A huge leap of faith for a Turner Valley couple seven years ago has captured the attention of the equine community province-wide. The Alberta Equestrian Federation awarded The Barron Barn, owned and operated by Jill and Ryan Barron north of Turner Valley, the Outstanding Facility of the Year award this year. The foundation provides education, information and support to the equine community. “We are really proud of it,” Jill said of the award. “When you’re fortunate enough to be recognized for your efforts it’s affirmation that you’re doing the right thing and that people are noticing and it’s worth it. It’s confirmation that we’re doing positive things for the horse industry and building a place where people feel supported.” The couple purchased the property in 2011 after renting an arena in Okotoks for a year where they trained horses and gave riding lessons. “We were throwing around the idea of buying our own place,” Jill said. “Obviously it’s very expensive to buy property with an arena on it. We started looking around and found this place.” The property consisted of two arenas, but one had been destroyed by fire and the property was a mess, Jill said. “It was the only way we could afford it,” she said. “We took a huge leap of faith and bought it from the court and cleaned it up and built a whole bunch of infrastructure.” After taking possession on Oct. 1, the couple began offering boarding, training and lessons the following day. “There was no sleep and lots of work,” she said, adding they received help from family and friends. “We had to get it cleaned up.” Ryan and Jill had been involved with horses their entire lives. Jill grew up on a cattle ranch south of Hanna where she worked with horses and competed in rodeos and horse shows, whereas Ryan grew up in the Foothills around horses - both of his parents were horse trainers. The couple met while working for John Scott Productions near Longview on set of the hit television show Heartland more than 10 years ago. They spent the next few years travelling the world and training horses to make ends meet. They returned to the Foothills to break colts before renting the arena in Okotoks. “We were at the point in our career that we didn’t want to rent anymore and started looking at property,” said Jill. “We own animals and we had horses in training from other clients.” Most of their clients followed them to Turner Valley, despite the commute. Through the couple’s hard work and determination, the operation grew. “We have a big lesson program here, training and summer camps,” said Jill. “We have put every last red cent we’ve made into this place. We’ve built more here than we ever thought we would. Ryan built absolutely everything on this place.” The couple has hired staff to help meet the needs of their growing client base. “We’re creating an environment where people feel safe and supported,” said Jill. “It’s a utopia-type setting where everybody is supported and happy.” Nicole Lansdell, who lives southwest of Turner Valley, has been getting lessons from Jill at The Barron Barn since 2012. She was looking for an activity to preoccupy her when her eldest child turned 18. “I kept looking out the window at my horse staring at me and I felt I needed to get back into a lesson program,” she said. “I opened the Yellow Pages looking for a place to start riding.” Lansdell grew up riding in horse shows, but had scarcely ridden since having children. Once she connected with Jill, the instruction was just what she needed to get back into the saddle. “She exposed me to all different types of things from gymkhana to dressage,” she said. “She gives you praise and encouragement, but she makes you work for it. I had a green, broke horse that had no business being there, he didn’t know anything. She just really embraced that.” In the past six years, Lansdell and her horses have gotten more out of Jill’s training than she had originally expected. “I would have never thought to use my horse for gathering cattle and sorting cows on my own at my ranch and opening gates on horseback,” she said. “Just the things she’s taught us has become second nature. It’s the confidence she’s instilled in us.” Jill’s mentorship has gone beyond the classroom. “She’s helped with my horses from training problems to health problems,” she said. “I’ll text in the middle of the night, ‘I don’t know what to do in this situation’ and she always makes time for me.”
