Cowichan Therapeutic Riding Association

08/31/2026

For 40 years, CTRA has been about horses — but it has always been about people, too.

Volunteers walking alongside riders. Instructors encouraging the next step. Families cheering from the sidelines. Donors and community partners helping make programs possible. Board members, staff and supporters giving their time, skills and hearts to CTRA.

Every person who has been part of CTRA over the past four decades has helped build the organization we know today.

As we celebrate 40 years, we want to say a heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone who has been part of that journey. 💚

Were you a volunteer, rider, family member, donor, staff member or supporter over the years? We would love to see you again!

🎉 40th Anniversary Celebration
📅 September 12
🕐 1:00–3:00 PM

Follow the CTRA signs to the barn. Parking will be available in the outdoor ring.

08/28/2026

Why the Isle of Van Fundraiser Matters...

For organizations like the Cowichan Therapeutic Riding Association, community fundraising events such as the Isle of Van are incredibly important.

Not a week goes by without us receiving 2–4 new inquiries from families and individuals looking for access to our programs. The need for therapeutic riding and equine-assisted programming continues to grow, but the funding pool available to nonprofits does not grow at the same pace.

That is why unrestricted funding is so vital. It gives organizations like CTRA the flexibility to respond to the needs in our community, cover the real costs of delivering programs, maintain our facilities and horses, support our staff and volunteers, and most importantly, help keep our programs accessible to the people who need them.

The Isle of Van fundraiser doesn't just support CTRA. It helps strengthen many local nonprofits doing important work in our community. When you support this fundraiser, you are investing in the organizations that are on the ground every day, responding to growing needs and making a difference for children, youth, adults, families, and individuals throughout our community.

We are incredibly grateful to everyone who supports the Isle of Van and the nonprofits it benefits. Every donation helps us keep saying yes when someone reaches out looking for support.

Thank you for believing in local nonprofits and the work we do. ❤️

08/26/2026

Which would you choose?

🌿 Trail Ride — fresh air, changing scenery, and adventures outside the arena

OR

🐴 Arena Ride — games, patterns, obstacles, and working on those riding skills

There’s no wrong answer!

👇 Tell us your pick in the comments: ARENA or TRAIL?

08/24/2026

From where we started to where we are today — what an incredible 40 years it has been!

Over four decades, much has changed at CTRA. Horses have come and gone, programs have grown, facilities have changed, and countless riders, volunteers, families and supporters have become part of the CTRA story.

But one thing has remained constant: the incredible connection between horses and people. 💚

As we count down to our 40th Anniversary Celebration, we’ll be looking back at some of the people, horses and moments that have shaped CTRA over the years.

📸 Do you have a favourite CTRA memory or an old photo tucked away somewhere? We’d love to hear about it in the comments!

🎉 Join us September 12 from 1–3 PM as we celebrate 40 years of CTRA together.

08/21/2026

🏍️ 9 HOURS. ONE GREAT CAUSE. 💚

We’re excited to share that CTRA has once again been selected as a benefiting charity for the 4th Annual Isle of Van 9HR Motorcycle Endurance Charity Event hosted by Higgy's On The Track - Motorcycle Track Days On Vancouver Island!

📅 Sunday, August 23, 2026
⏰ 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
📍 Vancouver Island Motorsport Circuit

Formerly known as Higgy’s 9HR, this incredible endurance event brings riders together for nine hours on the track while raising funds for local charities — and we’re so grateful to be part of it again!

🐴 Keep an eye out for the CTRA crew while you’re there! Our staff and volunteers will be onsite serving up breakfast and lunch throughout the day.

A huge thank you to Higgy’s On The Track and everyone participating, volunteering and supporting this fantastic fundraiser. Your support helps make a difference for CTRA and the riders we serve. 💚

🏍️ See you this Sunday at the track!

This weekend, Promac Moto will once again be participating in the "Isle of Van" charity motorcycle event at the Vancouver Island Motorsports Circuit.

Help us make this annual event a game changer for these local causes: Cowichan Therapeutic Riding Association, Canadian Mental Health Association: Cowichan Valley Branch, Cowichan Brain Injury Society. Every small pledge/donation matters!

