On Nov. 7, David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, and Sharon Johnston participated in the Canadian Therapeutic Riding Association’s (CanTRA) 35th anniversary celebration at the Royal Winter Fair. They presented two CanTRA volunteers with the Governor General’s Caring Canadian Award. The award recipients were Ann Caine of Cambridge, Ontario and Eliane Trempe of Sorel-Tracy, Quebec.
Through the healing power of horses, Caine, president of the Sunrise Therapeutic Riding and Learning Centre board of directors, turned personal tragedy into a world of possibilities, which has had a great impact on therapeutic riding in Canada and around the world. As a founding member of the Canadian Therapeutic Riding Association in Canada (CanTRA) and the Ontario Therapeutic Riding Association, she led and supported the incorporation of medical professionals in therapeutic riding programs, and played an important role in developing para-equestrian sport at the recreational and Paralympic levels.
Trempe was the force behind the development of therapeutic riding in the province of Quebec. She founded the Fédération québécoise d’équitation thérapeutique (FQET) in 2000, and joined the CanTRA board in 2005, with which she continues to serve. She has initiated the FQET membership eligibility rule that requires member centres to also be CanTRA-accredited, as this field is not protected by federal or provincial government regulations.
The Canadian Therapeutic Riding Association (CanTRA) empowers children and adults with disabilities through the use of the horse. For more information please visit: www.cantra.ca
