www.horse.on.ca | 1

UnderstandingBrain Injury

Meet Your New Directors

Why Choose A Certified Coach?

UnderstandingBrain Injury

Meet Your New Directors

Why Choose A Certified Coach?

Winter 2013www.horse.on.ca

Canada Post Publications Mail Agreement #40946006The Official Newsletter of The Ontario Equestrian Federation • 1 West Pearce Street, Suite 201, Richmond Hill ON L4B 3K3

The Official Newsletter of the Ontario Equestrian Federation

Buy online and save! www.intercityinsurance.com

Intercity Insurance Services15221 Yonge St., Aurora, ON L4G 1L8

p: 1-888-394-3330 e: oef@intercityinsurance.com

IIISSII INSURANCE SERVICES®®INTERCITY

We provide exclusive products designed for all individuals in the equine community.

Contact us today for rates on:

Insurance for horses and their people - it’s what we do!

Liability insurance for horse ownersAccident/injury insurance for ridersTravel insurance (trips up to 90 days)Horse MortalityFarm InsuranceCoaching/Facility liability

Providing cost efficient and exclusive insurance solutions to the equine community in Ontario since 1998.

www.horse.on.ca | 3

NEWS4 President’s Message 4 Executive Director’s Message 4 New OEF Council Members6 Ontario Equestrian Federation Quarterly Report 8 OEF Associations Council Update 8 OEF Congratulates Top RIDE ONtario Participants8 OEF Honorary Director Awarded Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal10 OEFMembersGatherToReflect,LearnAnd Celebrate12 Meet The OEF's Newest Directors14 Spirit of the Horse Re-Cap16 Member Appreciation Party Gets Bigger And Bigger16 Paralympian Reaches The Top In Ribbons For Rides Program17 Top Riders Meet Fans At OEF T-Series VIP Corner18 Ontario Equestrian Federation Model Member Award Nomination Form

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT19 PassionKnowsNoAgeLimits20 Equestrian Icon: Peter Cameron - Changing History From Centre Ring

THERAPEUTIC SPOTLIGHT24 Equine Therapy Forges Unbreakable Bonds

AROUND THE BARN27 Revisiting The Horse Facilities Program

SAFETY FIRST28 Vests Offer Protection For All Riders

MANE EVENTS31 Can-AmToOpenItsDoorsInANew,Expanded Location31 Farm Show Adds Horse Depot31 All About Pets Show Welcomes Equestrians To First Mane Event32 OEF To Ride Into The Capital For National Women's Show

COACHES CORNER34 MakingTheLeapToTheNextLevel36 FindingACertifiedCoachWhoIsRightFor You

ASK DR. BOB38 Hay Mysteries

ASK BFL42 Who Is The New Provider and How Does This Affect Me & My Coverage?

NUTRITION44 Healthy Hooves Need Good Nutrition

LEGAL LOWDOWN48 BePrepared:LegalLiabilityAndTheHorse Business

SPECIAL FEATURE50 Head Injury Part 1: Understanding Traumatic Brain Injury

ON THE TRAIL52 Celebrating The Joy Of Trail Riding52 Meeting A Horse On the Trail52 Best Practices for Horses on the Trails

BREED & DISCIPLINE UPDATE53 Long-TimeArabianSupportersHonouredWith Prestigious Awards53 Sidesaddle at the Spirit of the Horse55 Competitive Trail Riding Showcased At Royal's Spirit of the Horse55 Stephen Clarke Shares His Dressage Skills With Ontario Riders56 Top Saddle Seat Riders Go Head-To-Head At Provincial Championships56 Percherons Demonstrate Dressage Skills At The Royal57 Road Horse Classes At The Royal Highlight Standardbreds In The Show Ring57 Ontario Reining Horse Association Concludes Another Successful Year58 Icelandic Horses Strut Their Stuff In Gaited Classes At The Erin Fair58 Big Wins For Ontario Belgians

EQUINE GUELPH 60 Winter 2013

1WestPearceStreet,Suite201,RichmondHill,ONL4B3K3Tel:905-709-6545•Fax:905-709-1867

Toll-free:1-877-441-7112•Email:horse@horse.on.cawww.horse.on.ca

is published quarterly byONTARIO EQUESTRIAN FEDERATION

Contents

Front Cover Photo Credit: Clix Photography -

Shawn Hamilton

Winter 2013

Grant Field President 905-888-1226

Allan Ehrlick 1st Vice President 905-854-0762

Ken Denouden 2nd Vice President 416-409-8614

Paul Richardson Treasurer 905-838-1809

Al Patterson Secretary 905-659-1132

Kimberley Blease Director 416-566-1801

Andrea Clarke Director 519-763-3999

Mark Dobrindt Director 905-892-9769

Isabel Dopta Director 519-993-1192

Susan Legge Director 289-221-2279

Marc Nicols Director 705-435-9229

Lindsey Reeve Director 905-424-1151

Bonnie Simpson Director 705-438-5752

Claudia Wagner-Wilson Director 905-466-1901

Jack de Wit Honorary Director 905-655-4666

Ontario Equestrian FederationBOARD OF DIRECTORS

Publication DatesSpring 2013 / deadline February 8Summer 2013 / deadline May 31Fall 2013 / deadline September 6

Winter 2014 / December 6

Copyright, including electronic, belongs to the OEF. All rights reserved.Reproductioninwholeorinpartwithoutwrittenpermissionisprohibited.Articlesandlettersarewelcomefrommembers,butmustbesignedandincludeaphonenumber. The publisher reserves the right to revise allmaterial accepted forpublication,includingarticles,columns,photographs,imagesandadvertisements.

STAFFDianne GrahamExecutive Directord.graham@horse.on.caext.19

Catherine BarkerOperations Managerc.barker@horse.on.caext.23

Melissa MonardoMarketing Managerm.monardo@horse.on.caext.17

Brandon HallExecutive Assistantb.hall@horse.on.caext.30

Melissa KosowanCommunications Coordinatorm.kosowan@horse.on.caext.27

Kim BanksMarketing Coordinatork.banks@horse.on.caext.22

Lesley McCoyMembership Services Repl.mccoy@horse.on.caext.13

Gillian Ross ErasmiCoaching Coordinatorg.rosserasmi@horse.on.caext.11

Charlayne SzafranskiAdministrative Assistantc.szafranski@horse.on.caext.32

Angelique HomanCompetition Administratora.homan@horse.on.caext.15

Stephanie RutherfordProgram Administrator- First Safe Stridess.rutherford@horse.on.caext.12

Pam CoburnProgram Administrator - Horse Facilitiesp.coburn@horse.on.caext.26

Neil EvansFinance Administratorn.evans@horse.on.caext.16

4 | WHOA! Winter 2013

This issue is packed with all kinds of excitinghorserelateditems.Wefeaturean outstanding equestrian icon, providecoverage of the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, highlight the OEF MemberAppreciation event and report on the OEF AGM and Conference that includes an outstanding and deserving list of award recipients. All of this is so important,and I struggled on what to write about in thisaddress,until I read thearticleonUnderstanding Traumatic Brain Injury.This is thefirst installment of a four-partseries that we will be bringing to you over thecourseoftheyear.Asithappens,this

subjecthasrecentlyhithomewithinmyfamily.Iwanttosharethis experience with all of you in the hope that it will inspire you takethetimetoreadthispiece.

I am, and always have been, adamant on the use of helmetsandmakenoexcusesforthis.NeitherI,noranyoneelseinmyfamily,hasever,orwillever,getonahorsewithoutaproperlyfittinghelmetwithasecurelyfastenedchinstrap.Thisbeingsaid,helmets do a great deal of good and save lives but they do not preventconcussions.Thiswasaneyeopenerforme,asIwas,untilafewyearsagounawareofthisfact.

Recently, while away with friends, I received a call that mydaughterhadfallenoffherhorse,hadhitthejumpandthatmyhusbandhadtakenhertothehospital.Itwasthetypeofphonecallthateveryparentdreads.Yourchildishurtandyouarenotthere.Afteradiscussionwithhercoach,Iwastoldthatshedidnothitherhead,andthatshehadbeenalert,buttheywantedtohavehercheckedoutjusttomakesureshewasallright.

My husband then called me from the hospital and let me speak totheattendingphysicianwhosaidthatmydaughterwasfine,justsore.Iaskedhimtocheckherforaconcussion;hesaidthat

As 2012 comes to an end, I reflect onsome of the challenges and successes we as horse people have encountered this year. The race horse industry crisis,as well as the terrible hay season, hascausedmanyofusmuchgrief.

Butonamorepositivenote,theOlympic/Paralympic excitement and the success of the inaugural Ontario team at the Canadian Interprovincial Equestrian Championships wereajoytobehold.

In2013,IwillbetakingonanewrolewiththeOEFaspresident and chair of theboardof directors. I amcommitted to working for the membership and all horse people in Ontario.Iwillworkhardtocreatetransparencyandaccountabilityand look forward to working with the volunteers and staff at the OEF.Pleasefeelfreetocontactmewiththoughtsorconcerns,questionsorsuggestionsasmyearsareopen.

AsthecoldseasonapproachesinOntario,weallplantoenjoyitindifferentways.Whetheryoutravelsouthtorideyourhorsesand have a great time at the beach or stay here to brave those coldwinterridesandhaveadventuresinthesnow,Iwishyouallasafeandfunwinterseason.

All the best in 2013! T

Grant Field, President

President’s Message

Executive Director’s Messagehedidnotthinkthiswasnecessary,asshehadnothitherhead.I shared with him that this was not always a requirement and he didagreetotestherandshepassed.

A fewdays later, I got a call from the nurse atmy daughter’sschoolsayingthatthelightwasbotheringher,shewasnauseousandherheadwasaching.Allareclearsignsofamildconcussion.We were instructed to keep her in a dim room with no stimulation of any kind (including the phone or electronics) until she was symptom free for 24 hours. A more difficult sentence for ateenage girl is hard to imagine, but she got through itwithoutcomplaints and is now symptom free and back at school. Inanotherfewweeksshewillbebacktoriding.

Itrytonotboreyouallwithstoriesofmychildren,nevermindthat they make me sign a release giving me permission to even speakaboutthem,butinthisparticularinstanceIwantedtosharethis story. My daughter’s concussionmight have been easilymissedandjustthoughtofasaheadacheorthefluwithoutastuteprofessionaldiagnosis.Shewouldnothavehadtheopportunitytoallowforherbraintohealproperly.Concussionsaresomethingthat can affect any of us and with education we can do a better jobatpreventionandtheaftermathwhenoneoccurs.

My daughter and our family are grateful for such a well-trained school nursewho realized the signs of her concussionimmediately.Ihopethateveryonereadsthecompleteseriesofarticlesonthissubject. Thearticleswillalsobepostedonourwebsiteonthesafetypage.

My family has owned and rode horses for many years and this is thefirsttimethatsomeonewithinourfamilyhassufferedfromaconcussion.Ihopeitisthelast.T

Dianne Graham, Executive Director

New OEF Council MembersThe OEF is pleased to introduce NEW 2013 Council members:

INDUSTRYJenniferScottMcGinn,CEMTMarshall Davidson FotoworksMedbizHealthCanadaSuttonIncentiveRealty,MichaelStuartWebbSalesRepSpectrumFeedServicesLtd.The EdgeThe Functional HorseWellspring Equine Consulting

Please visit www.horse.on.ca to view a current listing ofall OEF Council members and learn about the products and servicestheyprovide.TheOEFappreciatesthesupportthatOEF Industry members provide, and encourages WHOA! readerstosupportOEFIndustry,HorseFacilitiesandAffiliatemembers!

For more information on how you can promote your business please contact Melissa Monardo m.monardo@horse.on.ca,1-877-441-7112or905-709-6545ext.17. T

www.horse.on.ca

2013 Ontario Equestrian Federationmemberships are now available!

MEMBER BENEFITS INCLUDE: Automatic Insurance Benefits • Product Discounts • Professional Certification • Quarterly Newsletter, WHOA! • RIDE ONtario Rewards Program • Marketing Services • Free Classifieds

• Bursary & Funding Programs • Clinics & Workshops • Special Member Events

905-709-6545 1-877-441-7112 horse@horse.on.ca

Get Yours Today!

Phot

o Cre

dit:

ww

w.ca

ppho

togr

aphi

c.com

The OEF is proud to partner with BFL CANADA as the o�cial insurance provider.

6 | WHOA! Winter 2013

News

BOARD OF DIRECTORS2012 ELECTIONS• 2012 saw a record number of votes during the OEF board of directorselectionthatresultedinAndreaClarke,IsabelDopta,PaulRichardsonandClaudiaWagner-Wilsonbeingelectedtotheboard.

• Members of the 2012 executive committee are Grant Field (president),AllanEhrlick (1st vicepresident),KenDenouden (2ndvice president), Paul Richardson (treasurer) and Al Patterson(secretary).

GRANTS/FUNDINGMINISTRY OF TOURISM, CULTURE & SPORT BASE FUNDING• Breed & Discipline Association grant allocations were distributed at the2012AGM.

RECREATION FUNDING• ApplicationsforthesecondroundoffundingweredueonNov.30.

The following clubs will be receiving funding: Bright Water Pony Club,SouthAlgonquinTrailRidersClub,OntarioTrailsCouncil.

OEF YOUTH BURSARY• 2013bursaryapplicationsweredueonDec.7.Recipientswillbeannouncedinthenextfewweeks.

QUEST FOR GOLD• 2013applicationsclosedonDec.10andthe listofnomineeswillbesubmitted to theMinistryofTourism,Culture&Sport inearlyJanuary.Selectedathleteswillbeannouncedbyearlyspring.

PARTNERSHIPS & COLLABORATIONSNEW PARTNERS• The OEF is proud to announce the following new partners: Henry EquestrianInsuranceBrokers(platinum),MackieResearch(silver),Cornerstone InsuranceBrokersLtd. (bronze)andWindyHillFarm(bronze).

OEF T-SERIES VIP CORNER• The OEF and Tipperary Equestrian collaborated together to host the OEF/T-SeriesVIPCorner,afeatureattheRoyalAgriculturalWinterFair that allowed equestrian fans to meet an assortment of Canadian andinternationalriders.

OEF and TSC• The “OFA Member Days at TSC” was a great success and the OEF

is pleased to announce that OEF members will receive incredible savings again during the spring shopping event. Moredetails tofollow online and in the spring issue of WHOA!

LISA MACLEOD, MPP NEPEAN-CARLETON• LisaMacleod,MPPisastrongsupporterofOntario'shorseracing

industry and is the author of the Private Member's Bill requesting that the Auditor General investigate the new gaming plans of the OLG.DianneGrahamhostedLisaandherfamilyduringtheRoyalAgriculturalWinterFair.Diannetookthetimetodiscussthenegativeimpactsthehorseindustryisexperiencing,waystohelpstrengthentheindustryandintroducedhertoavarietyofindustrystakeholders.

NEW PROGRAMSHORSE FACILITIES COUNCIL• AnelectronicsurveywascirculatedtoallOEFmembersonNov.16,

2012 to measure awareness of the Horse Facilities Council and theprogram’svaluewithintheindustry.Todatemorethan2,000participantshaverespondedtothesurvey.

• InDecember 2012, the town ofWhitchurch Stouffville proposedtorepealthecurrentHorseRidingEstablishmentLicensingby-lawand enforce a regulatory by-law that would be based on complaints only.Theproposedby-lawwouldmimicBill12andwouldexclude

the requirement for insurance,propercareofhorses, training forcoaches,firstaidtraining,etc.PamCoburn(programadministrator–HorseFacilitiesCouncil),GrantField(president)andSaraRunnalls(BFL Canada)made deputations at the town council meeting toreconsider the repeal and the council voted unanimously against thestaffrecommendationtorepealtheby-law,andinstructedstafftoconsultwithusbeforebringingthematterforwardagain.

COMPETITIONSCANADIAN INTERPROVINCIAL EQUESTRIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS (CIEC)• The 2013 CIEC will be held at Rocky Mountain Show Jumping in Calgary,ABandwill includethedisciplinesofDressage,Jumpingand Reining

• Athleteapplicationsandqualificationrequirementswillbeavailablein the spring issue of WHOA!andontheOEFwebsite.

EQUESTRIAN COMPETITIONS IN ONTARIO• 2013 sanctioning applications will be available in January 2013

EQUINE MEDICATION CONTROL PROGRAMDRUG TESTING• In2012,115competitionsweretested,with679horsespulledand

492 samples tested

CLEAN SPORT• FEI Veterinarian Dr. Mary Bell and Ontario Master Learning

Facilitator Danielle Yaghdjian presented a free NCCP workshop onNov.23attheDeltaMeadowvaleHotel&ConferenceCentre.Theworkshopdiscussedthecurrentcompetitionmedicationrules,acceptable treatments within the parameters set out by the various national and international competition guidelines and the best courseofactionforequestrianstomaintaincleansport.

COACHING/EDUCATION2012 COACHING RESULTS• 31EnglishInstructorsbecamecertified• 1CompetitionCoachbecamecertified• 3CompetitionCoachDressageSpecialistsbecamecertified• 1CompetitionCoachHunter/JumperSpecialistbecamecertified• 2CompetitionCoachEventingSpecialistsbecamecertified• Several Competition Coach Specialist at various stages in the CertificationProgramlookingtocompletein2013

• New Western Learn to Ride and Instructor workshop a greatsuccess run in Spring and Fall 2012

• 3 English Instructor and 1 Competition Coach Mentoring Workshops were held

• 2 NCCP/EC Eventing Specialist Training workshops for Competition Coach were held

• LearningFacilitator trainingworkshopheldwithsixnewLearningFacilitators in training in 2012

• Closeto700EnglishandWesternRiderLevelCertificatesprocessed

EVENTSOEF REPRESENTATIVES ATTENDED THE FOLLOWING EVENTS IN THE FALL 2012:• Trillium Hunter/Jumper Association Championships • Jumping for Dreams Celebration• Erin Fair Equine Tent • Agribrands Purina/Ian Millar presentation • Ontario Association of Agricultural Societies District 4 meeting • Royal Agricultural Winter Fair • Jump Canada Hall of Fame Gala• A Day Of Caring For CARD• Dressage Canada Royal Reception• Joker’s Hill Horse Sale• Ontario Has Talent Inaugural Fashion Show and High Tea• Donkey Sanctuary of Canada Open House

TheOntarioEquestrianFederation (OEF)continuouslyworksonbehalfof itsmembers todevelopnewprograms,createnewbenefitsandimproveequestrianactivityinOntariothroughouttheyear.Toensureitsmembersareawareoftheworkbeingdone,everyissueofWHOA!willnowincludeaquarterlyactivityreportthatwillhighlightcurrentprojectsandthosethathavebeencompleted.Articleswithinthis issue of WHOA!willprovidemoredetailsonthesevariousprojects.

Ontario Equestrian Federation Quarterly Report

Satisfaction guaranteed!www.OmegaAlphaEquine.com

USA 1-877-436-1221 • Canada 1-800-651-3172Visit our website at www.OmegaAlpha.ca to view our wide range of human and pet health formulas

For best results always administer by dosing syringe

Quote from 2004 "My 19 year old gelding Oscar, was diagnosed with COPD six years ago. During thattime he had received many of the conventional treatments including bronchodilator's,expectorants, steroids and most recently mask inhalation treatments. This permittedOscar to continue full exercise until the spring of 2004 when he appeared to nolonger respond to the prescribed treatments. I was fortunate to meet Dr. Chang fromOmega Alpha who suggested trying Airwaves and Lung Flush. Within 48 hoursOscar was remarkably improved. After 10 daily doses my vet returned to do a follow-up exam and confirmed Oscar's inhalations and exhalations were more even, his respiratory rate varied between 8 - 12 breaths per minute. Oscar had increased airentry in both lungs and his recovery rate post exercise had also improved. I am look-ing forward to many happy healthy hours in the saddle with my wonderful Oscar" Sincerely Penny Corcoran

Is respiratory distressaffecting your horse?

8 years ago we first told you the story of Oscar, Now at age 27Oscar's story gives hope for all horses with a breathing problem

and those who care for them.

Quote October 2012" It was eight years ago Oscar and I posed for the ad above afterstarting Oscar then 19 on a combination of Omega Alpha's Airwaves & Lung Flush. This was after six years of trying multiple conventional treatments that initially helped but overtime the response no longer controlled Oscar's severe breathingproblems. His options were grim and his suffering was heart-breaking. This year Oscar is 27 years old and enjoying a healthyretirement thanks to Omega Alpha's Respi-Free . Oscar is livingproof Airwaves, Lung Flush and Respi-Free work.! ”Sincerely Penny Corcoran

Omega Alpha ad for Winter WHOA!:Omega Alpha ad Winter WHOA! 12-12-07 11:41 AM Page 1

8 | WHOA! Winter 2013

OEF honorary director Jack de Wit has been awarded the prestigious Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for his contributions totraildevelopmentinOntario.

“Iwasverysurprised.It’squiteanhonourandtogetitfromyourpeerstosaythatyouhavedoneagoodjobmeansalot,”says

The Ontario Equestrian Federation is pleased to announce its topRIDEONtarioparticipantsfor2012,allofwhomhaveloggedhundredsofhoursdoingwhattheylovemost.

The RIDE ONtario adult and junior participants who have logged the most hours include:• Jocelyn Donaldson of Harcourt, ON. has the most hours

logged overall out of all current program participants with 5,163hours.

• Joanne Chu-Fook of Scarborough, ON. logged the mosthoursin2012intheadultcategory,with484hours

• EmilyLindsayofGilford,ON.loggedthemosthoursin2012

The Associations’ Advisory Council was pleased to welcome Catherine Raso of CMR Consulting to the most recent meeting heldonFriday,Nov.23,2012attheDeltaMeadowvaleHotelandConferenceCentreinMississauga.

Rasoisagovernanceconsultantwhoworkswithvariousboards,including not-for-profit organizations. She spoke on the fourfundamentals of best practices in governance: 1) Represent the ownership/membershipof theorganization2) Lead3)Evaluateand4)Useasoundgovernancesystem.

Raso provided an excellent overview of the importance of good governanceforallboards,regardlessofthesizeandscopeoftheorganization.ShewillbeworkingwiththeboardoftheOEFaswemove forward in governance restructuring in compliance with the newOntarioNot-for-Profit Corporations Act proclaimed July 1,2013.Rasowillreturntocontinueonwiththediscussionatfuturemeetings,moredetailstofollow.

The 2012 grant allocation cheques for eligible associations were distributed at the OEF AGM, which was also held on Friday,

News

deWit.“Ifeelhonoured,butIthinktherearealotofpeopleouttherethatarejustasdeserving.”

DeWit,whoispresidentoftheOntarioTrailsCouncil,waschairof a committee formed in 2009-2010 that was responsible for distributing$8.3millioninfederalstimulusfundingearmarkedfortraildevelopmentinOntario.Withcontributionsfromtheprivatesector, close to 100 projects totaling about $25 million wereapprovedacrosstheprovince.

“Ithelpedcreatejobs,itleftatraillegacy,builttrailcapacityanditinvolvedhundredsandhundredsofhoursofvolunteertime,”saysPatrickConnor, executive director of theOntario Trails CouncilandoneofdeWit’snominators.“Theguymakesadifference.He’saleaderandhemakesadifference.Thesemedalsarereallya small recognition – a really nice recognition – of his volunteer andleadership.Ithasmadeadifferenceinmylifeandinsomanyotherlives.”

TheQueenElizabethIIDiamondJubileeMedalservestohonoursignificantcontributionsandachievementsbyCanadians.Duringthe year of celebrations, 60,000 deserving Canadians will berecognized. T

and overall in the program in the junior category with 464 hoursin2012and4252.5totalhourstodate

The RIDE ONtario program is open to all OEF members.Participation requires a one-time payment of $25 and your OEF membershipmustberenewedeveryyear.

Every hour you spend riding or driving brings you closer to a rewardlevel(thinkairmilesforhorses!)Andasyourackuphours,youwillwinamazingawardssponsoredbytheOEFandsomeofits generous industrymembers, includingALDistributing, SSGGlovesandPicov’sHorsemanCentre. T

Nov.23.Thereweresomenoticeablechangesforgroupsintheamount of money they received compared to previous years.Moving forward, there will be greater expectation and rewardfor associations working with the OEF for mutual promotion and participation.Moneywillcontinue tobeallocatedbasedon thesize of an association’smembership, with greater rewards forassociations with a minimum of 60 per cent of their membership whoareOEFmembers.Newin2012wasfundingallocatedforprojects and activities that associations will undertake with the grantmoneywithafocusonsafety,educationandlegacy.

Renewal notices for 2013 were emailed in December. If yourassociationhasanychanges inyour listedcontacts,besure tolettheOEFofficeknowsowecanmakechanges toourrecords.

If anyone has any suggestions for future speakers and topics for discussion,pleaseletusknow.Pleasenoteachangeindateforthenextmeeting–Tuesday,Feb.26at7p.m.attheOEFofficeinRichmondHill.T

OEF Honorary Director Awarded Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal

OEF Congratulates Top RIDE ONtario Participants

OEF Associations Council Update

Pho

to C

redi

t: R

iver

Ben

d D

esig

ns

OEFPastPresident,AllanEhrlick (on the right), presenting JackdeWitwithhisQueen'sDiamondJubileeMedal.

We are now BIGGER and BETTER, with over 15 new insurance markets, and 12 new o�ces.

Call us for a competitive quote for any of your insurance needs. We do it all!

AUTO · HOME · COMMERCIAL · LIVESTOCK · FARM

10 | WHOA! Winter 2013

News

OEF Members Gather To Reflect, Learn and CelebrateMembers and directors of the Ontario Equestrian Federation came together in Mississauga at the Delta Meadowvale Hotel & ConferenceCentreonFriday,Nov.23fortheOEFAnnualGeneralMeetingandAwardsParty.

The day began with an NCCP/EC High Performance Clean Sport workshop,ledbyFEIveterinarianDr.MaryBell,whichfocusedonequinemedicationsanddrugtestingrequirements.

The OEF Horse Facilities Council met after lunch to review changesbeingmadetotheprogram.WhiletheOEFreportedagain in individualmemberships in 2012, it sawHorse Facilitiesmembershipsdecreasebyover25percent.Asa resultof theongoing downward membership trend with this program, afacilities committee was struck and a staff member was hired to overseetheprogram.Thecommitteeconcludedthataredesignof the program is necessary and a survey was distributed to all OEF members to gather feedback to assist with a redesign of the program.

The Competitions Advisory Council meeting reviewed competition figuresfor2012.Therewere226sanctionedshows,including42EquestrianSkillsDevelopment(ESD)competitions,markinga75percentincreaselastyearforESDshows.

A presentation about the OEF’s new First Safe Strides program was also made during the meeting by program coordinator Stephanie Rutherford. Thanks to a $126,000 grant from theOntario Trillium Foundation, the OEF launched the First SafeStrides program last year to assist agricultural fair boards with developingandofferingfun,safe“grassroots”horseshows.

At theRecreationCouncilmeeting,SaraRunnalls,vice-presidentandassociateofBFLCanada,thenewinsuranceprovideroftheOEF,spokeaboutriskmanagementandinsuranceforsmallclubsandgroups.

Bonnie Simpson was introduced at the meeting as the new chair of the council for the completion of the two-year term.Anadvocatefortrailsafety,shehandedoutsamplesoforangescarves/bandanas that the Ontario Trails Council has designed to keepridersvisibleduringhuntingseason.

The Associations’ Advisory Council meeting featured a special presentationbyCatherineRaso,presidentofCMR&AssociatesGovernance Consulting, who discussed governance bestpracticesforboards.Shehighlightedtherolesandresponsibilitiesofaboardandthegoalsofgovernancedevelopment.

Following the council meetings, the annual general meetingconvened with opening remarks and an address from OEF presidentAllanEhrlick,aswellasan introductionofcandidatesrunningforthe2013OEFboardofdirectors.Whileresultsfromthe votewere being tallied, executive director DianneGrahampresentedher2012activityreport,highlightingayearoftransitionandnewbeginningsfortheorganization.

The 2013 executive members of the OEF board consists of GrantFieldaspresident,AllanEhrlickas1stvicepresident,KenDenouden as 2nd vice president, Paul Richardson as treasurerand Al Patterson as secretary. Individual directors include

KimberleyBlease,AndreaClarke,MarkDobrindt, IsabelDopta,SusanLegge,MarcNicols,LindseyReeve,BonnieSimpsonandClaudiaWagner-Wilson,withJackdeWitasanhonorarydirector.The OEF would like to thank the outgoing directors: Jeremey Denouden,SarahPrattandMarthaWorts.TheOEFwouldalsolike to thank Hilary Croft, Cliff Hanes and Heather Young forrunningintheboardofdirectorselection.

Thedaywrappedupwithafreeparty,duringwhichtheOntarioEquestrian Federation Awards and the People Make a Difference Awards,werepresented.

Partygoers did their part to assist up-and-coming young riders by purchasingballoonsinsupportoftheOEFYouthBursaryProgram.At the end of the night the balloonswere popped, revealing anumberinsidethatcorrespondedwithaprize.AmongtheprizesupforgrabswasaniPodtouch,ticketstoaTorontoRocklacrossegame, a Hickstead portrait by artist Debbie Goldring that wassignedbyEricLamazeandanightinaluxuryroomattheDeltaChelsea.Morethan$1,600wasraisedfortheOEFYouthBursaryprogram.

Thefollowingday,theOEFwaspleasedtowelcomeconformationand biomechanics expert Dr. Deb Bennett to the 2012 OEFConference.Bennettisavertebratepaleontologistwhospecializesinhorses.SheistheauthorofPrinciplesofConformationAnalysisanda long-timeconsultingeditor forEquusMagazine.Shehasalsobeenpublishedinmanyotherhorsemagazinesworldwide.Bennetthasanextensivescientificpublicationlistandhaswrittenoveradozenbooksorbook-lengthpublicationsforthebenefitofhorseowners.

Bennett presented four Principles of Conformation Analysis workshops, including All-Important Loin Coupling and OverallBodyBalance,SolvingtheGreatMystery–RaisingtheBaseoftheNeck,PenaltiesYouPayforFailingtoMakeStraightandThe“PlaneofAnalysis”MethodforAccurateLimbAssessment.

A one-day practical workshop on conformation and biomechanics with Bennett was added for the Sunday and provided participants with an opportunity for hands-on learning with live demonstration horses.ThisworkshopwasheldintheheatedarenaatDeerFieldsStablesinCaledon.

The OEF would like to thank its members who came to the meetings, party and conference workshops, including JamesYouellsofRiverBendDesigns,whowastheofficialphotographerfortheevent.

Thankyou,also,tothefollowingdonorswhogenerouslyprovidedprizesfortheballoonpopfundraiser:A.L.Distributing,AllAboutPetsShow,Baker’sSaddlery andAmandaMacfarlane,BarbaraRoss, BFL Canada, Bioniche Animal Health Canada, BrandonHall,Brokerlink,CanadianInternationalFarmShow,DavidPong,Delta London Armouries, Delta Chelsea, EQmassage, GailMuirhead, Gillian Ross Erasmi, Greenhawk, Horse Quencher,John Northcote, Julia Penistan, Kim Banks, Medieval Times,Melissa Kosowan, Muckboots Canada, Phoenix EquestrianTeam, Pinedale Properties Ltd., River Bend Designs, SandraHendrickson,SCHLEESE–TheFemaleSaddleSpecialist,SignageSource,TipperaryEquestrianandUSGNorthAmerica.T

www.horse.on.ca | 11

OEF Awards

People Make A Difference Awards

OEF president Grant Field presents the 2012 People Make A Difference Awards: 5:AmericanSaddleHorseAssociation:RichardMacKenzie.6: Arabian Horse Association ofEasternCanada:JeanDinsmore.7:CanadianPonyClub-CentralOntarioRegion:MargO’Neill.8:CanadianPonyClub-St.Lawrence/OttawaValley:LesleyCruickshank.9:CanadianPonyClub-WesternOntarioRegion:SherryJackson.10: CanadianRoadHorseAssociation:MoreeThomas.11: Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society (Ont Division):Carol&PaulMott.12:CentralOntarioPleasureDrivingAssociation:Dr.MikeCorradini.13:EasternOntarioPleasureDrivingAssociation:LyndaRivington.14:GaitedHorseGroupofOntario:JessicaPuccia.15:MiniatureHorseClubofOntario:DougSavage.16.MountedGamesAcrossCanadaInc.:JoanMcCulligh.17: Ontario CompetitiveTrailRidingAssociation:SheilaBuchanan.18:OntarioFriesianHorseAssociation:GerbenSteenbeek.19:OntarioMorganHorseClub:GregReeves.20:OntarioPercheronHorseAssociationInc.:John&EllenHolmes.21:OntarioQuarterHorseAssociation:SharonHammer.22: Trillium Hunter Jumper Association: Martha Worts.23: Welsh Pony & Cob Association: Shirley Cane

Recipients Unable to Attend:CanadianDressageOwnersandRidersAssociation:MaryChamberlain,CanadianSportHorseAssociation-Ontario:MargareteParker,OntarioCombinedDrivingAssociation:Dr.RaeFischer,Ontario Reining Horse Association: John & Sharon Fletcher and Upper Canada District (Ontario) Canadian Horse Breeders:Brenda&GeoffPantling.

OEF president Grant Field presents the 2012 OEF Awards: 1. YvonneCollardAwardRecipient:JoanClark.2.SponsoroftheYearAwardRecipient:GeorgeBezak,awardacceptedbyAnne-MarieHamilton.3. Media of the Year Award Recipient: Canadian Sportsman–DaveBriggs.4.CoachoftheYearAwardRecipient:GloriaNighswander.

1 2 3 4

5

10

15

20

6

11

16

21

7

12

17

22

8

13

18

23

9

14

19

NewsP

hoto

Cre

dit:

Riv

er B

end

Des

igns

12 | WHOA! Winter 2013

Kimberley BleaseKimberley has been riding and showing saddle horses for almost 40 years. Shegrew up with Morgan horses and was activeintheOntarioMorganClub.

Tenyearsago,shestartedridingAmericanSaddlebreds and now owns several show horses. Kimberley shows throughoutOntario and the United States and is currently the president of the American SaddleHorseAssociationofOntario.Sheis actively involved in fundraising and

marketing for the club and has worked in numerous volunteer positionswith horse clubs throughout her life.With her showhorse, Steel, she has ridden in demonstrations at the Spirit ofthe Horse exhibit at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair for the past fiveyears.

Kimberley has worked for 30 years in corporate marketing and fundraising. She is currently vice-president of marketing andclientrelationshipswithBlakely&Associates,adirectmarketingagencyinAurora,ON.thatexclusivelyservicesthenot-for-profitsector.Within her hectic travel schedule, she alsomanages asmall video production company which delivers visual solutions forherclients.

Kimberleyhastwowonderfulteenagesons,ZacharyandNicholas,asupportivepartnerRickandtwoblack labs–Mary&Freddie.SheshareshertimebetweenNewmarket,ON.andCaledon,ON.

Andrea ClarkeGuelph resident Andrea Clarke has been a lawyer in the community of Guelph for 18years.For15yearsshewasapartnerat theMoonHeath LawFirm, the oldestlawfirmintheCityofGuelph,whereshespecializedinmatrimonial,immigrationandcriminal law. In2012,Andreaestablishedherownfirm.

Andrea has an undergraduate degree in fine arts and political science and has amasters degree in public administration

fromtheUniversityofGuelph.Shealsoholdsabacheloroflawfrom the University of Windsor and was a founding member of a legal aid clinic providing free legal assistance to the Windsor community.

Andreaalsohasservedonvariousdifferentboards.Shewasadirector of theGuelph Arts Council for three years, serving asthechairpersonofFeteRomantic, theannualmajor fundraisingcampaign.ShehasalsobeenadirectorofYMCA/YWCAGuelphfor six years andwas chairperson of that organization’smajorfundraisingevent,theWomenofDistinctionAwards,aswellaschairperson of the board member recruitment committee and the land/acquisitioncommitteeforchildren’scamps.AsadirectorfortheGuelphWomen inCrisis forfiveyears,Andreadraftedandimplementedtheboardbylaws.

In addition to her professional accomplishments, Andrea is anavid equestrian. She was affiliated with the Caledon Riding &Hunt Club through her mother and was a member of the Credit Valley Pony Club for 15 years. She has long been a long-timecompetitor on the A circuit and currently competes in the Adult AmateurDivision.

Meet The OEF's Newest DirectorsIsabel DoptaIsabel has been a Dressage enthusiast and rider for many years. She has competedin Canada and the United States at the advanced level and currently has four young horses in training under the guidance of TomDvorak.IsabelandherhusbandownaprivatefacilityinRockwood,ON.wherethey import dressage prospects from Europeanddevelopyounghorses.

Isabel has been employed for several years as director of communications and

stakeholderrelationsatVinelandResearchandInnovationCentre,a national horticulture research institute.Sincegraduating fromUniversity of Guelphwith an Honours degree inMicrobiology,Isabel has worked exclusively in the agriculture and agri-food sector.Shebringsexpertiseinfederalandprovincialgovernmentrelations and policy issues, rural economic development andcorporatecommunications.

Claudia Wagner WilsonClaudia Wagner Wilson has been an active member of the Ontario Equestrian Federation since 1975, as a competitor,trainer and operator of Silver Spring Farm inOakville,ON.

Claudia started showing in 1976 under the tutelageofSusanPritchardLaing,winningChampion and Reserve Champion at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in the years that followed. Fromshowingponies, shesuccessfully continued her show career in

theJuniorandAmateurHunterandJumperRing,showingundertrainersJayHayesandPeterStoeckl.

Interestedinthebreedingandtrainingofyounghorses,ClaudiaopenedSilverSpringFarm in 1986, a family runbusinesswiththree generations involved in various aspects of the operation.She has been the owner, manager and trainer for 26 years,activelyshowingandtraininghorsesandridersfortheshowring.Overtheyears,Claudiahasproducedmanywinninghorsesandriders,includingnumerouszonechampions,suchasMartinaZiepaandherlargepony,AllofMe,andhomebredSilverStockings,awinneroftheGreenJumperDevelopmentSeries.OneofhertopstudentswasAlanaAird,a2012QuestforGoldrider.ShestartedhershowcareerReserveZoneinShortStirrup,MediumPonyatthe Royal in 2002 on Beaverwoods Starling and has continued to moveuptheranksovertheyears.

Outsideoftheequineindustry,ClaudiaspentfouryearsworkinginaccountingfortheBankofNovaScotiaindowntownToronto,servicingbusinessandpersonalaccounts.In1987,shebecamean insurance broker and began working for her family’s insurance business in Oakville, which has been in operation for over 40years and is now associated with Spriggs Insurance Brokers.During her timewith the company,Claudia sold general homeand auto insurance, as well as equine insurance sub-brokeredthroughHenryEquestrianInsurance.

While she eventually retired her license to concentrate on her equine interests,beingpartofasuccessful insurancebusinessalso developed her business acumen – a valuable skill she has carriedthroughtoherequineendeavours.

News

14 | WHOA! Winter 2013

The Ontario Equestrian Federation once again partnered with the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair to manage the Spirit of the Horse exhibit,afull-sizeringsponsoredbyMamma’sPizzathathosteddemonstrationsandclinicsthroughoutthe10-dayfair.

The Spirit of the Horse exhibit featured a variety of breeds represented by the American Saddle Horse Association of Ontario, Arabian Horse Association of Eastern Canada, BlackForest Horses from Springtime Farm, sport horses of colourfrom Blazing Colours Farm, Canadian Gypsy Vanner HorseClub, Canadian Haflinger Association, Canadian Sport HorseAssociation, Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society – OntarioDivision,CentralCanadaPasoFinoHorseAssociation,theDonkeySanctuaryofCanada,GaitedHorseGroupofOntario,MiniatureHorseClubofOntario,NewfoundlandPonyBreedAssociation,OntarioFriesianHorseAssociation,OntarioHackneyAssociation,Ontario Percheron Horse Association, Ontario Peruvian HorseAssociationandtheOntarioQuarterHorseAssociation.

Inadditiontobreeds,visitorshadtheopportunitytomeethorsesfrom the Toronto Police Services Mounted Unit, learn aboutthe Wind Dancer Pony Rescue Foundation, brush up on trailridingknowledge,seethebenefitsoftherapeuticridingthroughWindReachFarm,witnesstheuniqueridingstyleofSidesaddleand watch the Ontario Horse Trials Association demonstrate Eventing.TheCanadianCowgirls, anelite rodeo-styleprecisiondrillteamknownfortheirpatrioticcostumes,werealsoonhandtoshowofftheirprecisionridingskills.

