They were responsible for cows, pigs, crops and several different types of birds. His family lived off the land. Bill left the farm to enter into the work force and remained there for the next 33 years. Joanne came from a completely different background. Joanne Stanley's love of horses developed at a very young age. She spent the first nine years of her life in Calgary Alberta where her family at
tended the Stampede yearly. Her family relocated to Hanmer, Ontario, where she started to develop her knowledge of horses even further. She spent every minute she could at her friend’s horse farm. After leaving high school she moved to southern Ontario to pursue her career in retail management. Along the way she obtained a diploma as a legal assistant and an accounting certificate. In 2005 she would return to her roots in Northern Ontario when she was offered a promotion with the company she was employed with. Joanne was only just four weeks into her new environment when she found a riding stable and picked up where she had left off with horses. She had forgotten just how helpful being with the horses could be. She took every opportunity she could to be out riding. In September of the same year she purchased her first horse “Fancy Faith”
Being in a very high stress position she found her stress level manageable as her horse became her outlet. She had read about the ability horses had with young children. Joanne has a young nephew with special needs and started incorporating what she had researched into his daily routine. After monitoring the effects of ‘horse therapy’ with her nephew within a 3 month span; his progress was amazing! It was at this moment the idea of therapeutic riding formed. After several factors, including being diagnosis with Lupus, Joanne decided to take the next step in opening her own riding stable. Bill and Joanne met and married in 2010 and along with Joanne’s granddaughter moved to their 100 acre farm with hopes of getting back to basics. It was in the summer of 2014 with Joanne’s cousin and daughter visiting from Montreal that the idea was planted about teaching children about the pioneer ways. Nine year old Julia was fascinated with the daily chores of the farm. The farm animals, the canning of their own crops and baking homemade bread. They decided they wanted to share this way of life that had long ago gone by the wayside!
