About Us
Spa Alp Equines has been offering equine services since 2016. Our team brings a wide background of equine experience to our unique program. We start and develop on a working farm where horses and riders can become accustomed to working in the busy environments they will encounter every day, from vehicles and equipment to dogs, cats and other barnyard companions. We also provide learning experiences for you as a rider. Our team provides lessons and clinics to deepen your relationship and experience with your equine partner. We offer lessons and camps tailored to helping start or develop riders with their equine experience. Our access to the backcountry of the Spa Hills provides opportunities to enjoy the beautiful surroundings of our area and to help riders confidently tackle any terrain and take surprise encounters in stride.
Stephanie Schenkel
Owner, Head Trainer, Head Coach of Spa Alp Equines LTD.
I have loved animals for as long as I can remember, I come from an animal loving family and spent the first 6 years of my life on a goat dairy. My parents immigrated to Canada from Switzerland in 1997. They had milked 400 head of goats and both had horses in Switzerland. My dad had a riding horse and teams of horses that he drove at weddings and my mom had a horse that she rode recreationally. When we moved to the farm we are at now, the opportunity came up to purchase a horse and donkey pair. I spent every spare second with those two and even made an attempt to start the donkey under saddle and rode the horse everywhere bareback.
I started taking riding lessons during this time and a couple years later, my parents bought a second mare who we still have today. This mare was a green, 4 year old, morgan who was quite flighty and wasn’t well started and I was determined to ride both horses. Interested in learning more, I always checked out books and DVDs on equine care, herbs/ healing, the body and natural horsemanship, then tried doing what I learned with my horses. In 2009, I talked my parents into letting me adopt a yearling filly from the SPCA when a fostered filly and I had a special connection. I got through teaching her and I learned so much about starting and training by working with her. I ended up selling her as a four year old.
Pony club gave me the knowledge I have today about stable management and gave me the foundation to my riding career. In 2013, my parents purchased a six year old, warmblood mare for me and that is when I really started to take a lot more private lessons, attending clinics, pony club events and competitions. That mare improved my riding at a very accelerated rate. I continued to learn and build on my horsemanship and riding skills with that mare. Learning the more “structured ways” of dressage while still seeking to better understand the “other side” of horses, the way they think and how to get into their minds.
I had my first client colt to start in 2014. In 2015, I started 3 ponies as projects. In the fall of 2015, I had another client mare that struggled with picking up the left lead, and I got to correct that issue. Over the winter of 2015-2016 my parents built a six stall barn to allow me to safely house client horses and in the summer of 2016, I started Spa Alp Equines when I had started to take on a couple client horses during the summer break, as well as started a few more pony projects as resales. In this time, I started to learn about the ground work necessary for a successful start with a horse. This same summer I got a young mule in to start and this really tested all my skills. Working with these horses and mules really forced me to further learn how to get into their minds and how to work with them, not against them. I did get him successfully started and even got to show him the following year at the IPE. I continued taking private lessons, attending clinics, and competing a lot of times with young horses and I kept taking in client horses. This is where my program really started to form with understanding the importance of ground work in both starting horses and solving issues and I began to have more success with the starts becoming easier and the results being better.
In the Fall of 2016, I began to Attend the BC College of Equine Therapy in Vernon B.C run by Dave Collins. This is where I really got to dive into my passion for therapy and the use of different modalities. I don’t know where exactly this interest came from but it was always there and this course still majorly influences the way we do things here today because as Dave always said “ I am the voice for the horse.” I graduated from this program in 2018 and had kept up the training of client horses during this time. I had begun to offer broker services around this time as wel,l as I started to see that some horses that were coming in for training truly weren’t a match with their owners and this saved my clients a lot of time and headache selling their horses. In 2021, I took a holistic equine nutrition course and started dissecting this aspect of the horses and how we can change an entire being based on the feed and energy we are putting into it. In 2022, our program changed again with the introduction of both Jamie Setter and Adrienne Newman to the program. I met Jamie through a mare she purchased from me. The addition of both these individuals has made the program what it is today. A unique one-of-a-kind experience where your horse can learn and grow into his or her true potential all with using horsemanship and holistic methods. I am very proud of the team we have that make this program, from our assistant trainers to our stable staff, and of course, the therapists. The program we have today is something I have dreamed about since I was a child and to be living this as a reality and continuing to grow it is an incredible experience. I am passionate about helping owners and horses become a team and providing a safe and positive environment for children and adults to learn and feel welcome. I have seen many incredible transformations in horses, riders, and partnerships. If you are ready to experience something unlike any other program in the Okanagan, I look forward to meeting everyone that comes to our program and providing the outstanding and unique service we have become known for.
Our Team
Equine professionals and experts dedicated to a fair, encouraging, and holistic approach for horses and people.
Kristen Garrett
Instructor, Trainer, and Marketing Specialist
Kristen has over 27 years of riding experience and 15+ years of professional experience in the horse industry. She has been with Spa Alp Equines since Spring of 2024. Her skill set extends across several disciplines including English equitation, hunter jumpers, and Western riding with roles ranging from training and instructing to colt starting, trail guiding, packing, and herd management. She has had the pleasure of working with horses and learning from a variety of horsemanship styles in both the US and Canada.
Her philosophy of working with horses based on their natural instincts and treating them as a partner allows a wide variety of horses to succeed. Kristen spent several years as a trail guide in the Alberta Rockies, starting and training athletic and responsive trail horses and earning a deep respect for the sure footedness and talented nature of horses. Alongside running her own independent training and coaching business for several years, she has had the privilege of apprenticing and working with many accomplished trainers and coaches. Her approach to horsemanship combined with the training methods at Spa Alp makes it the perfect and ideal environment for Kristen to progress her skills even further as a horse woman.
She has a love for instructing and values creating a safe, supportive, and encouraging learning environment. Believing that riding challenges people both mentally and physically, she grounds her coaching in positivity and upholds a high standard of discipline. Kristen underscores the importance of being an excellent rider by first being a strong horse person, placing an emphasis on horsemanship and horse psychology in her lessons. She has been a clinician since 2017, holding a variety of clinics focused on horsemanship, equitation, obstacle courses, trail & competitive trail. Kristen is an EC Registered Coach.
With a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications, Kristen brings a unique skill set to the team, combining a robust equine background with extensive experience in the marketing industry. In addition to her roles as a trainer and instructor, she oversees the marketing, content, and manages and built the Spa Alp Equines website.
Liv Hooseman
Barn Staff
Olivia is a 19-year-old whose heart is firmly rooted in the barn. A spirited and dedicated horsewoman, she is thrilled to be a part of the stable staff at Spa Alp Equines, where she looks forward to working alongside and learning from like-minded women who share her passion for the well-being and care of our equine companions.
Liv’s love for horses began at the age of five, when she first experienced the incredible bond between human and horse. Since then, her passion has grown into a broader commitment to animal care, extending beyond the stables to include a variety of furry and feathered friends.
Liv currently works with her own horse and has experienced firsthand how much her knowledge, confidence, and horsemanship have grown through Stephanie’s methods and training. She is excited to continue developing her skills and learning new ways to better understand and care for the horses she works with.
When Olivia isn’t at the barn, she can usually be found adventuring with friends or spending time with her pup, Wrenley. Her ability to balance her love of horses, animals, friends, and everyday life reflects her dedication, responsibility, and genuine passion for everything she does.