...an equine-assisted life skills learning centre for vulnerable youth
CAMINO
RANCH
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NEW LOCATION - NEW PROGRAM
Helping vulnerable kids find their path
Camino Ranch provides opportunity for kids (8-18 years old) facing challenges to benefit from the experience of equine interaction, which creates and improves confidence, empowerment, focus, connection, responsibility and leadership abilities. Activities include all aspects of the animals' care and keeping including exercising, feeding, grooming, general ranch and horse care duties, plus a structured goal orientated equine assisted learning program that emphasizes a building block curriculum of life skills.
Visit the Volunteer page for ways you can help
RAYANNE Irving, Herd/property manager at camino ranch
all images shared with permission
Announcing
Past Participants
ABOUT CAMINO RANCH
Camino Ranch Assn. is a registered Canadian charitable organization,
Regn. #76677 2115 RR0001
In 2015 a small group of like-minded citizens began a non profit society to create an equine based life skills learning centre for at-risk youth. Our vision was to establish a facility to provide vulnerable youth with the intangible yet real benefit of horses, helping them find their path to embark on life's journey with self reliance and confidence.
With a dedicated Board of Directors, members, and volunteers, the vision grew to include a comprehensive program offering a wide range of valuable and practical life skills. In 2018 we achieved status as a charitable organization from the Canada Revenue Agency.
As a certified equine assisted learning facilitator, Lorraine loves to share her love of horses and the lessons they can bring to the lives of youth searching for their path in life.
Lorraine is also a chartered professional accountant with many years of experience in accounting and business management. Her involvement in the lives of 2 cherished daughters provided valuable experience through leadership in Girl Guides of Canada and various home-school organizations.
visit camino ranch website here
LORRAINE KOOLEN
President
Learning to ride before she could walk, Rayanne's natural affinity for animals was cultivated early on, and a true love for the equestrian lifestyle was born.
Her showing and winning career began when she was only five years old as she graduated from Pony Club & Gymkhana's to 4-H, and then onto Cutting Horses.
From age 14 to 17, Rayanne was fostered out and struggled with abandonment, homelessness, gang recruitment and child sex trafficking. When asked by a street outreach worker, while being sex -trafficked at 16, where she would go and what she would do if she had the opportunity, Rayanne shared she would like to become a professional horsewoman. After many failed attempts, Rayanne made a daring escape from her exploiters with the help of street outreach worker, Pete Fahey.
It wasn't an easy road to adulthood. At the age of seventeen, determined not to become a statistic, Rayanne moved to the Okanogan where she signed on as a ranch hand for Doug Henry and his wife, Kristine. Starting out with nothing but the clothes on her back, Rayanne tapped into her relentless drive and took on multiple night jobs such as milking cows and bartending to pay the bills so that she could work during the day as an apprenticing horse trainer.
after experiencing exploitation, my body and mind felt like the most dangerous place in the world to be.
Horsemanship changed that by creating
space within me that no one could penetrate or steal. my body was mine alone as long as I was on the back
of a horse
Learning to ride before she could walk, Rayanne's natural affinity for animals was cultivated early on, and a true love for the equestrian lifestyle was born.
Her showing and winning career began when she was only five years old as she graduated from Pony Club & Gymkhana's to 4-H, and then onto Cutting Horses.
RAYANNE IRVING, HERD/PROPERTY MANAGER AT CAMINO RANCH
Rayanne's pursual of her dream led her across North America, where for more than ten years she contracted out to various ranches and horse trainers which allowed her to master multiple disciplines such as Reining, Working Cowhorse, Team Roping ( heading & healing ), Cutting, Ranch Versatility, Western Pleasure, English, Jumping and herdsmanship before settling down and opening up her own successful business, RKI Horse Training.
On the cusp of achieving all the dreams she thought would erase the past and prove her worth her love died by way of suicide, altering the course of her life. The death of her loved one turned the safest place she had known into the most painful. Abandoning her horses and business in Alberta, Rayanne embarked upon a healing journey that took her across the world and eventually back to horses, but in a way she never could have anticipated. As a Lived Experience Leader of Child Sex Trafficking. Teaming up with Lorraine and Camino Ranch enabled her to share her love of horses with at -risk and exploited youth. Rayanne's previous training/show horses have now been retired to broodmares and are enjoying being a part of Camino Ranch's at-risk youth program. Currently, Rayanne eagerly awaits the coming of age of her foals and looks forward to returning to the show pen, not as a horse trainer, but as a horsewoman.
Did we just become best friends?
let's connect
Rayanne's Why
From age 14 to 17, Rayanne was fostered out and struggled with abandonment, homelessness, gang recruitment and child sex trafficking. When asked by a street outreach worker, while being sex -trafficked at 16, where she would go and what she would do if she had the opportunity, Rayanne shared she would like to become a professional horsewoman. After many failed attempts, Rayanne made a daring escape from her exploiters with the help of street outreach worker, Pete Fahey.
Rayanne's pursual of her dream led her across North America, where for more than ten years she contracted out to various ranches and horse trainers which allowed her to master multiple disciplines such as Reining, Working Cowhorse, Team Roping ( heading & healing ), Cutting, Ranch Versatility, Western Pleasure, English, Jumping and herdsmanship before settling down and opening up her own successful business, RKI Horse Training.
At seventeen, Rayanne moved to the Okanogan and signed on as a ranch hand for Doug Henry and his wife, Kristine. Starting out with nothing but the clothes on her back, Rayanne tapped into her relentless drive and took on multiple night jobs, such as serving at a local diner, bartending at a local club and milking cows to pay the bills so that she could work during the day as an apprenticing horse trainer.
AFTER EXPERIENCING EXPLOITATION, MY BODY AND MIND FELT LIKE THE MOST DANGEROUS PLACE IN THE WORLD TO BE.
HORSEMANSHIP CHANGED THAT BY CREATING
SPACE WITHIN ME THAT NO one COULD PENETRATE OR STEAL. MY BODY WAS MINE ALONE AS LONG AS I WAS ON THE BACK
OF A HORSE
On the cusp of achieving all the dreams she thought would erase the past and prove her worth the death of her loved one turned the safest place she had known into the most painful. Abandoning her horses and business in Alberta, Rayanne embarked upon a healing journey that took her across the world and eventually back to horses, but in a way she never could have anticipated. As a Lived Experience Leader of Child Sex Trafficking. Teaming up with Lorraine and Camino Ranch enabled Rayanne to share her love of horses with at -risk and exploited youth. Rayanne's previous training/show horses have now been retired to broodmares and are enjoying being a part of Camino Ranch's at-risk youth program. Currently, Rayanne supports her community as a Medic and Paramedic Student while eagerly awaiting the coming of age of her foals and looks forward to returning to the show pen, not as a horse trainer, but as a horsewoman.
