Many use Naughty Pine Riding Ranch to learn and for therapy

By Ken Johnston
Editor

Last week one of two weeks of horseback riding camps wrapped up at Naughty Pine Riding Ranch, about 20 minutes north west of Rainy River.
Owner and operator Deanie Lunyk said that she and husband Clarence decided that when he retired they would move here after visiting and falling in love with area.
Both Internet Technology professionals, they have been fixing computers on the side, but it was Deanie’s life long love of horses that inspired them to create the riding ranch.
In addition to riding camps, they also offer trail rides, lessons and therapeutic riding for the physically and mentally challenged. Deanie has a diploma in social work and has extensive experience with horses. “I have worked with horses for 40 years. I have volunteered with the RCMP horses, worked for Ian Miller’s original teacher Denovan Wood and for Ralph Shaw (famous for the Kubota Show Capital Classic show jumping).
Deanie herself a disable person due to being injured in an accident and in a wheel chair for a time, did physiotherapy with horses to recover. All things combined it seemed like the perfect fit for her and Clarence to have as part of their retirement home in the McInnes Creek area.
To date she has had both local residents and tourists come riding. She has trails on a 1,000 acres of land. “Some are easy field trails and others are harsh bush trails. It just depends what a person wants.”
She has had regular users of the therapeutic rides as well.
This summer she offered two riding camps and last week the four participants held a show for parents and friends to demonstrate what they have learned. Deanie said that some people want to learn the basics and more advanced riders want to learn more difficult skills.
She supplies the horses or people can bring their own. She noted that they spent a great deal of time searching for “the right horses” that would be good with those with therapeutic needs.
Naughty Pine is fully insured and can be reached at 807-852-4234.