The OEF also welcomed to the Spirit ring well-known clinicians who showcased a variety of disciplines, including Eventing,Hunter/Jumper,SaddleSeatandDressage.ThankyoutoWaylon

Roberts,Mary RuthMoore, Nancy Kavanagh, Karin Davis, andHyde Moffatt. Special thanks also go to the riders and horseownerswhohelpedtomaketheseclinicsasuccess.

The round pen next to the Sprit of the Horse ring was busy with a full slate of educational sessions demonstrating such topics as equine nutrition with Marc-Andre Blouin, Kalina Rutledge,Barb Booth and Katy Gemmell of Agribrands Purina; equinemassagetherapywithSharonMcMaster,JenniferScott-McGinnand the International Federation of Registered Equine Massage Therapists; equine craniosacral therapy with Liw Bringleson;chiropractic medicine with Dr. Laura Trotter; Sidesaddle fittingwithDebbieSmithoftheSidesaddleConnection;safestretchingwith Julia Penistan; equine reiki with Homeira Rabbani; andequine core strengthening with Kathy Goucher of the Functional Horse.Thankyoutoalloftheeducationdemonstratorsalongwiththeequineownerswhoprovidedanimalsforthedemonstrations.

TheOEFalsoextendsitsthankstodaymanagerMarkDobrindt,night manager Russell VamPlew, announcer Doug Moore andvolunteers Sandra Hendrickson, Wendy Davidson-Stewart andN’nnioh(Neo)Dombkowski.ThankyoualsotoBucasofIrelandforthegenerousdonationofblanketsforexhibitorhorses,SystemFencingforprovidingthestalls,roundpenanddemonstrationringandFootingFirstLLC,whichprovidedthefootingforthering.

CongratulationstotheGaitedHorseGroupofOntario,whichwasthe winner of the 2012 Best Exhibit Award!

Be sure to mark your calendar and join us for the Spirit of the Horse at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in 2013! T

Pho

to C

redi

t: J

acly

n A

pple

byNews

Young Fair attendees get up close to Frank from Wind Dancer PonyRescue.

SaddleSeatclinicparticipantAlexandraDickerman. Everyone loves horses! A young fan shows her OEF pride bydonningthenewOEFsticker.

Peter Jilesen rides Mattis, representing the CanadianHalflingerAssociationintheSpiritoftheHorsering.

Frank the pony from Wind Dancer Pony Rescue struts his stuffmakinghisrideronehappylittleboy.

www.horse.on.ca | 15

Pho

to C

redi

t: J

acly

n A

pple

by

News

AnofficerwiththeTorontoPoliceMountedUnitdiscusseswithayoungfantheimportantrolepolicehorsesplay.

Proud members enjoy themselves at the OEF's second annual OEFMemberAppreciationeventattheRoyal.

Some of the OEF Board of Directors were on hand to mix andminglewithmembersattheMemberAppreciationevent.

The Ontario Association of Food Banks was in attendance to acceptdonationsattheOEFMemberAppreciationevent.

OEF staff members Stephanie Rutherford and BrandonHallwereonhandtoservecake.

AttendeesdinedonMamma'sPizzaduringtheOEFMemberAppreciationevent.

Allard,aFriesiangelding,enjoysamassage!JanetWojcikonREAHeyLookMeOverrepresenttheArabianHorseAssociationofEasternCanadaintheSpiritoftheHorsering.

AprilWayenberg ridesMocha Twist, one of thesporthorsesfromBlazingColoursFarm.

HydeMoffatteducatesthecrowdduringhisclinic,whichtookplaceintheSpiritoftheHorsering.

JockeysSkyeChernetz,MichelleRainfordandEmma-JayneWilsonshowoffthecuvettedQueensPlateTrophy.

Gypsy’sDreamofRosie,riddenbyShylaCardyandSasha,riddenbyKendraTaylor,displaytheGypsyVannerbreed.

16 | WHOA! Winter 2013

The Ontario Equestrian Federation welcomed about 500 equine enthusiasts to its 2nd annual OEF Member Appreciation Party at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair as a way of thanking members fortheirsupport.

OnTuesday,Nov.6,membersfilledtheSpiritoftheHorsering,which was transformed from its use for riding demonstrations into a party venue where pizza fromMamma’s Pizza, cheesefromMariposaDairyLtd.andThornloeCheese,snacks,cakeandbeverageswereserved.

Drawprizestookplacethroughouttheevening,withluckywinnerstakinghomesaddlepads,groomingtotebags,acoolerandmuchmore,thankstoGreenhawkHarness&EquestrianSupplies.

Those who donated to the Ontario Association of Food Banks had theirnameenteredinadrawtowinaT-Serieshelmet,providedby TipperaryEquestrian.Close to $500was raised to put foodon the table of those in need – enough money to distribute over 1,400mealsacrosstheprovince.

Specialthankstoeveryonewhohelpedmakethiseventasuccess,includingJakeCoburn,KatrinaJankowskiandAliciaVanDrunen,whovolunteeredtheirtimeasSmartServersfortheevening,aswellasSandraRosano,whohelpedwithsetup. T

Canadian Paralympic Dressage rider Judi Island has been awarded thehighesthonourintheRibbonsforRidesProgram,aninitiativeby the Ontario Equestrian Federation and Ontario Therapeutic Riding Association that awards therapeutic riders with a ribbon foreachFEIParaDressagetestcompleted.

“Achieving the champion rosette in the OEF Ribbons for Rides programwasafunchallenge,”says59-year-oldIsland,whowaspresented with the award during the OEF Member Appreciation Party at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. “I think the OEFRibbons for Rides program encourages Para-Equestrian riders to push to reachnewheights. Thisprogram,which isgenerouslyoffered byOEF at no cost, gives Para-Equestrian riders a goaltoworktowardsattheirownpaceandattheirownbarn.Italsoprovides a starting format for up-and-coming riders at therapeutic

Member Appreciation Party Gets Bigger And Better

Paralympian Reaches The Top In Ribbons For Rides Programriding centres and inspires all Para-Equestrians to prepare for upcomingcompetitions.”

Island was an avid Dressage rider whose life was forever changed in January 1993 when she sustained a C-3 spinal cord injury – incomplete quadriplegia – in a car accident. Totally paralyzedbelow the neck, she entered into an intensive rehab therapyprogram.SheneverthoughtshewouldrideagainandaskedhermothertosellherbelovedLippizan,Gitano.Butayearandahalfafter the accident she began riding in a therapeutic riding program atSunriseEquestrianCentrefortheDisabledinGuelph,ON.Afternineyearsofhardwork,shegotbackonGitano,whichhermotherhadcaredforsincetheaccident.Islandwentontowinbronzeinboth the Grade 1a Individual Championships and Freestyle at the 2003WorldChampionships.ShealsorepresentedCanadaatthe2004ParalympicGamesinAthens.

“The Ontario Equestrian Federation congratulates Judi Island on reachingyetanothercareermilestone,”saysDianneGraham,theexecutivedirectoroftheOEF.“Judiisaninspirationtoridersofall ages,disciplinesand ridingabilitiesandwearehonoured topresent her with the champion rosette in the OEF Ribbons for Ridesprogram.”

In appreciation of the time and effort that riders put into completing the 10 tests required to obtain the Champion rosette in the Ribbons for Ride program, the OEF has the champion rosettes signedby the rider of the recipient’s choosing. Island choseCanadianOlympic Dressage rider Christilot Boylen. Island says Boylen’sperformance in Freestyle at the 1986 World Championships was aninspirationasshedevelopedherownridingskills.

“I am just really touched that riders donate their ribbons to the program and top equestrians like Christilot are willing to participate tomakeithappen,”saysIsland.“Itwasreallynicethatshehadwrittensomethingpersonalontheribbontome.Thatwasreallyspecial.” T

Pho

to C

redi

t: J

acly

n A

pple

by

Pho

to C

redi

t: J

acly

n A

pple

byNews

www.horse.on.ca | 17

Equestrian celebrities from around the world came together at the OEFT-SeriesVIPCornerattheRoyalAgriculturalWinterFair,anewinteractive exhibit and autograph signing area designed to allow fans tomeettheirfavouriteridersandcelebratethesport.

