A message from our Founder

“The Star 6 Ranch is a place to be shared. It is a voice for the land, and a platform for learning, self-discovery, and healing.”

I’m not a cowgirl. I don’t know if I’ll ever become the horsewoman I aspire to be.

But it was a love of wilderness, horses, and adventure that led me in my early 20s to a job working the spring muster at one of Australia’s largest cattle stations, Ruby Plains Station.

I remember vividly the vast beauty of the half-desert, how many billions of stars there were at night when I slept beneath them in my bedroll. The cold, dark mornings, the colour of the sky as the sun crested the horizon, living outdoors day-in and day-out. No walls around us, no time on our wrists or on a screen. No TV or radio, no Instagram or Snapchat; just the wind, the sky, the sun and the earth beneath our feet; the wildness of the work, the cattle and the horses, and the daily tasks that grounded us to something tangible beyond ourselves.

The lessons I learned there transformed my idea of the world and shaped me forever. 

On June 4th, 2021, I suffered a traumatic brain injury. No one knows what happened—only Gandalf, my horse who returned to the barn without me that evening. He knows.

I eventually regained consciousness in the neurological ward at the Foothills Hospital in Calgary where I spent the rest of the summer.

Sometimes gifts come in unusual wrappings. Slowly, I’ve discovered this journey of healing that I am on is one of those gifts. Prior to this accident, I had not understood what it means to be vulnerable. I did not know how hard it is to ask for help. I had no idea how dark it can become, and I am learning the decision to choose a brighter way is always an option. Each day I continue to heal. Where there is darkness, there are always stars. Look up, choose one, and strive toward it.

Since 2015, I have aimed to share this land in a way that is everlasting; a place to transform darkness into light. I want any person, no matter who they are, or what circumstances they face, to know they, too, can pick themselves up from the ground, brush off the dirt, and climb back on their horse. And that the Star 6 Ranch will hold space for their journey.

This is a place where you can experience the power of nature, learn from the wisdom in wilderness and become attuned to the quiet and often sensitive language of animals.

Star 6 Ranch is a place that has the capacity to inspire and guide us to find the balance that is so crucial to thrive in today’s world. Join us, and together we’ll hitch our wagon to a star.

Fiona Mactaggart
Founder of the Star 6 Ranch