As the first post on Gilbert’s new blog, I’d like to introduce Gilbert Roy.  Many (and I do mean many!) horse owners in B.C., especially the Lower Mainland, know Gilbert as a skilled horseshoer.  Others know him as a successful team penner, or for winning the single penning competition at the 1997 Cowboy Olympics in the record time of 24 seconds.  Yet others know him for his participation in the Canadian Horse Heritage & Preservation Society, promoting the Canadian Horse (Le Cheval Canadien), a breed that originated in his native Quebec, at shows and at The Mane Event.

Gilbert has a way with horses.  Some would say, from his understanding of them, that he must have been a horse in a past life!  He has been known to work magic with horses with behavior issues that others may have given up on.  One such horse was his little Quarter Horse mare, Jazzy.  She came to him at a fire sale price because she was so wild, no one could compete with her.  Months later, he was winning penning competitions with her, and later would give bridleless cutting demonstrations on her during his cattle penning clinics at Twin Creeks Ranch in Aldergrove.  (I’ll try to find a video.)

Gilbert now likes to think of himself as “semi retired” but he takes on a limited number of clients for horseshoeing, training, and lessons.  He especially likes to help riders who find themselves with “too much horse” for them to handle.  He can judge whether, with a little training, the two can be a good match, or whether for safety reasons, the rider should be looking for a new horse.  If the former, he can put some time on the horse, then help the rider learn to work with the horse, both on the ground and in the saddle, to obtain the respect required for a safe and enjoyable partnership.  He can help build confidence for both rider and horse, and take them out on the local trails to introduce them to trail riding.

Stories and testimonials about Gilbert’s work with horses and mules yet to come!