A partnership between the Ontario Equestrian Federation and Tipperary Equestrian’s T-Series Helmets, the VIP Corner sawestablished and up-and-coming riders from across the globe meet withfanstoposeforphotographsandsignautographs.

Guests included:• CanadianShowJumpersMacCone,BethUnderhill,Angela

Covert-Lawrence,AmyMillar,AinsleyVince,HydeMoffatt• Canadian Hunter Derby riders Darcy Hayes, Ryan Roy and

Peter Gisborn• CanadianEventersMicheleMueller, JessicaPhoenix,Diana

Burnett and Waylon Roberts• IrishShowJumpingTeammembersShaneSweetnam,Conor

Swail,DermottLennonandRichieMoloney• American Show Jumpers Laura Kraut, Reed Kessler, Kent

Farrington,JessicaSpringsteenandBrianneGoutal• Belgian Show Jumping twins Nicola and Olivier Philippaerts• Columbian Show Jumper Daniel Bluman• Heartland stars Daniel Fathers and Chris Potter• Canadian Dressage riders Leah Wilson, Lindsay Kellock,

Alexandra Reid and Brittany Fraser• CanadianReinerLindsayHayes• CanadianjockeysEmma-JayneWilson,MichelleRainfordand

SkyeChernetz• Charlotte Evans, Sable Giesler, Dasha Ivandaeva, Haley

Armstrong-LaframboiseandKylieFigueira,who representedCanada in Eventing at the North America Junior & Young Rider Championships.

• EnduranceriderEmmaWebb,whowasontheCanadiangoldmedal winning team at the North America Junior & Young Rider Championships

Waiting patiently in line at several of the autograph signing sessions was life-longShowJumping fanMarjorieHobsonofMagnetawan,ON.Forcloseto60yearsshehasbeenattendingtheRoyalAgriculturalWinterFairtowatchthehorseshows.Infact,shemissedonlyoneyearwhentherewasadeathinherfamily.Sheevenhasmostofheradmissionticketstubs.

“Oh, the jumping! We go for the jumping,” says Hobson, whogoestotheRoyalwithhersister,BettyDouglas,a30-yearveteranspectatoroftheRoyalhorseshow.“It’sallbeautiful,butthejumping–weloveit.”

Although the sisters aren’t riders, they are huge fans of the sportand have been collecting autographs throughout their lives. Theirfavouriterider,gushesHobson,isIanMillar.

“I likethejumping,especiallyIanMillar,”Hobsonsays.“Wecheerforthemall,butIanMillarisourfavourite.”

Hobson’s greatest memory of nearly six decades of the Royal is seeingCaptainCanadarideBigBeninthehallowedcoliseum.

“WhenBigBenwasthere,thatwasspecial!Thatwasastandoutforus!WelovedBigBen,”saysHobson,whoaddsthatHicksteadalsoholdsaplaceinherheart.“Inourgeneration,IanandBigBen,thatwasastandoutforme.Whenhewasjumpingandwinning...thatwasreallyperfect.”

Hobsonlistsoffscoresofautographsinhercollection.Tuckedawayfor safe keeping are signatures from the likes of Canadian Show Jumpers IanMillar and Jill Henselwood, American Show JumpersMclainWardandBeezieMaddenaswellascountless internationalriders.And,thankstotheOEFT-SeriesVIPCorner,shewasabletoaddHydeMoffatandReedKesslertoherlistofautographs.

“Ikeepallmystuff–I’mtellingyou,”Hobsonsays.“Ihavegotquiteafewautographsthroughtheyears.”

Inadditiontoautographsigningsessions,theOEFT-SeriesVIPCornerincludedaGrandPrixfencesetuptogivepeopleanideaofthesizeoffencesatthatlevelandlife-sizepostersoffamousridersforphotoopportunities.BecomingIanMillarwasassimpleasstandingbehindthe cut out and putting your smiling face in the hole where Millar’s face would have been!

The Ontario Equestrian Federation would like to thank Rob Gray for arranging and scheduling riders for the autograph sessions and the loyal fans of the sport that came by to meet their equestrian idols.Thankyou,also, toKatieCarvalhoandBradHodgkinnson forpromotingtheOEFT-SeriesVIPCorneronTwitter.T

Top Riders Meet Fans At OEF T-Series VIP Corner

Pho

to C

redi

t: J

acly

n A

pple

by

News

CanadianHunterDerbyridersPeterGisborn,DarcyHayesandRyanRoymeetwithfans.

Reed Kessler and Jessica Springsteen don their OEF hatsintheOEFT-SeriesVIPCorner.

AmericanShowJumperKentFarringtonposesforaphotographwithagroupoffans.

Canadian Show Jumper Hyde Moffatt poses with fan Marjorie Hobson.

18 | WHOA! Winter 2013

News

The OEF is very pleased to announce a new and exciting award that will recognizeoutstanding individuals in theequestrian community,whetherinsport,leisure,businessorotherwise.TheOEFModelMemberAward will be bestowed on those that exemplify superior acts of good sportsmanship,benevolence,comradeship,etc.withinthehorseindustry,regardlessofdiscipline.

All current OEF Members are eligible to make nominations and/or receive an OEF Model Member Award with the exception of OEF staff, boardof directors and immediate familymembers of staffanddirectors.

Inaneffort toacknowledgeModelMembers, theOEFwillpresentallrecipientswithblackwoolcoolersthatincludetheOEFlogo.SuppliedbyBrubacher’sHarnessandSaddlery, thecoolerswillbepresentedtotherecipientsduringaspecialpresentationarrangedbytheOEF.

Please note that the OEF Model Member Award is a separate award from the OEF Annual Awards and can be presented at any timethroughouttheyear.TheOEFModelMemberAwardwillonlybepresentedtothosewhoaremostdeserving.FormoreinformationpleasecontactCatherineBarkeratc.barker@horse.on.caor1-877-441-7112ext.23.

Nominee’s Name: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Address:_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

City: __________________________________________________________________ Postal Code: _________________________________________

Telephone: ______________________________________________________ Email: _____________________________________________________

Nominated by: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Address: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

City: __________________________________________________________________ Postal Code: ________________________________________

Telephone: __________________________________________________________________ Email: ________________________________________

Please outline why you feel this person is deserving of the OEF Model Member Award.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

ONTARIO EQUESTRIAN FEDERATION 1 West Pearce Street, Suite 201, Richmond Hill, Ontario, L4B 3K3

phone 905-709-6545 • fax 905-709-1867 • tollfree 1-877-441-7112 • email c.barker@horse.on.ca • website www.horse.on.ca

Ontario Equestrian Federation Model Member Award

www.horse.on.ca | 19

PatRoundingandPixieLangsharealoveofriding,buttheyalsoshare a special distinction – at 76 years of age and two years of age,respectively,theyaretheoldestandyoungestmembersoftheWindsorEssexCadoraClub.

“Theyarewonderfulambassadorsoftheclub,”saysSamanthaBurgess,presidentofWindsorEssexCadora.“Theyaresendingmessages to people of all ages and abilities that there is a sport forthem.”

ThepaircompetedintheirfirsthorseshowthispastJuneinthenew leadline division, known as the Leadline Exhibition Class,withRoundingonher15-year-oldArabianandLangonherrescuepony,TinkerBell.

Rounding grew up around her grandparents’ Percherons and her ownchildrenhadponies,butshenevertookupthesport.Oftenafixtureontherailduringhergreat-granddaughterAlyssa’sridinglessonsontheArabiantheyshare,sheeventuallygotthecourageto start riding lessons this past spring with the urging of Alyssa’s coach.

“It’s just exciting,” says Rounding. “And I have so muchencouragement from the equestrian clubs around here and the Cadoraclubs.Everyonesays,‘Justkeepgoingforit.’”

Whilesheadmits tobeing“scared todeath”atherfirsthorseshow,oneshowsoonturnedintofourthisyearalone,withherscoresimprovingateachevent.Roundingalreadyhashersightssetonloftiergoals.

