Equus Acres has been a life long dream of mine (John Tai) to establish a destination where people can visit and experience as part of their journey towards wellness and self-discovery.
While horses were not introduced to my life until 2018, they dominated every aspect of my life moving forward as the primary component to my children’s up bringing. The search for, move to and development of Equus Acres always centered around the well-being of the horse. This had been a very challenging process as we worked on a permaculture design that including fitness and housing. The start of the journey taught me much about what wellness aught not to be.
My relationship with horses since has been very educational and enlightening. With horses being prey animals tending to flight, connection with horses require refining my own character, my sense of calmness, authenticity, respect, and boundaries among other characteristics, to meet the wellness needs of the horse. For a horse to feel well, a horseman’s behaviour need to convey leadership that express every aspect of safety and security. The horse offered my ambitions to become a horseman a guide towards refining my own sense of wellness and tranquility. Horsemanship, as indicated by Mark Rashid, is a means, not just to develop a relationship with the horse, but a means of developing a way life. The relationship with the horse should reflect relationships with our family, community and world. Being unceasing to such an attitude will convey authenticity to the horse and give the horse a sense of trust and wellness.
Horsemanship consolidated my other experiences, interest and passion in meditation, Argentine Tango and Fitness. As in meditation, working with horses necessitated a sense of calm and undying patience. I learned to gain better control of my own emotional state so not to project any heightened level of energy I have onto the horse. In my dances with horses, I bring forth the skills I learned in Tango and walking meditation, an acute awareness of my movement and energy, and how it would be perceived by my partner. In this case, the horse. There is much to develop in my work and communication with the horse. In the process I learned timing in horsemanship is critical as it is in dance and many other areas in life. With the horse, timing is all about the application of the right amount of pressure and releasing it in perfect timing with the horse’s reaction to communicate the desired response. In working with an animal larger and much stronger than myself, fitness is also an important part of horsemanship:
strength to maintain boundaries and avoid being walk or ran over,
awarness, reactivity and agility to respond to the horse’s behaviour and energy to achieve the perfect release
balance, flexibility, mobility and stamina to ride and stay on the horse is critical to avoid and minimize potential harm and injuries.
To refine skills helpful to the horse and life, take a tranquil walk in nature, engage in fitness to release excess energy as well as to develop physical literacy.
My objectives are to support others in finding joy, strength, confidence and health through developing functional fitness with exercise and dance as well as to find calm and peace in working with horses and other animals while being with nature. My home is in nature, a 6 year project that turned land with depleted and barren sandy soil into one that is lush and supportive of life.
– support the Canyon in developing a culture of fitness that gives its people, especially the youths a focus to nurture their body and mind. A culture that will encourage competition and the pursuit of excellence in the Indigenous and other games of BC. I can help with wrestling, archery, track and field, volleyball, running and obstacle events.
– develop community events that would invite the world to come experience and learn from the land and its culture and history in the form of races on foot, peddle bikes and horse back. I would like to establish the Canyon Games for connection and support between nations and communities.
– introduce equine assisted learning to help adults and youths find their calm and peaceful place, to develop their sense of leadership and confidence to connect and build a relationship with horses. I have a long history in athletics and fitness.
In addition to my coaching background and training with the National Coaching Certification Program, I have had fitness certifications with various organizations since 1999 (American College of Sports Medicine, CanfitPro) as well as being a SGX (Spartan Group eXercise) trainer in 2019-2022.
In Obstacle Racing I have completed many races including several Spartan Ultra Beast, 50+ kilometer distances and 55 miles at the 2016 24hr, World’s Toughest Mudder. I have participated in a 24hr GoRuck in Vancouver. I have completed several marathons with a PR of 3:41 and a half marathon time of 1:30.
With my obstacle race experience I have supported various elementary and secondary schools in setting up onsite courses. I have also built and set up courses for various charitable events. My 98 acre property offer many obstacle for fitness and wellness training.
In 2006 I visited Thailand and India to train in Vipassana Meditation and Yoga. I have also completed training in Pilates with Diane Miller Studio in Vancouver.
I have also danced socially for 10 years, 5 years with an amateur troup in various ballroom and latin disciplines.
As a registered massage therapist my specialty is in sports massage but my passion is in mind body work related to somatoemotional responses. I have engaged in various osteopathy training with John Upledger and the Barrel Institute.
In 2022 I completed my training in Equine Assisted Learning with EAL Canada. In my horse work I have gravitated towards the nonviolence techniques of Monty Roberts. My greatest take away in horse work is to find one’s calm and confidence to connect with a horse and earn its trust.
Recreationally I enjoy rock climbing, cycling, backcountry skiing, scuba diving, paddling and many other outdoor sports. In 2008 I cycled across Cuba, the Dominican Republic and South America while brushing up my skills in salsa, tango and other Latin American dances as well as climbing 6000m up Huayna Potosi in Bolivia.
My life philosophy aligns well with Vipassana, to believe what is righteous within not simply what is told, written or passed down. I also gravitate to the philosophy of Bruce Lee, to being fluid and flexible like water and developing a style of no style “emphasizing adaptability, directness, and using what works, rather than adhering to rigid forms or traditions.”
Learning from the work of Gabor Mate, I realized many of my challenges in life arose from my childhood trauma in a very hard working, demanding immigrant family where expectations and pressures were high and emotional support was minimal. While it nurtured toughness, determination, fortitude, it instilled great anxiety and insecurity. The family structure was tense and confrontational, my parents soon divorced after retirement and when the children were independent. Recognizing my weaknesses allowed me to overcome my challenges and build a stronger wiser me.
Equus Acres 