Valley Therapeutic Equestrian Association
3330 - 256th St V4W 1Y4 Aldergrove, BC, Canada

After a long 2020, we are starting the New Year off with . . . equine massages! We need your help! Vote for your favourite VTEA therapy horse and they could receive a massage from Free to Be Equine Services!!!! Thanks to Kaiti Elliot (owner of Free to Be Equine Services) some of our incredible herd will be receiving an Equine Performance Therapy Session! Kaiti has graciously donated 3 sessions to us to start the year off in wellness. We love you Kaiti!! Kaiti is a Certified ...Equine Performance Therapist with with additional training and education in anatomy, physiology, and equine bodywork techniques. She works on our horses who work so hard for their riders and they love it!!! To vote, write the name of the horse in the comments below. Only one vote per person. Results will be announced on Sunday, January 10th. #equineperformancetherapy #equine #massage #freetobeequineservices #therapy #horses #langley #bc

The Night Before Christmas - Horse Style (edited for VTEA) It's the night before Christmas and I'm out in the barn Blanketing the horses to keep them all warm. They're eating their dinners, tucked cozy in stalls,... Not aware that it's Christmas, or any day special at all. They dream of spring pastures from their pine-scented beds. No visions of sugarplums dance in their heads. But we people are thinking of merry parties and such Quickly doing our tasks so we don't miss too much. This season is special, but the horses don't know. They munch on their hay safe out of the snow. I finish my chores and head on inside To get ready for dinner and my family's yuletide. It's nearly midnight, the carols are sung. I remember a story told when I was young How at midnight on each Christmas Eve The barnyard creatures can speak to us with ease. I am called to the barn. I slosh through the snow. I can't really explain; I know I must go. I slide open the door, and stand there and smile Then slowly walk down the dimly lit aisle. A nicker from Taco, a soft snort from TC, Sweet, gentle Rosie gives me a wink Gem rustles her bedding, Cocoa comes into sight I think about parties bright lit and warm, The ones we don't go to cause we have the barn And vacations and holidays that we usually don't get Cause we have the animals and chores to be met. Walking all the way to the end of the aisle I stop to stroke Scoot and linger awhile He snuffles my face, hot breath on my skin And I look around at the others, my horses, my friends. I could be at parties with laughter and mirth But where I am right now is the best place on Earth. ~Author Unknown Happy Holidays to you and yours from everyone at VTEA!! #TheNightBeforeChristmas #winterbreak #cozy #staysafe #happyholidays #horses #equinetherapy

As 2020 comes to a close we want to say THANK YOU for supporting, collaborating, and walking alongside us through such challenging times. We are so lucky to have this amazing community; 2021 is shaping up to be a great year - big and exciting plans are developing. Stay safe and HAPPY NEW YEAR!! #HappyNewYear #HappyNewYear2021 #gratefulheart #community #equinetherapy #langley #bc

Our very own winter wonderland The horses are keeping busy and enjoying their socially distant winter break, we hope that you are too! We can’t wait to see you all in the new year! #staysafe #winterbreak #winterwonderland #snow #horses #therapy

Valley needs your help!!! With the cancellation of our annual Fall and Winter fundraisers, and dramatically reduced income due to COVID-19, we are depending on online donations now more than ever. Please think of Valley this Holiday Season; every donation no matter how big or small means so much to us!! Thank you for your support, wishing you a safe and happy holiday! ... https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/15178 #giveagift #christmas2020 #nicelist #gifts #horses #equinetherapy

Happy Caturday from Atticus! Always on the move; today he is sporting his "hey no time for cuddles right now, I have to many people to visit!!" look... #stopityoureembarassingme #caturday #alwayonpatrol #barncatadventures

Rainy Tuesday afternoons call for a warm, cozy nap in the hay loft #barncat #rainyday #afternoonnap #cozy #adventuresofatticus #therapeutichorsebackriding #equinetherapy

A big THANK YOU to our Langley neighbour, WaterTec, for donating all of the drainage pipe needed for our paddocks. All of this rain was proving to be very problematic. Not anymore! WaterTec immediately stepped up and we are super grateful! We would be remiss if we didn’t also thank Wayne for the install thank you sir!! You’re the best! #bestneighbours #communitysupport #lakebegone #therapeuticriding #langley #ThankfulThursday

To our kind, giving, selfless, incredible volunteers: We are immensely grateful and honoured that you choose to donate hundreds of hours each year to VTEA. With hearts of gold you continue to give your time, often braving the elements to help ensure that our clients receive their sessions. We are lucky to have you as part of the VTEA community - thank you for all that you do!!! #InternationalVolunteerDay #giving #community #kindess #grateful #horses #therapeuticriding

#qotd #quoteoftheday #horses #equinetherapy #grateful

Words of wisdom from Charlie Mackesy on World Kindness Day. How lucky are we to work with such amazing animals who are the epitome of patience and kindness!? #worldkindessday #bekind #horses #therapy #thereapeutichorsebackriding

The recent COVID-19 increases and restrictions have made safety more important than ever. Austin is on shift today with the newly implemented volunteer safety crew, what a great helper!! The safety crew is in place to keep things flowing in and out of the arena, and to make sure that our hand sanitizing station is fully stocked at all times. Let us know if you have any time during your week to help us out, we would really appreciate it!!... #safetyfirst #allhandsondeck #horses #equinetherapy

