Wolfgang Schinke, who influenced and inspired generations of Canadian riders as a coach and owner of The Horse People in the Ottawa Valley, died on February 22, 2022.
Wolf grew up in Germany during WWII and upon immigrating to Canada, dreamed of owning a horse farm. His first endeavour in 1968 was Sans Souci in Quebec, a farm which hosted a summer camp for kids. He and his wife Beverley started The Horse People Inc. in 1976 in Wendover, Ontario, running it for almost 40 years. There, thousands of kids learned riding skills and horsemanship in a unique, fun atmosphere; the farm also ran hunter/jumper shows, events and clinics.
His obituary in part reads:
“Wolf lived life to the absolute fullest, never shying away from a challenge. He believed in everything he did and never had regrets, even if things didn’t go his way. He loved inspiring others to follow their dreams, as he did himself.
“He was strong and bigger than life. He passed his love of horses to many of his family members and to hundreds of others who crossed paths with him on “the farm”. He loved horses, loved teaching, and often said that he never worked a day in his life.
“The world lost a great man and a legend. He has left behind many lessons and any who met him are lucky to have done so.”
Wolf is survived by his wife Beverley, children Kris, Birgit, Joy and Rob, six grandchildren and two great grandchildren. In 2020, Wolf and his daughter Kris wrote a book together about his life and his career, According to Wolfgang, My Business.
A celebration of life is planned for what would have been his 93rd birthday on July 31 in the Ottawa area. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Wolf’s name to Trails Youth Initiative.
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