Stable Connections of Lorette awarded at the Fosse aux lions 2022

Chief occupational therapist and company owner Sarah-Michelle Senécal wins the grand prize of $15,000.

The prize is awarded by the Economic Development Council for Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities, the organizer of this bilingual entrepreneurship contest.

Thanks to this amount, Ms. Senécal will be able to purchase a person lift, opening her services to more adults.

She indicates that she had to limit the presence of adult customers since she was physically unable to help them on the horse’s back due to their size or weight.

In addition, Ms. Senécal wishes to obtain a sensory motion simulator to help her clients with epilepsy.

Thus, she will be able to see them more quickly, but also, thanks to this tool, fears are desensitized, she writes in her presentation.

The horse simulator is fantastic! Typically, when you have clients with active epileptic seizures, you have to wait six months before putting them on a horse. With the machine, you can have a safety plan. And for our little cocos, we can build their comfort with equine movement before putting them on the back of a horseexplains Marie-Michelle Senécal in an interview with Radio-Canada.

She says that one of her clients had up to 24 epileptic seizures a day caused by stress. Within eight months, this person can now resume their sports and school activities, because the seizures are less frequent.

Marie-Michelle Senécal poses proudly with her team after winning the Fosse aux lions 2022 final on April 27.

Photo: Radio-Canada / Simon Deschamps

Ms. Senécal’s business, Stables Connections, has been around for five years. It has five employees and eight horses.

During the pandemic, she offered her services to manage trauma to frontline healthcare workers. Currently, she provides support to the Canadian-Ukrainian community affected by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

A work of the heart that has an impact

Member of the jury and director general of the Center culturel franco-manitobain, Ginette Lavack maintains that the decision was not easy for the members of the jury, but the chord of the heart tipped the scales.

It’s touching, the work that Sarah-Michelle does. As you can see, more and more people in society are suffering from mental health problems and trauma. It offers a unique service that has proven itself and has a positive impact on these people.she testifies.

According to Ms. Lavack, that the winning entrepreneur comes from a rural area is another plus and demonstrates that the Francophonie is vibrant and healthy across the province.

The 2022 Lions Pit jury was made up of Robert Tétrault, Ginette Lavack and Michel Durand-Wood.

Photo: Radio-Canada / Simon Deschamps

Marie-Michelle Senécal wanted to thank the public and the jury during her speech at the end of the evening.

I can’t thank you enough. You don’t know the impact that will have on the francophone and anglophone clientele. The demand for service this year is incredible. There are a lot of people hurting and you are going to have a major impactshe said.

According to statistics she listed during her presentation, more than 6,000 young people under the age of 18 need specialized services in Manitoba. The waiting list for community services can stretch up to two years, she laments.

In the longer term, Ms. Senécal would like to have a larger building built on her land in which several sessions could be held at the same time, accommodate consultation offices and have a sensory gymnasium. The cost of this project is estimated at $350,000.

The other three competing companies were Typha Co, which tackles environmental issues, the bilingual store Atomic Flower Cannabis, and Komera Inc., which makes African-inspired hot sauces.

The final of the Fosse aux lions 2022 was presented at the Théâtre Cercle Molière, in addition to being broadcast on the web. It was the tenth iteration of the event, which was held virtually last year and canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic.