Valley Equestrian Center is a bustling, professional, multi-disciplinary, equestrian facility. Our coaches have diverse experience which has allowed us to offer a variety of programs. From English to Western riding with a smattering of disciplines in between, you can find your niche at VEC. Check out our Programs page to find out more about what we offer.
A History
VEC was started in 2017 when Cheralyne Gibson and the Youth Farm Bible Camp decided to partner together to develop and create a full-time, high-quality, equestrian program. Cheralyne had many years of equestrian experience and education to bring to the table, and the Youth Farm had a dream; both shared the vision of using horses in a Christ-led environment to improve the quality of people’s lives. The Youth Farm has had horses on the property for over 50 years. For ages, the horses were only used for a basic riding program during the months of July and August for summer camps. The riding program was low on the priority list and had been stagnant for some time, without any resources put towards it to maintain it. YFBC recognized that they had an amazing resource in their backyard that was being significantly underutilized. With the dream of a high-quality equestrian program at the forefront, Cheralyne and staff at YFBC were put to task to tear down and then build up a new, high-calibre, facility. An old-non-productive pasture was transformed into the site for the new beautiful indoor arena. Old fences were torn down and replaced with new safer fencing, surfaces were levelled and proper footing brought in for the outdoor and indoor arenas. Additional pasture areas were acquired, planted, and fenced in. Shelters were built and water lines dug. Horses were acquired for the growing lesson program. Policies were made, a curriculum developed and additional equestrian staff were hired. Today, VEC is a bustling place, with three to four instructors, approximately 15 lesson horses, and many, many, excited students who love horses! Every year VEC continues to grow and add new programs to its repertoire as well as new facilities to meet the ever-increasing needs of the community. Our current projects include building a heated viewing area and office for the indoor arena, installing a sound system in the indoor to aid our coaches in teaching, and building new boarding pens for the horses of clients of VEC.
Our Mission
YFBC and VEC recognize that horses have many qualities that can be used in a therapeutic, life-improving manner. As a facility with strong Christian roots, the staff at VEC aim to treat every living creature, horse and human alike, with great care and appreciation. We value you and we value the lessons horses have to teach us!
As C.S. Lewis once wrote, “We can not encounter God through nature alone. The only imperative that nature applies to us is “Look. Listen. Attend”. Nature never taught me that there exists a God of glory and of infinite majesty. I had to learn that in other ways. But nature gave the word glory a meaning for me. I still do not know where else I could have found one.”