ABOUT US
The Centaur Breeding Farm is a social and
environmental responsible community.
Centaur Breeding Farm has been in operation since 1970 and is
situated just
outside the village of Navan (east of Ottawa and south of Orleans).
Facilities include a 30-stall stable, well-maintained indoor and
outdoor
rings with ideal sand footing, a hunter ring, and large turn-out
areas.
Groomed riding trails run through 25 acres of woods. The indoor
arena is
heated during winter and has a large, comfortable lounge, with
kitchenette,
attached for viewing comfort.
HISTORY
Centaur has always been a family affair. The Riding School had its
actual
beginnings in 1970 when Claire and Jean-Louis (Johnny) Guertin and
their
daughter Shirley returned from a five-year stay in Germany deciding
to
settle in the Ottawa area. The school started informally when word
spread
that Claire was a certified instructor from Germany. People would
simply
drop by whenever they wanted a lesson ($5/hour for a private
lesson!!).
Qualified instructors in those days were rare.
The riding school was officially formed in 1973 when Shirley
decided to
pursue riding as a career and the indoor arena was built. Since the
beginning, thousands of riders have ridden at Centaur and hundreds
of horse
shows have been held!
During the 1980's Centaur distinguished itself with its breeding
programme:
Two Centaur-bred horses, SOLOMON and his son ABSALOM were awarded
the
National Dressage Achievement Award by the Canadian Sport Horse
Association.
This cross-Canada recognition is given to the most successful
dressage
Canadian Sport Horse in Canada in a given year. Solomon sired many
horses
that became successful in the dressage arena.
In 1989 Shirley bought the business from her parents.
TODAY
Centaur Riding School is a professional riding school with
approximately 100
students who are coached in the dressage and hunter disciplines. We
have
earned a first-class reputation for the quality of our facilities,
coaches
and riding school programs. Essential to the development of riders
are
well-trained horses ... and Centaur is proud of its school horses,
some
having competed successfully at national and provincial
championships, each
with something special to teach.
Centaur also holds 10 competitions per year. Horse shows range from
competitions for the new rider to National Dressage Competitions.
New for Centaur: In 2001 Centaur went back into breeding with the
acquisition of our first stallion and broodmares. It is now a
full-fledged
breeding operation with several CSHA broodmares. Standing at stud
is the
black Hanoverian stallion Don Rico (Don Frederico - Hohenstein -
Archipel).
Our goal is to continue the tradition of producing superior quality
sport
horses for the North American market.
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BREEDER OF CANADIAN SPORT HORSES