Our Team

Angie is an Equine Canada Competition Coach and a former Lancer. Angie learned to ride in the Lancer Junior Beginner Course and was a junior member of Lancers in the 1980s and 1990s. While at Lancers, Angie owned and competed at the Royal Winter Fair in Toronto with her legendary horse Prince of Thieves (Robin). Angie began her teaching career at Lancers before spending a number of years developing her equestrian skills as a working student in the Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark. In Holland, she managed a barn of 80 horses and has also held riding and/or coaching positions in Florida, Quebec, and New Jersey at top level Hunter/Jumper facilities. Angie has been coaching in the HRM since 2002 and Lancers is very fortunate to have her back.

As Executive Director and Head Coach, Angie has a very clear vision for Lancers. She strives to ensure that Lancers fosters each rider with a sense of discipline, responsibility, and empathy, and cares for others, be it animal or fellow community members. Above all, she hopes that every rider comes out of the program a better person. Her coaching philosophy is to try to help each rider discover their own potential and work towards a higher level of communication with their horses, recognising that each horse and rider combination will present a unique set of challenges. At the core of her teaching values is encouragement - to do their best, to constantly expand their knowledge of riding and horse care and to be good citizens in the Lancer and Halifax community. Through riding, without really knowing it, riders are learning and developing essential life skills such as verbal and non-verbal communication skills, listening skills, an ability to negotiate through complex relationships, and spatial awareness, and characteristics like courage, perseverance, patience, self-reflection, and an attuned awareness of others. Angie inspires Lancer instructors to approach their lessons with structure and to similarly encourage their riders to uphold Lancer values.

In fall of 2019 Angie was named Nova Trophy’s Community Coach of the Year! Read more about it here.

What do you enjoy most about teaching at Lancers?

“I most definitely enjoy the sense of community and the horses. There is such a broad demographic of people riding here from such interesting backgrounds, all coming together for their love of horses. The horses at Lancers are truly incredible. I’m amazed every day at how much they give our riders. It’s incredible to watch a horse and rider come together as one, and to see the horses offer this special connection to so many different riders is truly humbling.”

What do you think makes Lancers unique? 

“Being in an urban setting offers some unique advantages as well as challenges. We not only have a great sense of community within the barn but are part of the community at large as well. We always try to serve the community with free events like our Musical Ride performances and Open House events. The city of Halifax has these horses as part of its landscape and we enjoy seeing Haligonians and visitors on our fence line observing the horses play outside and watching our lessons.”

How does Lancers compare or contrast to other barns you have worked/taught at? 

“The emphasis on horse care rather than just riding is really put into action at Lancers. Youth spend their days here caring for the horses whether they have a lesson that day or not. The teens help the younger kids with their chores. Whether it’s mucking stalls, loading hay into our loft or putting the finishing touches on a horse to get them show-ring-ready, the riders are a part of it from start to finish.”

What else should riders/members know about you? 

“I am a mother of two young girls who also ride at Lancers. I consider Lancers my “village” that helps me raise them. I am eternally grateful for all of the support I get in helping them grow into caring, responsible citizens.”

A little-known fact about you is...

“I can ride a unicycle and stand on my head!”