Jeff Colbourne
Northern News Services

NNSL (May 06/98) - Before Stephanie Laversin knew how to walk she wanted to ride.

Today, the 25-year old horse-trainer from France is doing what she loves and is passing her passion on to others in the city.

"I love animals but I especially love horses. They're beautiful. They've got a lot of personality. It's like any animal. When you get to know them they're all different and when you ride each horse it's different," she said.

Laversin holds a technician's degree in agricultural production specializing in breeding and training sport horses. She did a two-year apprenticeship program on a breeding farm of Anglo-Arab horses, training them for races in Paris.

She also has a degree in farm analysis and management followed by an eight-month training period during which she learned how to give lessons.

What brought her North? "I was on my honeymoon last year and I found an ad in one of the local horse papers and answered," she said.

She now offers horse lessons each day at North Country Stables, located just past the Yellowknife golf course.

The most difficult part of riding horses and what she must teach all riders is the fine art of communication.

"You have to know how to explain things and use a lot of imagery to help students understand what you're trying to make the horse understand. You've got to teach them how to deal with an animal," said Laversin.

"The horse has a mind of its own and he has to know what you want. You have to teach them how to communicate with the horse and that's pretty hard in itself. You've got to know how to deal with them in the stall and on top of them."

While in Yellowknife, Laversin hopes to attract more residents to the stables, which just opened this past winter.

"Everybody thinks horses are beautiful and I would like everyone to know just how wonderful they are."

Laversin is offering 10 lessons a day, six days a week. "We just want people to really enjoy what they're doing here. Enjoying the horses and the riding," she said.

"The facilities are wonderful here, probably even better than anything I've had in Europe. We've got a heated riding area, everything's heated and there's lighting everywhere. It's a really nice setup. People are really lucky to have such a nice place.