Well, again, it has been quite an amazing year.

It’s hard to remember everything that has gone on. I often ask people what their highlight of the day, the week, the month, or the year was. It causes me to stop and think—what were mine? Slowly but surely, I start to remember some of them. As we talk, more memories return, and it feels very good to look back and reflect on successes, adventures, connections made, quality time spent, places visited, amazing experiences, and new things learned.

Highlights for me come in many forms. Sharing what I’m more passionate about now than I was even last year—or even 20 years ago—is a highlight. I’m so grateful that I chose to follow this path that has given me so much. It’s what I’d choose to do on my days off if I had them—but this is both my “days off” and my “days on.” The business keeps growing, the HR team keeps growing, and I can definitely say I’ve been blessed to be surrounded by amazing people.

As I write this, the barn is full of horses in training. Some of the HR team is here every day, learning, having fun, and enjoying the horses. Clients are stopping by to visit and to see how their horses are progressing. I look forward to each day and try to remember to be grateful for it all.

Last January started off with a seven-day Team Building and Leadership course in the mountains. I won’t go into all the details—just to say again that I’m grateful. The responsibility of facilitating the course requires a massive amount of thought and preparation, and both the preparation and the delivery benefit me as much as anyone else. I believe it started on January 2nd and kicked off the year in a great way. Sleeping in a cabin at 30 below, with only a wood stove to keep you warm, is always a highlight.

We continued with our annual learning holiday adventure to Costa Rica, then came back to the ranch for front-row seating and more training while preparing to judge the colt-starting competition at the Horse Expo in Red Deer. Somewhere in there, I whipped down to Kentucky, went on an extremely fun bourbon tour, and attended Road to the Horse to catch up with folks and cheer on the competitors.

I squeezed in a trip to Arizona and Art of the Cowgirl to sell a horse. Clinics on the road had already begun and continued right up to the annual 10-day colt starting in May here at the ranch. I believe we had 27 horses to start in those 10 days, and the group—like previous years—was keen to learn, work hard, and do their best. They didn’t mind a bit of fun socializing and dancing in the evenings after a day of playing with horses.

Then we went straight into camps, where we had record numbers and what felt like a record amount of fun. After almost two months of camps here at the ranch, it was back on the road for clinics: Buffy and Mission Acres in Cochrane, Anika in Smithers, Bo in Quesnel, Kendra and Ramona in Horsefly, Elizabeth in Lumby, a demo at the North Peace Fall Fair, and another annual learning holiday adventure called High and Wild at the end of July with another group of enthusiastic learners. We had 28 horses in this group for 12 of us to work with. This takes place in the mountains, where the scenery is incredible and there are endless trails, rivers, valleys, and views to explore.

Sheila brought Mom and Dad up to the mountains to spend a night, and I think that may have been their highlight of the year. The mountain group was most definitely horsemanship-addicted—developing the 28 horses and improving our skills seemed to be everyone’s main focus.

I made time for a 10-day break in the Okanagan, which was a much-needed recharge and a very enjoyable time. We got the Harley out and toured around to some wineries, did some sightseeing, and visited good friends.

I had a travelling buddy for the fall clinics and took a trip to see Eric at Takla Lake, which was very nice. I also made a quick trip to Colorado for a week of playing with two big Clyde draft horses. I got to know Hunter and her family—they were incredibly kind and toured me around to see the sights in their area.

By the end of December, I think we will have started another 20 horses for clients, gotten out to get a Christmas tree, and hopefully relaxed for a few days.

I know I haven’t remembered everything, and each event has special stories and memories that fill my year with a long list of highlights. I truly and sincerely want to thank all of you whom I met here at The Horse Ranch or on the road for giving me so many memories to cherish. I continue to learn from all of you, and I appreciate you very much.

Take the time to reflect on your own highlights—there will be many. I’m still walking, talking, breathing, and riding, and that in itself is a highlight not to be taken for granted.

I hope 2025 held some special moments for you, and I look forward to seeing you again and making more memories.

Merry Christmas,
Glenn

A wonderful client testimonial we received to wrap up the year. I am truly blessed to work with the horses and people I do.

“We are thrilled with the progress our two yearling horses have made under Glenn Stewart’s expert guidance. Glenn’s world-class training program, which he developed and has used to train over 3,000 horses, is tailored to each horse’s unique needs. We asked Glenn when to start training our yearlings, and he took them for a 2-week session, providing us with a clear plan for their continued development. We’re looking forward to taking them back to Glenn next year to continue their training. If you’re looking for a horse trainer who truly understands the needs of horses and their owners, Glenn Stewart is the one!”

Maureen and Darren Ethier