Helgi Sangret
Equestrian Canada Competition Coach - Licensed
Canadian Therapeutic Riding Association Senior Instructor
Equestrian Vaulting Association of BC Provincial Trainer
Professional Association of Equine Facilitated Wellness Certification Candidate - Equine Professional.
Growing up in the Cowichan Valley, Helgi discovered a love of horses at a very young age. She quickly became immersed in the horse world, taking riding and horsemanship lessons, (which were often paid for by doing barn chores after school and weekends), joining Pony Club, and competing in dressage, jumping, and three-day eventing. Throughout these formative years, Helgi had a chance to ride and work with many horses who were seen as “difficult” or “problem” horses, which often led to hitting the dirt, but also led to many lessons being learned.
After achieving Equine Canada Competition Coach certification with the support and mentorship of her coach, Sherry James, Helgi taught a wide variety of group and private lessons to humans and horses of all ages, from first-time riders up to competitive, at Cedar Rose Stables in the Cowichan Valley.
After taking a break from horses as a career to pursue dog training for several years, Helgi returned to the horse world in 2013 when she joined the Cowichan Therapeutic Riding Association as an admin assistant and instructor. During this time, she achieved her Senior Instructor certification through CanTRA, which allowed her to increase her scope of practice to instructing children youth and adults with a wide variety of diverse needs. In 2016 she got her EVABC BC Provincial Trainer certificate and spearheaded the launch of CTRA’s inclusive equestrian vaulting program, the Warmland Vaulters. In the summer of 2020, Helgi became the Head Coach at CTRA. At this time, she also began her training in Equine Facilitated Wellness through Pro-EFW Canada. She became passionate about incorporating EFW principles into the existing therapeutic programming and saw a shift and a growth into a more connected, enriched community, from the clients, to the volunteers, to the horses. She is grateful for the many relationships with clients, volunteers, staff, and horses that she made during her time there, and for the many lessons learned.
As of Spring 2024, Helgi has completed all the required trainings, and is working towards certification as an Equine Professional with Pro-EFW Canada, under the mentorship of Deborah Marshall of Generation Farms. She is proud to be able to bring and EFW lens to her work, to practice in alignment with her values of bringing a trauma-informed and intuitive approach to her coaching, and to continue to strengthen the relationships between the horses and humans she works with.
Helgi's full Scope of Practice Document is available here:
