Together with my husband Marc Lavigne, two horses and two dogs relocated from Alberta to the Robson Valley 12 years ago, in March 2001.
Birgit has always been passionate about horses and riding and started taking lessons at a riding stable in Zurich, Switzerland, when she was twelve years old. I bought my first horse, a young Arabian gelding named Machlon, in her early twenties. When she moved to Canada in 1998, Machlon and Birgit flew across the ocean to Montreal together in a cargo plane, and eventually made our move out west, where she later met Marc.
Marc used to ride horses when he was a young boy in exchange for barn work, and his love for horses got rekindled when he met me.We now own 12 horses, two dogs and six cats.
After 30 years of working with horses in various capacities, as a trail guide, barn help, ranch manager, and assistant trainer, I decided it was time to strike out on my own and started my own equine business in 2006.
Falling Star Ranch Academy of Foundational Horsemanship offers riding lessons/coaching, horse training, colt starting, horsemanship clinics, intensive horsemanship courses, mentorships, working student programs, equine behaviour workshops, horse whispering demonstrations, as well as workshops, short courses and demos on various topics.
"I am an Irwin Insights Level 4 Master Certified Trainer, and was the first Irwin Insights trainer in Canada to receive this level of certification."
The Robson Valley, surrounded by the majestic Rocky Mountains and the Cariboo Mountains, is also the perfect place for our mentorships programs - which they have been successfully running since 2010 - allowing students to completely immerse themselves into horsemanship in a beautiful, tranquil setting on a real working ranch.
In her limited downtime Birgit likes to take part in the local events, Dunster Ice cream Social is one of her favourites. Cattle drives, books, and early morning coffee on her porch overlooking her horses confirms why this where they were meant to be.
