About Page for Centaur Breeding Farm - Sport | Dressage | Jumping Horses for Sale Ottawa Ontario

 

About Us

Centaur Riding School and Breeding Farm has been in operation since 1970 and is situated just outside the village of Navan (east of Ottawa and south of Orleans) in Ontario, Canada. Facilities include a 30-stall stable, well-maintained indoor and outdoor rings with ideal sand footing, a hunter ring, and large turn-out areas. Groomed riding trails run through 25 acres of woods. The indoor arena is heated during winter and has a large, comfortable lounge, with kitchenette, attached for viewing comfort.

History

Centaur has always been a family affair. The Riding School had its actual beginnings in 1970 when Claire and Jean-Louis (Johnny) Guertin and their daughter Shirley returned from a five-year stay in Germany deciding to settle in the Ottawa area. The school started informally when word spread that Claire was a certified instructor from Germany. People would simply drop by whenever they wanted a lesson ($5/hour for a private lesson!!). Qualified instructors in those days were rare.

The riding school was officially formed in 1973 when Shirley decided to pursue riding as a career and the indoor arena was built. Since the beginning, thousands of riders have ridden at Centaur and hundreds of horse shows have been held!

During the 1980’s Centaur distinguished itself with its breeding programme. Centaur was one of the first places in the area to breed mares with Hanoverian and Trakehner bloodlines. Two Centaur-bred horses, SOLOMON and his son ABSALOM were awarded the National Dressage Achievement Award by the Canadian Sport Horse Association. This cross-Canada recognition is given to the most successful dressage Canadian Sport Horse in Canada in a given year. Solomon sired many horses that became successful in the dressage arena.

In 1989 Shirley bought the business from her parents.

Today

School: Centaur Riding School is a professional riding school with approximately 100 students who are coached in the dressage and hunter disciplines. We have earned a first-class reputation for the quality of our coaches and riding school programs. Essential to the development of riders are well-trained horses ... and Centaur is proud of its school horses, some having competed successfully at national and provincial championships, each with something special to teach.

Centaur also holds 10 competitions per year. Horse shows range from competitions for the new rider to National Dressage Competitions.

Breeding: The present breeding program has been in effect since 2001 with the acquisition of our first stallion and broodmares. Since, CBF has expanded to several top-quality CSHA broodmares with European bloodlines and our top-notch Hanoverian black stallion DON RICO. Don Rico is a son from the first crop of Don Frederico, famous Celle stallion. Don Rico gives his get great temperaments, lots of bone, and beautiful movement.

This is our recipe for raising strong healthy horses. Our horses are raised in large pastures with 24/7 turn-out. They are fed top-quality hay and have free-choice minerals. They always have access to heated water and a large shelter. The professional handling as well as the interaction between the horses make for well-adjusted behaviour. They are wormed and vaccinated as needed. Much of the "veterinary care" is done with homeopathic remedies.

Dr Hilary Clayton, foremost researcher in all things equine, states "good management in the first 6 to 12 months of a foal's life substantially affects tendon structure and hence resistance to injury later on in life". After 2 years of age the ability of tendons to adapt and strengthen is limited. "Build the strongest tendons possible before maturity". The exercise that our young stock receives is key to the development of strong limbs and soft tissues.

Our goal is to continue the tradition of producing superior quality horses for the North American market.

 

Shirley Guertin
Owner / Coach
Shirley is a certified EC (Equestrian Canada) High Performance Dressage Coach. On two occasions she received recognition as Ontario's Female Dressage Coach of the Year. She is also an active EC Medium Dressage Judge, having judged across Canada. She was involved as a Master Coach in a Coaching Apprentice project run by Cadora-Ontario to help in the development of coaches. She is a skilled rider and trainer, having competed on homebred horses to the FEI levels.

Danika Guertin-Pierson
Trainer / Coach
Danika is a certified EC (Equestrian Canada) Competition Coach. Since 2010 Danika has been very successful training and competing Centaur’s homebreds from our breeding program winning numerous significant awards. For 5 years in a row, home-bred horses that Danika has either showed and/or trained have won the OADG Young Horse trophy. Highlights include:

2018 Equestrian Canada(EC) Second Level Rider of the Year, and reserve Second Level Horse of the Year (Diamanda CRS)
2017 Equestrian Canada(EC) First Level Rider of the Year and Horse of the Year (Diamanda CRS)
2015 Canadian Champion with Diamanda CRS at Training Level
2014 Ontario Champion with Dark Velvet at Second Level
A short article was written up about Danika in Equestrian Canada’s June 2018 Dressage Quarterly (on pg.6). Following this success the pair was chosen to participate in the Ontario Equestrian Competitive Athlete Development Symposium held at Deer Ridge Equestrian in August 2018. They were hand-picked to be a part of the demonstration riding, to be taught by two Olympians, Christilot Hansen-Boylen and Megan Lane. Following the symposium Danika was lucky enough to train with Christilot at Deer Ridge for the month of October. To keep progressing in her training, Danika rides with Shirley and also trains with Olympian Tom Dvorak when they are lucky enough to have him come to Centaur for a clinic in the spring and fall.

As well as teaching our more advanced riders, Danika is also available for off-site coaching.