08/19/2026

🏆🐴 Celebrating Our Top Ride-A-Thon Fundraiser! 💚

We’re thrilled to give a very special shoutout to Bryan, our top individual fundraiser from this year’s Ride-A-Thon!

Riding and fundraising for Team Yilden, Bryan raised an incredible $3,355 in support of CTRA! 🎉

That is an amazing accomplishment, and we are so grateful for the enthusiasm, dedication and community support Bryan brought to this year’s event.

Every dollar raised through the Ride-A-Thon helps CTRA continue providing meaningful therapeutic riding opportunities in our community — and Bryan certainly went above and beyond to help make this year’s fundraiser a success. 💚

Please join us in giving Bryan and Team Yilden a HUGE round of applause! 👏👏👏

Way to go, Bryan!

07/17/2026

🎉 What an incredible Ride-A-Thon! 🎉

Together, our riders, volunteers, families, judges, sponsors, and supporters made this year's Ride-A-Thon one to remember.

Because of your generosity and enthusiasm, we're thrilled to announce that $15,542.80 was raised in support of CTRA! 💛🐴

A huge congratulations to our top individual fundraisers:

🥇 Bryan raising $3,355.00
🥈 Ayla raising $1,050.00
🥉 Shauna raising $750.00

And congratulations to our top fundraising horse teams:

🏆 Team Yilden raising $3,485.00
🥈 Team Dudley raising $2,655.00
🥉 Team Maddy raising $1,254.80

Thank you to every rider who challenged themselves, every volunteer who donated their time, every judge who helped make our dressage and working equitation tests possible, every donor who supported our riders, and every family and friend who cheered from the sidelines.

Your support helps make therapeutic riding and equine-assisted learning possible for so many in our community, and we truly couldn't do it without you.

Thank you for making another Ride-A-Thon such an incredible success. We can't wait to do it all again next year! 💛

07/08/2026

What an incredible transformation! ✨

Our new indoor arena footing is officially complete, and we couldn’t be more grateful for the amazing community that came together to make this project possible.

This investment will provide a safer, more consistent riding surface for our riders and horses, helping us continue to deliver quality therapeutic riding programs year-round.

A sincere thank you to everyone who contributed their time, services and materials:

💙 R&H Williams Trucking for handling all of the machine work.

💙 Winter Trucking for generously donating the trucking.

💙 Butler Concrete & Aggregate for donating two loads of sand, providing the trucking for those deliveries, and offering a discounted rate on the remaining sand required for the project.

As well as the generous financial contributions for this project:

💛 BC Therapeutic Riding Association
💛 Duncan Lions Club
💛 Malahat Lions Club

Projects like this simply don’t happen without the support of businesses, organizations, and community members who believe in what we do. Because of your generosity, our riders, horses, volunteers, and instructors will benefit from this new footing for years to come.

From all of us at CTRA—thank you. 💛

06/29/2026

It’s an exciting day at CTRA, as construction officially gets underway to replace the footing in our indoor arena! 🐴🚜

This project simply wouldn’t be possible without the incredible generosity of our community.

A heartfelt thank you to:

💛 R&H Williams Trucking for completing the machine work for this project.

💛Winter Trucking for generously donating all of the trucking.

💛 Butler Concrete & Aggregate for donating two loads of sand, covering the trucking for those deliveries, and providing a discounted rate per tonne on the remaining sand needed for the project.

Your support is helping create a safer, more reliable riding surface that will benefit our riders, horses, volunteers, and instructors for years to come.

We can’t wait to share the transformation with you as the project progresses. Stay tuned for more updates!

05/21/2026

Raffle tickets are officially on sale for Mending Fences! 🎟️

We’ve gathered some incredible prizes thanks to the generosity of our community, and we’re excited to start sharing a few of them with you 👀

Every ticket purchased helps support our riders, horses, and programs — while giving you the chance to win something special 💛

🎟️ Purchase raffle tickets here:
https://www.zeffy.com/en-CA/ticketing/2026-mending-fences-raffle-tickets