Our Instructors
We look forward to getting to know you.
Pippa Hodge
Coach and Physiotherapist
Co-Founder of Valley Therapeutic Equestrian Association
Pippa is a CanTRA Coach and Examiner and a Registered Physiotherapist specializing in Clinical Hippotherapy.
Julie Matjiw
Intermediate Instructor
Julie has been involved showing and training horses for most of her life. She has been with VTEA since 1996 and is currently a CanTRA II certified instructor.
Talented in all areas of horsemanship, Julie’s particular gift is understanding the non-verbal communication between horse and human. Julie has achieved Rider Level 5 Equine Canada Status, and is certified in Equine Massage.
Kim Yawney
Basic Instructor
Kim came to VTEA as a volunteer in August 2008 and in October was hired on as Office Coordinator. In 2010 she started with fill-in teaching for the instructors, got her certification in 2013, and continues to teach now.
Kim has horses of her own and knows how therapeutic they are to her life. The best part of her job is seeing the bright eyes, smiles, confidence and self-esteem that horses bring to riders.
Grace Abbot
Basic Instructor
Ever since she was eight years old, Grace has done everything to be around horses because of how healing they are for her. She graduated from the Pony Club levels, to horse jumping in her younger years, and eventually transitioned to western-style riding. Currently studying kinesiology at the University of the Fraser Valley, Grace hopes to become a physiotherapist. Grace is also an artist, creating custom paintings of horses and of other people’s furry four-legged friends. Grace started working at Valley in the barn in 2021, and loved the work we do here. This led to Grace becoming a certified instructor in 2024.
Kayla De Boer
Basic Instructor
“I didn’t grow up with horses, but when I had to do a job shadowing project for school, I knew I had to find something with horses. Then I learned about Therapeutic horse riding. I knew I wanted to be involved in it, as it combined my love for horses and children.”
Kayla started as a shy and anxious girl who hardly spoke. After volunteering for a few months, she started taking riding lessons so she could experience, first-hand, the difference that Therapeutic riding can make in people’s lives. This allowed her to open up, communicate better, and feel at ease around people.
After volunteering for a couple of years and working in the barn to gain knowledge, with some encouragement from peers, Kayla finally decided to become an instructor as she wants more people to benefit from therapeutic rides. The thing Kayla enjoys most about teaching is seeing the smiles on the clients' faces and watching them form a connection with their horses.
Michelle Blatt
Basic Instructor
A full-time pre-school teacher and head of the ‘Out of School’ program on weekdays. Teaching kids brings me Michelle immense joy. And just like that her journey started at Valley, as a volunteer leader and side-walker to our riders. Michelle is passionate about working with horses. As a child and young adult, Michelle leased, showed, and rode horses, every opportunity she got. Horses have always been an integral part of her life. The many ways in which horses provide therapeutic composure have a special appeal to me. My daughter, Clara, is also a volunteer who helps out with barn chores as she finds the company of horses very relaxing.