I was a girl, enamoured with Horses. My dad would sit me atop his shoulders, so I could eagerly glimpse the horses at local parades. My mom, a farm girl at heart – would sit me atop the old mare at my grandparents farm, I’d rest on her back until dinner was called and we’d head back indoors.
I was a wild one. A lover of Nature, Horses, Animals and Babies.
As a young girl, I’d beg my horse-owning friends to let me brush their manes, feed them carrots, or just sit and stare.
My grandparents were farmers, who lived close to the land, and inspired within me a thoughtful relationship with both land, and animals.
As a young woman, I married a cowboy, lived on a ranch and immersed myself in the presence of horses and agricultural life. It was there, with 120 horses and 300 acres of wild Cariboo terrain, that I learned about their ways.
The call of the horse has felt strong in my life, for as long as I can remember. I didn’t choose them, they chose me.
It’s no surprise to my soul, that I’ve now manifested the farm-animals-life of my dreams.
My responsibility, as the vision holder and steward of Graystar Farms, is to hold space for healing to occur. To practice land based rituals, to bridge horse-human connection, to attune to the whispers of Mother Nature and heed her wisdom.
I’ve navigated loss, grief and trauma. In doing so, it has created a vast container within me to hold safe sacred space for others seeking to dive deep into the caverns of their own healing.
By exploring what pains us, what we hide, avoid, numb and are unconscious of, we create opportunities to expand and live, here and now, as our highest expression of self. With our DARKNESS and with our unique LIGHT. We practice doing so, in reciprocal relationship with the land, and in integrity with each other.
This 10 acre wellness farm is where animals, humans and nature converge. What happens here, is Magic.
I’ve been in therapy on and off for years. I participate in a variety of healing modalities, I’m a lifelong learner. Attending to one’s OWN healing is paramount, too attending to the mental, emotional, spiritual health of others.
-Brene Brown
This is Darren. He’s the man behind the scenes. He makes magic happen. He’s steadfast. Trustworthy. Strong. Reliable. Curious and fiercely loyal.
Darren chops the wood. Lights the fires. Moves the heavy things. Makes the best damn coffee. Has the most amazing laugh. And loves sharing this Okanagan farm lifestyle and its many blessings with people just like YOU.
Darren adores his pack of dogs. Enjoys multi-day hiking and back pack trips, and knows everything a man can possibly know, about Grizzly Bears.
He’s spent the last 25+ years working in Mental Health and Addictions on the notorious downtown eastside (Vancouver BC) and is overjoyed to be stepping into a way of life that feels both wild and free for his soul.
This farm is located in the territory of the Okanagan Nation, home of the SnPink’tn first nation peoples.