Erica

Erica has spent most of her life in the Cowichan Valley and has loved horses since she was a child. It wasn’t until she was a teen that she was able to purchase her first horse, a large black pony named Noble, with funds earned from raising and selling sheep. Many happy hours were spent riding all over Cowichan Station, visiting people along the way and giving pony rides to children in the area.

Some years later, Erica’s instructor from the U.S. teaching at Queen Margaret’s School, introduced her to Anne Wood, a British Horse Society Fellow, international coach and judge, living in Cobble Hill. Erica had lessons with her for twelve years, developing a lifelong friendship with long distance mentoring that remained until her passing in 2020 at age 95. Erica’s teaching career began after Anne returned to England and continued for the next twelve years. Other family priorities put teaching on hold until 2013 when Erica was certified as an Equestrian Canada Instructor.

In the spring of 2019, Erica answered an advertisement for an instructor with ETRA Therapeutic Riding Association and was accepted pending CANTRA training and certification. In September 2019, after many volunteer hours and an intense period of training, Erica was certified as a CTRII (Intermediate Instructor) becoming head instructor for ETRA in Lantzville. A very successful Fall session was completed and preparations made for the upcoming Spring session, however, Covid 19 necessitated that ETRA’s program be postponed. In October 2020 CTRA offered Erica a part time instructor’s position and she now enjoys assisting her students to develop a relationship with their horse while learning to ride.

Erica has a horse of her own, continues to pursue equine education and instruction opportunities, has attained the new EC Licensed Coach Status (2021), is an active member of Cowichan District Riding Club and of Working Equitation Canada.