Introducing…Illuminate Equine International

We are so excited to announce the launch of our company- Illuminate Equine International. Illuminate was founded by myself, Annika McGivern and my long-time friend and colleague, Emma Kjelson. 

Our Story

After growing up in the same Pony Club and riding community in Nelson, BC, I went on to pursue a career in Sport Psychology and Emma went into Equine Bodywork, Biomechanics and eventually Equine Learning and Behaviour. 

Reconnecting in 2020 through a podcast interview, we recognised a mutual interest in each other’s work. In 2022, Emma presented a workshop on Equine Learning to my clients, and we began to realize how interrelated our work truly was. Plans emerged to create some learning programmes together to support riders and coaches to understand rider and horse psychology and how the two work together to influence training and progress in equestrian sport. 

Shortly thereafter, we had the opportunity to travel to Rome together to work with a mutual client and our suspicions about our two areas of expertise perfectly complementing each other were confirmed! We saw exciting results from combining our approaches and decided to create a new brand and offer. This was the genesis of Illuminate Equine.

Our Offering

We illuminate the often mysterious process of successfully and ethically training horses for competitive results and building strong, healthy partnerships between horse and rider. Our training coaches riders to understand their own psychology and become confident, effective and consistent leaders/teachers for their horses, while also teaching a science-based and proven approach to training horses that is clear, easily replicated and creates healthy, happy, and talented four legged athletes. We believe in harnessing the power of what science tells us about learning and applying this to horse and rider training. 

We do our best work when working with clients who value equine and human welfare and who are curious, adaptable, and willing to step outside of what they know to achieve excellence.

Our work is tailored to you and your horse’s unique needs and is designed to illuminate your potential and optimize your process. ​We specialize in helping riders and their horses break through mental barriers, build confidence, and perform at their very best.

We offer clinics and seminars all over the world, virtual consulting, and in-person intensive training sessions.

Check out our new website and blog, and follow along our journey on Instagram @IlluminateEquine. On our page, we will be offering tips, tricks, inspiration, events and workshop dates and registration links, and helpful resources.  If you’re interested in how we can work together, drop us a line here. We also offer a free 30 minute consultation!

Can’t wait to learn more about you and your horses’ journey!

-Emma & Annika