Joanne Peters runs Creston Flats Stables (CFS) and puts on gymkhanas in her huge indoor arena on Indian Road. These events include different kinds of horse racing like pole bending, figure eights, barrel racing and a dash for cash.
I have been to one of the gymkhana events to watch my sister, Erin Collison, on her own horse, Banjo. She is a loving, caring horse who loves attention. I had fun watching all the riders and events.
Peters also holds a variety of horse clinics, as well as cattle sorting. Sometimes in the summer, these events host barbecues as part of the event, with music. This makes them more enjoyable to watch and participate in.
She mainly offers western riding but also English riding at CFS. The stables have been running since 2008. On her 30 acres, she provides lessons for beginners all the way up to professionals, as well as horse boarding. She has an indoor arena (200 feet by 80 feet) for when the weather is bad, but enjoys the open outdoor arena more. It is hard to believe that Peters lives right next to the stables with her horses.
Thirty-five years ago, Peters started her path with horses. She began training in Langford, Victoria and Chilliwack. She also trains with Jim Anderson, a two-time world champion, through the clinics.
Peters likes to start training horses using groundwork. She believes in building up a relationship of respect with the horse on the ground before getting in the saddle. In 2015, Peters won tenth in the world at the Extreme Cowboy Challenge competition in Texas.
The Creston Valley Blossom Festival is coming next week, and Peters is putting on an exciting event called the Extreme Cowboy Challenge on May 21 and 22. She sets up an obstacle course in the arena and the fastest riders get a chance to win prizes and money. The judges will come from Alberta and anyone can enter.
The CFS near Lower Wynndel Road is a beautiful place to ride horses. There are green grass, straight blue skies and sand filled arenas. There are large white fences housing her horses, plus the boarding ones. The indoor arena can be rented for private functions too. Horse lovers can enjoy all the many opportunities at Creston Flats Stables.
It is a wonderful place to watch many events. For music she has country, pop and rock. I enjoyed watching these events, which include a jackpot for the first, second and third place winners in each division. The jackpot allows riders to win prize money. You have to pay a fee to enter the gymkhana and those who run the fastest times win. Watching these events makes the Creston Flats Stables a better place to be!
For more information on CFS and its upcoming events, visit www.crestonflatsstables.com.
Frances Collison has previously written about working at Spectrum Farms and Gin's on Canyon, volunteering at the Pet Adoption and Welfare Society, and participating in stage productions and the Therapeutic Riding Program.
—BY FRANCES COLLISON