Help us Crown the

2023 PARDS Sweetheart of the Year

Share the love this Valentine’s Day by sending your favourite PARDS pony a Val-equine!

Buy a Val-equine for your favourite horse for $5. Have more than one favourite? There is no limit to the number of

Val-equines you can purchase or how many horses you can purchase them for.

On Valentine’s Day the PARDS equine member with the most Val-equine’s will be crowned the

2023 Sweetheart of the Year!

Click here to see photos and a bio of each of our hardworking herd members.

Buy a Val-equine

PARDS would like to send a huge thank you to the employees of Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. for coming out for a Day of Giving. Many hands get the jobs done! Painting, electrical work, stalls moved, walls built, sound baffles made and hung, pasture fences removed and so much more!!

PARDS was invited to both the Harvest Festival and Heritage Day events. Our critters went to visit with the community and enjoyed the attention. Outings like this bring awareness about PARDS to the community.

PARDS would like to thank an anonymous donor for their support of continuing education to 3 of our instructors. Their donation will assist in certification through the Canadian Therapeutic Riding Association (Can-TRA) which PARDS uses as guiding principles for programming.

PARDS Dine & Dance saw over 300 goers enjoying an evening of silent and live auctions, a fabulous dinner and live music to dance the night away. All proceeds from the event went directly to PARDS programs which services people from the Peace region living with a disability.

The weather was beautiful for PARDS staff to gather with some of our fabulous volunteers who were able to make it out, to thank them for another unforgettable year. PARDS volunteers give over 14,000 hours of their time in so many ways!! We cannot say enough thank you's to all our volunteers. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

Thanks to donations from the Rotary Club of Grande Prairie, the County of Grande Prairie No. 1 and Canadian Natural Resources Limited, , construction began of a hay storage shed and an equipment storage garage. Both these projects were completed and they will ensure we can protect both the feed and the equipment from the elements.

PARDS was excited to launch the opening of our tack store. Gently used items available for sale and all proceeds go directly back into PARDS programs. If you would like to purchase or donate items to the store, please contact the PARDS office.

PARDS held their annual Community Carnival where over 1000 community members enjoyed a day of fun. Carnival foods, games and prizes, face painting, pony rides were among the many events throughout the day. 

Encana had a lovely afternoon visiting with friends at Emerald Gardens. He received many scratches, pats and treats from the residents and gave them joy and love in return. Thanks to the family of Mr Ray Pollock for inviting us. Ray is a long time supporter and the first recipient, in 2008, of the Slim Allen Award of Excellence for his contributions to PARDS.

Reeghan Funk

Reeghan began riding with PARDS in 2009 at the age of 3 years old in the Therapeutic Riding program to help her build balance and strength. Reeghan has a diagnosis of Cerebral Palsy which resulted in limited muscle control and weakness, especially in her lower extremeties, lack of coordination and a paralyzed vocal chord which impacted her speech (specifically volume). She came to ride at PARDS for the physical benefits of increasing her strength and fine & gross motor skills as well as to provide an activity where she would feel safe, enjoy herself and be fully engaged in.

I first met Reeghan over 10 years ago as a bright, ambitious little girl with a huge smile that would light up a room. Her initial physical goal was to strengthen her core and her first riding goal was to use her reins with a long term goal of one day riding independently. Reeghan's mom shared that doctors had told the family that Reeghan likely would never be able to sit up in her own so that became the first priority, to have her mounted on her horse, holding herself up and slowly improving her strength, balance and coordination. When she began riding, Reeghan had the support of a leader and two sidewalkers in her lessons.

Early on, Reeghan was introduced to the Para Equestrian Video Competitions where she has flourished over the years earning many ribbons and benefitting from the comments of the judges. Over the many years Reeghan has competed, she and her instructors have incorporated the feedback and suggestions from the judges into her weekly lessons.

Reeghan is now nearing her 16th birthday and continues to excel. In pursuit of her long-term goal of riding independently, Reeghan pushes herself to work through challenges and fatigue and is currently riding patterns without a leader. We continue to provide sidewalk support with a volunteer leader nearby and able to hook on to Cowboy, Reeghan's horse partner, in the event it becomes necessary.

Reeghan has partnered with many PARDS program horses over the years and, together, they have always progressed and she has learned something from each of them. Reeghan has shared that her "heart horse" was Gertie who she partnered with early in her equestrian journey. Currently, Reeghan is partnered with Cowboy which has proven to be a great match. The bond between Reeghan and Cowboy is incredible, he is such a gentleman and takes care of her every step of the way.

I am very happy to have reconnected with Reeghan after I returned to PARDS, not only as her current instructor, but also as a true fan of her aspirations, dedication and determination. Reeghan is a true inspiration to everyone she meets and we look forward to continuing her journey at PARDS.

~Sheri Young, CanTRA II Certified Instructor

Volunteer Registration

If you would like to become a volunteer or attend our Lesson/Barn Volunteer Orientation please fill out the volunteer registration form which can be reached by clicking the link below.