An Update from Our Founder
Fiona Mactaggart — March 3, 2022
On June 4th, 2021, I suffered a traumatic brain injury. No-one knows what happened—only Gandalf, who returned to the barn without me that evening. He knows what happened.
I regained consciousness in the neurological ward at the Foothills Hospital where I spent the summer. Sometimes gifts come in unusual wrappings. Slowly, I’ve discovered this journey of healing 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.
The Star6 Ranch is a place to be shared. It is a voice for the land, and a platform for learning, self-discovery, and healing.
Since 2015, I have been trying to share this land in a way which 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.
Each day I continue to heal. Although I’m still only leading my horse, I will be riding again soon.
Where there is darkness, there are always stars. Look up, choose one, and strive towards it.
The Star 6 Ranch will hold space for us.
A Message From Our Founder
Fiona Mactaggart — September 20, 2019
I’m not a rancher, nor a cowgirl. I don’t know if I’ll ever become the horsewoman I aspire to be. What I do know is that I have always loved wilderness, horses, and adventure. That’s what led me to Australia in my early 20s where I got a job during the spring muster at one of the huge cattle stations in the Kimberley region.
My journey to Australia shaped me forever. 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 when we rode out early just as the sun crested the horizon, living outdoors day in and day out. There were no walls around us, no time on our wrists or on a screen. There was 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 which grounded us to something tangible leaving us inspired by the beauty of our surroundings and proud of what we had accomplished.
That time is past. I cannot recreate that exact experience for others, no matter how badly I might like to, yet the memories of adventure and joy are as clear to me today as they were then. The lessons I learned allowed me to grow and shaped who I am now.
What if, in a world that feels so out of balance, I could provide an opportunity like the one I had, for today’s youth, for others? I believe I can; at this ranch. There is such beauty and strength in the nature of these lands that are still so perfectly wild, they must be shared. The R6 Ranch is a space to experience the power of nature, to learn from the wisdom in wilderness and become attuned to the quiet and often sensitive language of animals.
Many years after working on Ruby Plains Station in Western Australia, on the day two of my three children left home, I received this message from a friend: “Follow your passion and you will inspire others to be passionate about it too”.
I believe the R6 Ranch is a place which has the capacity to inspire and guide us to find that balance so crucial in order to thrive in today’s world. Join us, and together we’ll hitch our wagon to a star...
