General Philosophy:
People and horses have lived with each other for thousands of years, often to the detriment of the horse. At Trendsetting Stables we want your horse to live the way it was meant to — room to move, lots of hay to nibble on all day (or pasture, season depending), and buddies to be horses with. Lessons are structured to educate about horse behaviour, biology, health, care, psychology, and anything else that will impact the relationship of the horse and rider. We feel that if you focus on what your horse is trying to tell you, and you learn how to talk to your horse, you will have a horse and rider team.
About Lara Ulan:
Lara is a NCCP (National Coaching Certification Program) English/Jumping Competition Coach, Equestrian Canada Licensed Coach, and a Learn to Ride Evaluator certified to test up to Level 8. The programs are meant to certify instructors and standardize the skills that they have, as well as prepare the next generation for their journey in the equestrian world as both competitors and professionals. As a certified coach Lara has completed the required Rider Level examinations, First Aid courses, written exam, riding exam, and coaching exam. To finalize the Licensed Coach status required Safe Sport Training, and Concussion protocol training. Lara has been teaching since 1996, certified since 2003, licensed in 2021.
As a younger rider Lara trained with Nancy Scrymgeour at The Farm, following the philosophies of Mark Laskin. The focus on correct basic skills, building a strong foundation of confidence in both horse and rider has followed through the years into what is taught in the program today. Riding and training is a systematic development of skills, like building a house. If the basement isn’t strong, it doesn’t matter what is sitting on top of it!
Lara’s focus is in the Hunter/Jumper disciplines with a strong focus on accurate and correct basic skills. Dressage maneuvers are a large part of teaching both horse and rider about jumping. There is no pressure to jump – if a rider is not interested in jumping or competing, then it is simply not required. Horsemanship is important to Lara – knowing why horses do what they do, how we care for them, the biology of the horses systems, and how to use that knowledge to make horse and rider work together better – is really the goal of any good riding program.
Lara has had a few riders show interest in Working Equitation, and has discovered that this new discipline has many things to offer all horses!
As a Learn to Ride Evaluator, Lara is available to test riders up to level 8. If you are interested in learning more about this, please contact Lara through e‑mail or phone.
Lara feels that all horses are individuals with their own unique set of talents and skills, with their own set of likes and dislikes, and certainly their own personalities. Horses are generally herd animals that live on the move — they eat all day long, wander all day long and depend on the herd structure for a sense of security. At Trendsetting Stables we provide all three components to help keep your horse happy, healthy and sound.
