Meet Cheralyne
Cheralyne is a rider, trainer, coach, and lifelong student of the horse with a résumé like no other. She has travelled the world, worked in some of the toughest environments horses can be asked to perform in, and built a career around learning not only how to train horses, but how horses can change people.
With a deep love of the horse and compassion for people, Cheralyne always knew her gifts would eventually lead her somewhere the two could meet. Every horse has a story, and every person has a history that has shaped them. Sometimes a horse comes into a person’s life to save the person. Sometimes, we are called to save the horse. Very often, we end up changing each other.
Learning From Every Corner of the Horse Industry
Cheralyne never stayed inside one discipline. She intentionally worked in different areas of the horse industry, including Western Pleasure, Reining, and Hunter/Jumper barns, refining the practical horsemanship she had developed in the field while gaining more technical knowledge of training, movement, performance, and coaching.
She also managed an equine-assisted therapeutic program for at-risk youth at Ranch Ehrlo, where trail riding and Equine Assisted Learning were used to help young people develop life skills, confidence, responsibility, and a stronger connection to nature.
That experience reinforced something she already believed: horses do far more than teach people how to ride. They have a way of exposing the places in our character that need growth and calling us toward the very qualities Jesus teaches us to pursue: patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control.
Along the way, Cheralyne continued pursuing formal education and certification, including:
Diploma in Therapeutic Recreation
Equestrian Canada English Rider Level 8 with Jump
Equestrian Canada Certified Western Instructor
Equestrian Canada Rookie Rider Coach
Equestrian Canada Trail Riding Coach and Evaluator
Advanced Equine Assisted Learning Facilitator
Certificates in:
Equine Exercise Physiology
Management of the Equine Environment
Equine Sports Massage
Equine Emergency First Aid
Horse Behaviour and Safety
Equine Biosecurity
Artistic Dressage: Canter Transformation
Artistic Dressage: Flying Changes
Horsemanship Earned the Hard Way
Cheralyne’s early career was shaped by one driving goal: become a better horsewoman. That journey took her far beyond the riding arena.
She worked as a backcountry trail guide in the Rocky Mountains of Canada, navigating rugged terrain the one would think impossible for a horse, unpredictable weather, long days in the saddle, and situations where good horsemanship was not about winning a ribbon, it was about keeping horses and people safe.
From there, horses took her across the world to Australia, where she worked as a station hand on cattle properties. Dodging grouchy Brahmans, extreme heat, and unfamiliar rough country tested not only her horsemanship, but her adaptability and grit.
And if you have ever wondered how she manages to keep working outside through Saskatchewan winters, she has had practice. As a pen rider in a cattle feedlot, Cheralyne spent long days up in the wind on the back of a horse in temperatures that could reach -30°C, sorting, roping, and treating cattle. After enough days doing that, an indoor arena in winter starts to feel pretty luxurious.
Those years taught her to ride with purpose, think quickly, read animals, solve problems, and keep going when conditions were far from comfortable.
Why Not Chase the Competitive Dream?
Cheralyne has trained horses and riders across disciplines and helped them work toward everything from simply enjoying one another again to refining ambitious athletic goals. But she has never chosen to make professional competition the centre of her career.
The reason is deeply personal: her faith.
Cheralyne’s faith in God the Father and Jesus our Saviour has shaped the direction of her life and the way she sees the gifts she has been given. She believes her ability to understand horses, teach riders, solve problems, and connect with people was not given to her simply so she could collect accomplishments. It was given to her to serve, to help people, help horses, and help the two understand each other a little better.
From Horsemanship to Building Programs
Cheralyne’s willingness to work hard and take responsibility naturally led into barn management, coaching, and program development.
In 2017, she was tasked with transforming a struggling seasonal horse program into a thriving, professional equestrian centre. At the time, the program operated for only part of the year, with a small number of horses and aging facilities. Through her leadership and dedication, it evolved into what is now known as Valley Equestrian Centre.
She developed it with a vision of better stewardship of the horses and land, professional year-round coaching, and therapeutic programming built around a larger purpose: improving people’s lives through one of God’s magnificent creations — the horse.
Today, Valley Equestrian Centre operates year-round and includes an indoor riding arena, cross-country field, lesson horses, boarding, training, haul-ins, clinics, schooling shows, and a lesson program serving approximately 100 students each week.
A Trainer of Self-Made Horses
Perhaps one of the most important pieces of Cheralyne’s story is this:
She has only ever ridden self-made horses.
Cheralyne did not build her career on finished horses. She learned by starting her own, building strong foundations from the ground up, and developing them herself.
Two of her proudest accomplishments were the Warmbloods she started and brought up through the levels, both showing real promise for upper-level Dressage and Eventing before tragedy cut their journeys short.
That loss became the catalyst for Fields and Fences and her search for the next great partner. Without the budget for expensive finished horses, she turned to diamonds in the rough, including OTTBs like Phantom and Nyx, both of whom came with complicated histories, health issues, and behavioural challenges.
Their journeys have become the heart of Fields and Fences, showing in real time what it means to rebuild trust, strengthen foundations, and work through the messy middle of training. Those horses reinforce what Cheralyne has always believed: there are very few shortcuts worth taking. Good groundwork, clear communication, correct movement, strength, confidence, and thoughtful Dressage come first.
You’ve watched me do this with my horses. Now I can help you do it with yours.
Cheralyne knows that training problems rarely exist in isolation. Behaviour, movement, confidence, past experiences, physical limitations, and the rider can all affect the outcome.
That is why she looks at the whole horse-and-rider partnership, not just the problem in front of her.
She would love to come alongside you to offer guidance through her “Trainer in your Back Pocket” online course. Click below to find out more.
