Equestrian Program Then & Now
Story appeared in the 2014 issue of QMS Connections Magazine.
BY LEANNE SCHULTZ, OPERATIONS & HR MANAGER
Then
When Miss Shirley Burr arrived on campus back in 1961, the Equestrian Centre consisted of a rickety old barn on an overgrown area housing four horses.
The Equestrian Centre has always been an important part of QMS life.
Shirley Burr takes a jump with her horse, Sun Dance.
With no electricity and no running water at the barn, my students and I faced a number of daily obstacles caring for our horses. As it is today, the main challenge was adequate resources and funding for our Equestrian Program.
Through the determination of our students and their love of horses, money was steadily raised over my 37 years at Queen Margaret’s School. In the mid to late 1960s, the Equestrian Centre grew to house more box stalls (the first of which came from the Cowichan Exhibition) and an indoor ring, followed by more stalls. My staff and I had support from the Cowichan Valley Community and local business to help our program grow. The number of riders increased, and the number of horses grew tenfold. At the height of my career at Queen Margaret’s School, so many students were taking lessons that we started at 6:30 in the morning and went until 10:30 at night!
Girls in Grades 8 to 11 who rode had stable duties, often twice a day, along with daily tack duties. Riding students in Grades 4 to 6 also had daily duties, from catching the ponies to grooming and feeding them. This gave the students a strong foundation of life skills, time management and teamwork, creating well-rounded individuals with an appreciation of hard work.
I still come back to visit the Equestrian Centre regularly and am privileged to offer annual scholarships for riders in my name. While the Equestrian Program has grown in many ways over the years, the goals remain the same: to put forth multi-disciplined, well-rounded riders by giving students the opportunity of an equestrian education.
—Shirley Burr
Now
The Shirley Burr Equestrian Centre has always been a popular place for our students and the QMS Community.
Since joining QMS in 2008, I have discovered a tremendous joy and pride in watching our students’ progress week after week, month after month. There is a special feeling of camaraderie that develops through their shared love of horses. It simply doesn’t matter what grade a student is in, how well they ride, or where they come from. The environment at the stables is truly a global community.
Our multi-disciplinary Train to Compete program includes hunter/jumpers and dressage with a heavy emphasis on equitation, CET’s, and Young Riders. In addition to this, our Train to Ride program has been enhanced, enabling students to develop horsemanship skills in a series of progressive steps, setting them up for success.
The feeling of achievement that develops when learning to ride a horse has tremendous effect on today’s youth. It turns defeat into victory and self-doubt into self-confidence. This eventually carries over into other aspects of their lives.
We are fortunate in the success of the equestrian program; we currently have 40 horses residing onsite and provide up to 170 lessons per week. Together with the Development Office, we will be launching a campaign to raise money for necessary upgrades to the equestrian facilities in early Fall 2014. I look forward to many more years of observing the continued growth of our QMS students and the Shirley Burr Equestrian Centre.
— Jessie Fraser
Catherine Rankin soars on Go Shorty during the HITS Thermal Desert Circuit in California.
Photo by: Lisa Slade/The Chronicle of the Horse
Kassidy Keith at Thunderbird Show Park in Langley.
“Riding to me is a way of escaping the chaotic school days and it puts a smile on my face after a long day in a classroom. It is not just riding, but seeing my horse and being able to connect with such a beautiful animal. ”