Fraser Valley Mounted Combat is excited to bring Horse Archery and other Equestrian Arts to the Fraser Valley of beautiful British Columbia. Our goal is to bring the highest calibre instruction possible to our students in both arms and in horse back riding. We are delighted to work with International Mounted Kassai Archer, Robert Borsos. All riding instruction is by a nationally certified coach . Training is focused on correct technique and position that allow the rider to be not only to be competent in the saddle, but also highly effective in all situations.
"It is fact that the better horseman beats the the better swordsman when fighting on horseback"
Stephanie Laversin
Director/ Head Trainer
Lifelong equestrian, Steph Laversin started lessons at the age of 3 and when she was 8 she got her first job cleaning stalls in exchange for horses to ride at Seahorse Farm in Richmond BC. She also was an avid Pony Clubber and remains a staunch supporter of their core values. She never had a horse of her own but pretty much lived at the barn throughout her childhood riding and working. In 1996 she completed her two year technical apprenticeship at Haras d’Estruval, through the CFA de Grosbois and she was certified as a breeder and trainer of Sport Horses by the department of Agriculture of France. She then went on to successfully complete a higher degree in Farm Analysis and Management at the CFPPSA de Sailly Labourse. She was certified as a riding instructor in Canada in 1999 and as an NCCP coach in 2002. She is currently a Licensed Competition Coach with Equestrian Canada and a Certified Instructor of Mounted Archery with the CFMA. She also has her NCCP certifications for Instructor of Beginners with Archery Canada.
Steph started her horse archery journey in 2012 when her son tried his hand at it in a clinic with Robert Borsos. In 2014 she started Fraser Valley Mounted Combat in order to create a safer space to bring in clinicians under her coaching insurance. When this was not possible to insure under her coaching, Stephanie pushed through the first insurance policy for horse archery in Canada in 2018. Many had tried and failed. She was then invited to join the board of the CFMA to help get insurance which resulted in club insurance becoming available. This allowed the sport to finally start to grow!
Stephanie is a member of Borsos Torzs as well as Broken Arrow Archers in the US. She trains weekly with her group created through Fraser Valley Mounted Combat. She competes and trains as much as she can. This year saw 8 WFEA World Cups (Washington and BC) and hundreds of hours of training with World Class Horse Archers/Horsemen. She loves to learn, work hard and grow! Her next goal is to get a track so she can train her horse for competition without driving across the border!
Steph has a strong drive to create a cohesive and harmonious community in which to grow and have fun. She wants to see Equestrian Archery recognized as a sport in Canada. Thanks to her discussions with EC head of sports development the CFMA became an Equestrian Canada (Sports Canada) affiliate. These discussions also led the new CFMA coaching program being in line with the NCCP requirements and up to national coaching standards. The goal was for our coaches to become licensed under EC (Sports Canada’s only body for all things horse related). The sport would therefore be official and recognized. This will access not only more funding but also personal insurance under the coaching policy!!!
Stephanie is a lifelong professional in the horse industry with an old school, by the book attitude that gets things done! She hopes to help the sport to grow with the help of a motivated community with high standards that always puts safety and the horse first.