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Rusty Jade Ranch and Trinity’s Well are focused on providing horseback riding lessons, trail rides/tours, Horsemen Certification (Leadership), horse therapy and working on the land. Co-owner, Andi Solowka tells us “Keeping this passion and motivation is easy when you have a clear goal in mind.”
Tell us about your business.
The business was started as Stable Relations Inc. in 2000 but over the years has evolved and we’ve changed our offerings. Now we have two locations and use STABLE RELATIONS presents: Rusty Jade Ranch and Trinity’s Well.
Our mission is to provide spaces that help individuals build self-awareness to make strong relationships in their life.
Stable Relations is the umbrella to our two locations. The home farm is Rusty Jade Ranch where all of our horses and programming are, while Trinity’s Well is a brand-new operation that aims to teach individuals similar lessons but through working with the land opposed to horses.
We want individuals to experience what it’s like hand-pumping a well, or walking behind a plow, or starting up an old antique tractor… or learning how to fix it! In doing these tasks, we’re creating awareness and when we have a better sense of awareness, we can then appreciate what we have and reflect that appreciation through our actions and values.
Tell us about you, what has your journey to and with business ownership been like?
My mom, Kelly, started the business in 2000 under the name “Stable Relations Inc.”. The business was, and is, ALL about horses.
It started like most equine facilities in Ontario. People started to notice the magic Kelly brought to horses, how well behaved her horses were, so she started offering breeding, boarding, training and horseback riding lessons. The “magic” she brought to horses came from consistency and therefore steady relationships hence the business name Stable Relations.
Needless to say, I was raised around horses and with that came countless life lessons. You can find me on social media giving endless analogies between working with horses and our day-to-day lives and how to manifest and keep meaningful relationships. To do this, one must learn how to be mindful, compassionate, work hard, rest hard, and overall…take time for what matters.
Around 2013, my stepdad, Brad Matchett entered the picture. Naturally, I disliked him. Does anyone ever like their stepparents at first?
Regardless of what I thought of him, he brought A LOT of great changes and improvements to Stable Relations Inc. He took over the maintenance of our horse’s feet, he found ways to make our own feed close to home (for both the animals and us humans), he connected with the land and started managing a better rotation for horse grazing and so much more.
I went off to University (OCADU), majoring in advertising where in my thesis year I designed a logo and branding for what we wanted “Stable Relations” to be known by, “Rusty Jade Ranch”. Rusty being the first horse that made a major impact on me while Jade was mom’s first official horse, who did the same thing for her.
Our tagline is “take time”. Reason being, relationships with a solid foundation, come from simply slowing things down and taking our time. You can’t rush a horse to be trained. You have to slow things down, get to know them, and figure out how to approach.
On my occasional visits back home from University to see my horses and family, I caught myself using lessons that I had learned from the horses in my relationships with people. My dislike of Brad adjusted and became positive. This is exactly what we’re honing in on now and what we’re passionate about.
We’re tweaking the business from boarding, training, horseback riding lessons and breeding to be horseback riding lessons, trail rides/tours, Horsemen Certification (Leadership), horse therapy and there’s more on the horizon.
Being passionate is a requirement when running your own business, let alone running your own business AND working with family.
Keeping this passion and motivation is easy when you have a clear goal in mind. We often tell our students when riding a horse, if you don’t know exactly what you want —the horse will do whatever they want or challenge you further because they can sense your uncertainty.
The same thing applies to our vision for Stable Relations. We want to continue to connect people, and that connection and growth can’t happen until we start with ourselves. In becoming more self-aware and mindful, everyday becomes easier.
Why are horses used as therapy animals?
Horses are used as therapy animals for many reasons. The main reason and the simplest explanation is that they’re the most powerful mirror you can find. They reflect your energy back to you, and if you’re open to acknowledging it, you become present, you’ll ask questions, and you become less concerned about how you look and place more value on your goals/being, and how you impact others.
As soon as a student comes into the arena with their paired horse. We can tell whether they’ve had a good day or not. Reason being, we have a relationship with our horses, and they’re mirroring your energy.
Why is the community of Caledon special to you?
Caledon is special to us because it has beautiful wildlife, scenery, people, and it just so happens to be right in the middle of a few other fantastic towns and cities, including the city of Toronto. This is important to us because it means that we can eventually offer our experiences and programming to individuals that otherwise wouldn’t have the means!
Rusty Jade Ranch/Trinity’s Well are located at 18070 Duffy’s Lane | https://rustyjaderanch.org
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