Management
Vicki Pappas
Co-Founder of EEC ProgramLongRun chairperson and founding member, Vicki Pappas, has worked with thoroughbreds for over 40 years in a variety of capacities, including owner, trainer, bloodstock agent, stakes coordinator and colour commentator. She and her husband, Bill Diamant, currently have a small stable in training as well as a number of broodmares and were the breeders, in partnership with good friend Gail Wood, of Canadian champion and Queen’s Plate winner, millionaire Edenwold. A past winner of the prestigious BloodHorse Mint Julep Cup for her work with thoroughbred retirements, Vicki states “I am proud and happy to help the horses who have afforded me such a wonderful life ……it is always a humbling experience for me to be in the presence of their beauty, intelligence and courage.”
Horses have been part of Carol’s life for over 25 years, including managing a 40-acre horse farm in Priceville, Ontario. Her first horse was a thoroughbred gelding, and with time, love, and trust, he enjoyed a full life of hacking and occasional hunter and eventing shows. Carol is pleased to contribute to an organization that finds loving, permanent homes for these intelligent athletes. Carol has been President of several firms, including her own management consulting company supporting businesses from small enterprises to multi-billion-dollar, international engineering companies across North America. She has served on the Board of Directors of six companies, bringing her expertise in business operations, financial management, business development, and marketing to LongRun.
Business ManagementCarol Wilson Hodges
Facilitators
Eurico Rosa da Silva
Co-Founder of EEC Program + Advanced FEEL® FacilitatorEurico Rosa da Silva is a world-champion jockey, mindset coach, and certified FEEL facilitator. With over 2,900 career victories, seven Sovereign Awards, and a historic win at the 2017 World Jockey Championship in Japan, Eurico is no stranger to high performance, mental pressure, and emotional resilience.
But long before the spotlight and the trophies, there was a boy and a horse.
At just four years old, Eurico met a horse for the first time. As he looked into the animal’s eyes, something awakened inside him — a deep, unexplainable peace, a flood of love, and a sense of belonging he had never felt before. That quiet moment changed the course of his life. From that day on, he knew horses would always be part of his journey.
They weren’t just companions — they were his healers.
After retiring from racing, Eurico turned his attention to a new mission: helping others heal and evolve, just as he had, through the powerful presence of horses. In 2018, he began working with professional athletes, guiding them beyond performance pressure into emotional clarity, focus, and true inner strength. Since then, he has supported elite competitors across various sports, helping them reclaim their confidence, balance, and joy — both in and out of competition.
He later became certified in the renowned FEEL (Facilitated Equine Experiential Learning) program, where he trained under André Leclipteux, co-founder of the program. That experience opened a new dimension of his relationship with horses — not as performance partners, but as wise, sensitive mirrors of the human spirit.
A Legacy of Winning
World-class athlete. Mentor. Coach. Builder of champions. Meet Eurico Rosa Da Silva. With over 2,900 career wins and a professional sports journey spanning nearly three decades, Eurico has built a globally recognized legacy in the horse racing world.
Career Achievements:
● Seven-time Canadian Sovereign Award winner
● Historic victory at the 2017 World Jockey Championship in Japan
● Inductee, Canadian Horse Hall of Fame
● Multiple wins at prestigious races including the Queen’s Plate
His secret? The power of the mind. Eurico’s story is one of resilience, fierce determination, and a relentless pursuit of excellence. His determination to succeed, even when the odds seemed stacked against him, is a testament to the champion spirit and the power of perseverance – something that he now helps athletes cultivate.
Alexandra Rose LLM
Advanced FEEL® FacilitatorAlexandra is an Advanced FEEL® (Facilitated Equine Experiential Learning) Practitioner and Animal Communicator who works in partnership with horses to guide clients toward alignment, empowerment, and personal alchemy. Her work offers deeply meaningful, self-reflective experiences that helps individuals reconnect with their true authentic selves, attune to the wisdom of the natural world, and experience the beauty and insight of the horses.
Alexandra holds a Master’s of Law from the University of Toronto and has a background in business. Alexandra has been offering intuitive coaching and energy work since 2016, and has been on a profound self-mastery journey since 2012. She has extensive experience, training and certification in the esoteric arts, Reiki, sound healing, creative art therapies, and nature-based and Indigenous (Sakha) healing modalities. Alexandra belongs to a lodge and has attended ceremonies and received teachings from Mohawk Elders in Six Nations since 2015. She is also a keen longtime student of depth psychology and dreamwork, and works closely with the unconscious and shadow elements of the psyche. Alexandra is currently completing a Master’s in Counselling Psychology at the University of Toronto (2027).
Horses are master teachers of the true authentic self and nature’s wisdom, providing mirrors to the parts of us that are incongruent or out-of-alignment. Alexandra’s sensitivity, intuition, and deep understanding of psychology and the esoteric arts make her horse-facilitated work empowering, alchemical and sacred.
Alexandra offers FEEL® sessions with the EEC (Equine Experiential Connection) horses at LongRun Thoroughbred Retirement Society in Hillsburgh, Ontario, and offers workshops in partnership with the EEC horses and Eurico Rosa da Silva.