Thank you to all of the service women, men, and animals for the sacrifices that they have made and continue to make to protect our country - we are forever grateful! Lest we forget. #remembranceday #lestweforget #grateful #servicedogs #militaryhorse #grateful #canada

VTEA is excited to announce that we are launching a new Women’s Program!! It is for women who want to: - Find a new passion or rediscover an old one ... - Find their new purpose or journey in life - Meet others who are on a journey as well - Discover how equine assisted therapy can promote emotional health and well-being Horses possess an amazing power to heal; they have a unique ability to bring calmness, peace, and joy to our lives; they provide us with a quiet and safe space to just be, and to work through the challenges in our lives. Each session will be facilitated by a VTEA counsellor as well as an Equine Facilitated Wellness Canada professional! Not only will you be given the time to reflect but you will come away from the Program with a strategic plan that is directed solely at your specific needs, wants and purpose. Session dates: Four Sundays - October 18th, 25th, November 1st, 8th. Time: 10am - 2pm Cost: $400 *Lunch is included* **ONLY FOUR SPOTS AVAILABLE!** For more information or to register please contact Lynn Moseley ([email protected]) or Kristin Griffin ([email protected]).

Good afternoon Valley family! We are closed tomorrow November 11th for Remembrance Day, the office will re-open and lessons will resume on Thursday the 12th. Take care and safe!

A big thank you to Humans Of Support for coming out to Valley, and highlighting the work that we are doing though our Front Line Hero Program!!!

Today is National Taco Day, so we wanted to give a shoutout to our favourite Taco Never a dull moment with this handsome guy! #nationaltacoday #taco #silly #tacotuesday #horses #therapeuticriding #therapy #langleybc

We are looking for volunteers!! VTEA is looking for additional volunteers to help out in both our traditional program and our Front Line Worker program. It is a fantastic way to get outside and enjoy our beautiful province, connect with like minded individuals, and give back to those in our community (and beyond!). For more information on our programs, check out our website at vtea.ca. For more information on volunteering, please contact our office at (604) 857-1267. We look... forward to hearing from you! Position requirements: - Must be willing to wear a mask - Be at least 14 years of age - Available on a consistent basis - A criminal record check with the RCMP All training required for this position will be provided!

We have some news!! We have been nominated for the Greater Langley Chamber of Commerce 2020 Virtual Business Excellence Awards: Community Edition in the category of Outstanding Support for exemplary responses to the COVID-19 crisis. It is an absolute honour to receive this nomination. We just wanted to say thank you to all of you for supporting us throughout this challenging time so we can continue to do what we do. #awards #therapeuticriding #equinetherapy #langleybc #community #thankful

"28% more Vancouverites respondents marked their mental health as fair to poor now, compared to before the pandemic" ~ Crisis Centre BC September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month; with the onset of COVID-19, our society has been hit with yet another stressor to contend with, leaving countless people struggling. ... If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, call 9-1-1, or your local crisis centre. You are not alone!! Visit https://crisiscentre.bc.ca/ (Crisis Centre BC) for resources and information on local support groups.

New season, new project! During the fall and winter months, our fields tend to get wet and muddy. In order to keep all of our horses safe (and dry!!) and to prevent them from losing shoes, Wayne and Cody are building us some additional shelters and paddocks. What would we do without these two?? The paddock/shelter building is underway and the project is estimated to be completed in the new year. #newseason #newproject #maintenance #duo #exciting #shelters #grateful

Next Tuesday (just one week today!!) we begin our fall session. The VTEA team is excited to see you and want to thank you for following our COVID-19 protocols to keep everyone safe! Please keep an eye on your emails for updates as they come. #therapeuticriding #newseason #grateful #horses #langleybc

A very handsome Finnegan (a.k.a the Scotsman) looking extra spriffy after a bath! #Finnegan #newhairwhothis #handsomeboy #endofsummer

Coming to the end of an amazing weekend; strengthening new connections as we forge ahead to elevate and to bring more awareness to Equine Assisted Therapy. We are humbled and grateful to have collaborated with these amazing champions the past three days @Salt Spring Therapeutic Riding Association Victoria Therapeutic Riding Association Cowichan Therapeutic Riding Association #EAL #EFW #therapeuticriding #newfriends #newconnections #diversability #movingforward #elevating #change #strongertogether

Hitting the road to make new connections in the therapeutic riding community! #strongertogether #therapeuticriding #horses #community #grateful

Equestrian life... #mememonday #equestrianlife #horses #vtea

As our fall session is fast approaching, the board has been hard at work searching for an Equine Manager to oversee the barn. As of last week, we have officially hired Mackenzie Faye to our team! Mackenzie is a kind, enthusiastic, adventerous horsewoman with lots of experience; she is a jack of all trades, coming to us with a background in equine medicine, barn management, and facility maintenance. In her spare time she can be found camping in the local mountains with her do...gs and horses or baking up a storm at home. Mackenzie will be responsible for the overall health and maintenance of the horses, upkeep of the barn, and supervising staff and barn volunteers. Please give a warm welcome to Mackenzie! #vtea #manager #horses #welcome #community

Last week our handsome barn cat had a checkup at the vet (just allergies). In true form, he thoroughly investigated the room and then made himself right at home #caturday #barncatadventures #adventuresofatticus #cats

Happy International Cat Day! Atticus is a fan favourite at VTEA; he loves to talk, greet visitors, and play hard to get with his not so secret admirer (Julia)! #internationalcatday #cats #barncatlife #adventuresofatticus