Falling Star Ranch
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Contact Info
Falling Star Ranch
Birgit Stutz and
Marc Lavigne
General Delivery
Dunster, B.C.
V0J 1J0
Canada
Phone/Fax
(250) 968-6801
"Ask not what your horse can do for you.
Ask what you can do for your horse."
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Welcome to the Falling Star Ranch
Training, Lessons, Clinics, Camps
Trainer Biography
Falling Star Ranch owner Birgit Stutz has close to thirty years of experience in the horse industry, including riding, coaching, training, showing, and breeding. She is proficient in both English and Western equitation and has learned, developed, refined and taught methods of training horses and coaching riders for over twenty years.
Birgit has been mentored by world-renowned horse trainer and clinician Chris Irwin since 2006 and has received Gold Certification in the Irwin Methodology of Horsemanship.
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Birgit Stutz was born and raised in Switzerland, where she studied journalism, English Linguistics, English Literature and North American History at the University of Zurich and received her bachelor's degree (Licentiata Philosophiae I) in 1997.
Birgit's love for horses began at an early age. However, it wasn't until she entered high school that she started taking English riding lessons at a well-known riding stable in Zurich.
At that time, Western riding was still fairly new in Switzerland, and Birgit was only minimally exposed to it. But during a year and a half long stay in North America in the early nineties, Birgit learned more about Western riding and Western horses. Upon her return to Switzerland, she bought her first horse, Machlon, a then six-year-old Russian Arabian gelding with a lot of "issues". With lots of patience, love and understanding, Birgit turned him into a reliable riding horse.
Birgit riding Machlon
In June 1998, Birgit immigrated to Canada, taking her then 10-year-old Arabian gelding Machlon, who she still owns today, with her. Birgit worked in various horse jobs, as a trail guide, as barn help, as well as a groom and assistant trainer for an Equine Canada Level 2 dressage coach. Birgit is also a freelance writer and recently had her first book published, "The Rescue of Belle and Sundance, A Miracle on Mount Renshaw".
Birgit has owned and trained her own horses for over 20 years and during that time has also trained outside horses and taught riding lessons in both Western and English style in her spare time.
In 2006, Birgit took the leap and decided to turn her love of horses and her passion for teaching and training into a full-time equine business, training horses and teaching and coaching riders from beginners to advanced in groundwork and riding, in both Western and English style, with an emphasis on good horsemanship based on equine communication, equine psychology as well as the principles of classical dressage.
Birgit enjoys working with people who have a love of horses and who would like to truly understand horses and build a relationship based on confidence and mutual trust and respect.
Birgit is continually updating her knowledge and furthering her skills by riding and working with a variety of horses at different ages and stages of training and of various dispositions, and attending clinics and workshops by various trainers. She further continues to study and keep up-to-date on horse care, horse health and nutrition.
Birgit's most important teachers throughout the years have been the horses. Horses have taught her that being a great horseperson goes beyond loving horses and being an excellent rider. A great horseperson strives to understand and relate to horses using the horses' own language, equine body language.
Over the years, Birgit has worked with all kinds of breeds, from quarter horses, paints, Arabians, Warmbloods and Thoroughbreds to Morgans, gaited horses, draft crosses, ponies and various mixed breeds, and has learned something from every one of them.
Birgit is completely devoted to horses. She stands behind her personal convictions and places everything secondary to her concern for the horse.
Birgit trains, teaches and coaches at her own farm, Falling Star Ranch, in Dunster, British Columbia. Upon request, she also travels to clients for lessons, coaching, demos and clinics.
Qualifications
- Chris Irwin gold level certified trainer and coach in ground work
- Chris Irwin silver level certified trainer and coach in riding
- Swiss Equestrian Diploma (bronze level) from the Swiss Federation for Equestrian Sports
- Completion of artificial insemination short courses at Colorado State University
- Apprenticed as assistant trainer and groom for Equine Canada certified level II dressage coach from November 2005 until July 2007
- Several seasons on various dude ranches; two seasons as head trail guide
- Cared for as many as 30 horses at a time (not including her own)
- Experience working with all kinds of breeds, from quarter horses, paints, Arabians, Warmbloods and Thoroughbreds to Morgans, gaited horses, draft crosses, ponies and various mixed breeds.
- Experience working with all ages of horses, from foals to geriatric horses, as well as with horses of various temperaments, from laid-back and lazy to stoic-defiant to sensitive and hot. Birgit also has experience working with abused horses, "problem" horses, disrespectful and pushy horses as well as green horses and stallions.
Click here for letter of reference
Please email or call us for more information on our services.
We look forward to hearing from you!
We invite you to stop by and meet our horses (please phone ahead to make sure we are around). We will be happy to show them to you, and we hope that you will enjoy them as much as we do.
Page last updated March 13, 2013
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