse.” I graduated from this program in 2018 and had kept up the training of client horses during this time. I had begun to offer broker services around this time as wel,l as I started to see that some horses that were coming in for training truly weren’t a match with their owners and this saved my clients a lot of time and headache selling their horses. In 2021, I took a holistic equine nutrition course and started dissecting this aspect of the horses and how we can change an entire being based on the feed and energy we are putting into it. In 2022, our program changed again with the introduction of both Jamie Setter and Adrienne Newman to the program. I met Jamie through a mare she purchased from me. The addition of both these individuals has made the program what it is today. A unique one-of-a-kind experience where your horse can learn and grow into his or her true potential all with using horsemanship and holistic methods. I am very proud of the team we have that make this program, from our assistant trainers to our stable staff, and of course, the therapists. The program we have today is something I have dreamed about since I was a child and to be living this as a reality and continuing to grow it is an incredible experience. I am passionate about helping owners and horses become a team and providing a safe and positive environment for children and adults to learn and feel welcome. I have seen many incredible transformations in horses, riders, and partnerships. If you are ready to experience something unlike any other program in the Okanagan, I look forward to meeting everyone that comes to our program and providing the outstanding and unique service we have become known for.
Our Team
Equine professionals and experts dedicated to a fair, encouraging, and holistic approach for horses and people.
Kristen Garrett
Trainer, Instructor, and Marketing Specialist
Kristen has over 26 years of riding experience and 10+ years of professional experience in the horse industry. Her skill set extends across several disciplines including English equitation, hunter jumpers, and Western riding with roles ranging from training and instructing to colt starting, trail guiding, packing, and herd management. She has had the pleasure of working with horses and learning from a variety of horsemanship styles in both the US and Canada.
Her natural and holistic approach to horsemanship is respectful and fair with intentional boundary setting and correct utilization of pressure. Her philosophy of working with horses based on their natural instincts and treating them as a partner allows a wide variety of horses to succeed. Alongside running her own independent training business for several years, Kristen has had the privilege of apprenticing and working with many accomplished trainers. Her approach to horsemanship combined with the training methods at Spa Alp made it the perfect and ideal environment for Kristen to progress her skills even further as a trainer.
She shares an equal love for instructing and values creating a safe, supportive, and encouraging learning environment. Believing that riding challenges people both mentally and physically, she grounds her coaching in positivity and upholds a high standard of discipline. Kristen underscores the importance of being an excellent rider by first being a strong horse person, placing an emphasis on horsemanship and horse psychology in her lessons. Kristen is an EC Registered Coach.
With a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications, Kristen brings a unique skill set to the team, combining a robust equine background with extensive experience in the marketing industry. In addition to her roles as a trainer and instructor, she oversees the marketing, does the horse sales photos and videos, and manages the Spa Alp Equines website.
Megan
Assistant Trainer
Megan grew up in a small town in Northern Alberta where she started taking riding lessons and getting involved in the equine community at a young age. Due to not coming from a horse family, she relied heavily on people who were kind enough to mentor her and help her improve.
From 16-18, she spent most of her time going to rodeos, teaching beginner lessons, and gaining as much knowledge from experienced trainers and competitors as she possibly could. After high school, she moved on to work for an accomplished cutting horse trainer where she discovered her passion for starting colts.
In 2022, Megan graduated from the Olds College Farrier program which gave her the opportunity to be a part of the equine program within Parks Canada over the last 2 years. This job gave her experience teaching horse clinics, private lessons, training problem horses, backcountry travel, packing, shoeing, and trail guiding.
With over 10 years experience in the equine industry, Megan’s approach to colt starting, lessons, and remedial training is focused on getting the horse and rider actively communicating with each other to create a soft, responsive horse and a strong partnership. She looks forward to putting her skills to practice and continuing to add to her set of skills at Spa Alp Equines.
Bobbi
Assistant Trainer and Instructor
From the moment Bobbi was born, she was on horseback. Over the years, Bobbi has gained quite a bit of experience in both the English and Western riding world, but she also has a lot of experience with driving horses as well. Bobbi has competed in multiple local and provincial shows such as IPE for over 10 years and is beginning to compete with AERC as well. She was in 4-H with horses for several years and competed in shows with them as well, which allowed her to gain vast knowledge that she still carries with her in her current riding career.
She is currently training her own horse, Alice, with a new show name "Buckshot Wonder", as when bought Alice, she had been shot multiple times with a buckshot as a weanling. Now she is fully recovered and is on her way to doing great things! Bobbi and Alice's bond has been absolutely unbreakable and began from the moment she first saw Alice and knew right then that she would be bringing her home. Alice is working under saddle and has been to multiple shows and clinics. She has done very well and the two of them have won a few reserve champions at shows and is willing to try anything Bobbi throws at her. Bobbi also has a gelding named Tanner that she has owned for 8 years. He is an incredibly versatile horse that she has jumped, worked cows, done clinics - including mounted archery and extreme cowboy - taken him swimming, ridden him in caravan farm theaters Walk Of Terror, and so much more. He was Bobbi's first horse and has provided her with so much experience and support through all of the successes and challenges.
When Bobbi is working with horses, she emphasizes building a strong connection and bond because she feels that is the foundation to asking horses to learn or do new things. Bobbi believes as soon as you have got a solid base of trust, you are unstoppable. Horses are very energy sensitive creatures and that is why making sure that every day is a new day and going into the day with a clear and neutral mindset with every horse is her number one priority. Bobbi is extremely eager to learn and gain more experience in the horse industry to not only make her a better horsewoman, but just to also make her the best version of herself she can possibly be!
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Bobbi is an EC Registered Coach
Liv Hooseman
Barn Staff
Liv is a 16-year-old whose heart is firmly rooted in the stables and stands out as a spirited and dedicated horsewoman. Joining us as a member of our stable staff, she is very excited to be on the team at Spa Alp Equines to work and learn amongst like-minded women dedicated to the well-being and care of our equine companions.
Liv's love for horses ignited at the tender age of 5 when she first experienced the magical bond between human and horse. Since then, her passion has evolved into a broader commitment to animal care, extending beyond the stables to include a variety of furry and feathered friends. Liv is currently working with her own personal horses and has experienced firsthand the growth in knowledge under Stephanie's methods and training.
Despite her involvement in the equestrian world, Liv is also dedicated to her education. As she balances the demands of high school with her equine pursuits, she also practices daily yoga for her physical and mental well-being. Liv's ability to maintain this balance, conveys her commitment to excellence in all aspects of life and proves that passion and responsibility can go hand in hand.