“Iwanttogetmyfirsttrophy,”saysRounding,whosuccessfullynavigatedhertestsindependently.“I’mwillingtotrytrotpoles,andmaybe even a small amount of jumping, but I’llwork thatthroughthiswinterandseewhathappens.”

More than just an outlet for her competitive side, though,Roundingenjoystherelaxationthatridingoffers.

“Ridingissorelaxingonceyougetcomfortable,”saysRounding,whoisthesecretaryforWindsorEssexEquestrianParentsClub.“It’svery,verysatisfying.”

While Rounding says her hearing impairment proves challenging at times, she isn’t about to let thedateonherbirthcertificatedefinewhatsheiscapableof.

“Ifyoudon’ttry,youdon’tknowthatyoucan’tdoit,”shesays.“Iwon’tknowwhetherI’mgoingtofailifIdon’ttry.”

Langisn’tquiteasseriouswithherridinggoalsatthispoint.She’sjust excited to go to shows and have her mom braid her hair to matchTinkerBell’smane.

“Shelikesgoingtothehorseshows,”saysAngieLang,Pixie’smother. “She’s always very excited to go andwear her showclothesandgetherponydressedup.”

That doesn’t mean she’s not dedicated to her sport though.She practices at home with her mom leading her and her dad “judging”fromcentrering.

“Herfavouritepartiswhenwepracticeathome.Herdadcomesinthearenaandshegetstosmileatherdaddy,becausewesayherdadisthejudge,”saysLang.“Atthelasthorseshowshewasbeingalittlebitofabrat.Shewouldn’tsmileattherealjudge;shewouldonlysmileatherdaddy.”

Althoughaspanof74yearsseparatesthesetworiders,theyareunitedbyapassionforhorses.WatchforthemnextyearattheWindsorEssexCadoraClubshows.

“It is very exciting to have such a wide spectrum of riders in our area,”saysBurgess.“Itdefinitelysendsout themessage thatDressagecanbeforeveryone.” T

By Melissa Kosowan

Passion Knows No Age Limits

Member Spotlight

Pho

to C

redi

t: P

aul M

cCar

thy

Pho

to C

redi

t: P

aul M

cCar

thy

20 | WHOA! Winter 2013

By Melissa Kosowan

Changing History From Centre Ring

Whether you agree with his perspectives on horses,or agree to disagree, PeterCameron has left his mark on the equine world. With 885horse shows to his credit over a judging career spanning close to50years,heknowshorses.

Cameron keeps a list of the different breeds and disciplines he has judged over the years so he doesn’t forget any when listing off the 25 different judging cards he once held before retiring from judging in 1996. But forgetting thingsisn’t in Cameron’s nature.Although,attheageof84,hejokes that he can’t remember whathehadforbreakfast.

His memory, however, isprobably what he is best known for.Cameronnevertooknotes

when judging, not even shorthand scribbles, even when he judged theJunior Western Pleasure class with 350 riders at the All American Quarter HorseCongress.

“ItwasjustsomethingIcoulddo,”explainsCameron.“ThatwayIkeptmyeyeonthehorsesatalltimessonobodycheatedonme.Judgeswritehalfthe time and they’re not looking at the horses and I tried to develop that so Inevertookmyeyesoffthehorseatanytime.”

Withhishandsfreeofclipboardandpaperwork, italsoallowedhimtodosomething many other judges didn’t do and still don’t – reach out and touch thehorses.Helikedtomovetailsasidetobetterseeahorse’slegs,touchnecksandmovemanestogetabetterlookatwithershiddenbeneath.

Whilehehasdifficultypinningdownspecificyears,hecanstillrememberhowheplacedhorsesatparticularlynoteworthyevents.Oneofthehighlightsof his judging career was judging the 1979 Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show the year that several horses that would go on to become legends gathered under theArizonasun.Names likeAladdinn,BeyShahandPadroncamebeforehimthatday.

Cameron judged 443 Arabian shows over the years, including the U.S.Arabian and Half-Arabian National Championships and the Canadian Arabian andHalf-ArabianNational Championships five times, but his interest andknowledgewasn’t limited to that breed.He also judgedQuarterHorses,Paints, Appaloosas, Pintos, Morgans, Welsh ponies, drafts, Shetlands,Hackneys, National Show Horses, Palominos, Saddlebreds, Tennessee

Walking Horses, Rocky Mountain Horses, Paso Finos,Andalusions, Connemaras, Fjords and many more, as wellas disciplines such as Hunter/Jumper, Cutting, Driving andWorkingCowHorse.

“I learnedsomething fromeverybreed,”saysCameron.“AlotoftimeswhenIwasgettingstarted,Ididn’tgoaftercards;theycameafterme,whichwasnice.Theycameandaskedme,‘Whydon’tyougetacardforourdivision?’”

Cameron enjoyed a successful judging career that included being inducted into the Arabian Horse Association Hall of Fame, the Ontario Quarter Horse Hall of Fame and theWesternHorseAssociationHallofFame.HisresumeincludessuchnoteworthyaccomplishmentsasbeingthefirstCanadianjudge to judge both the Quarter Horse World Championship ShowandtheAllAmericanQuarterHorseCongress.

Despite the success he has enjoyed, Cameron’s foray intojudgingwasanaccident–quiteliterally.Attheageof22,hewas riding for a client at a show in Hamilton when the judge gotinacaraccidentonhiswaytotheevent.Allthetrainersin attendance threw their names into a hat to see who would take over judging duties for the day. Cameron’s namewasselectedandtherest,astheysay,ishistory.

“I thought, well I could do this, and I got paid for it, so Ithoughtthatwasalright,”hesays.“Istillrodeandtrainedfora year after but started getting more shows to judge so then IdecidedI’vegottoquitthistrainingandhavenoconflictofinterestwhatsoever.”

Buthisstorybeganyearsbeforewhen,asayoungstergrowingupinSt.Catharines,ON.,hetaggedalongtothestablewithhismother,whowasanavidrider.Heboughthisfirstpony,Sally,whenhewasabout13yearsold.

“Ipaid$47.50forSally,”hesayswithachuckle.“Ishowedinonehorseshowandwononeclassatoneofthelocalfairs.”

Inthosedays,hedidn’thaveenoughmoneytobuyhisownsaddleandrodeinanEnglishsaddlegiventohimbyafriend.Heremembersgazinglonginglyatasaddleinastorewindow.The price was $90 and he swore that someday he would have asaddlelikethat.Asaboy,hecouldneverhaveimaginedtheintricate custom made western saddles that he would one day collect,eachwithmatchingbridlesandcustomsilverbits.

From Sally, he graduated to another horse named Monty,a Thoroughbred-Clydesdale cross. The pair developed areputationlocallyfortheirtravelsfarandwide.CameronrodeMontyallthewayfromSt.Catharinestoashowattherace

ICON

Member Spotlight

www.horse.on.ca | 21

trackinHamilton.TheysetoutonaFriday,showedinoneclassonSaturday,whichhepointsouttheydidn’tplacein,andreturnedhomeonSunday.

“Hewasanicehorse.Hewasn’tashowhorsebyanystretchoftheimagination,butIrodehimona250-mileroundtrip,”Cameronsaysof anexcursion to a ranch inKleinburg,ON.wherehe andMontyworkedforseveralweeks.

Like a sponge, Cameron soaked up all things horses, watchingcountlessshowstolearnthetricksofthetrade.

“Iwasagreatwatcher,”hesays.“Iwouldgotoahorseshowandsitand watch and I watched what the judge liked… just to have a little knowledgeaboutwhatwasgoingon. Iwenttoeverything. I lovedeverything.”

Cameron also tagged along with experienced horsemen when they wenttobuyhorsesand,intheprocess,learnedaboutconformationandcommonailments.

“WhenIwasyoungIhungaroundtworidingstables,”herecalls.“Iwent with them when they bought horses and had a great learning experience by these old crooked horse traders – the things they did when they sold horses…all different things and the faults that I would havehadahardtimelearning.”

As a youngWestern trainer, he rode to victory for his clients onmanyoccasions,includingridingintothehistorybooksonapalominoQuarterHorsenamedDeymar.In1961,CameronsetanewrecordforfirstplacewinsattheErieCountyFairinHamburg,N.Y.,winningfiveperformanceclassesandplacingfourthinanothertosecuretheSattlerChallengeTrophy.

“Igotupatfiveinthemorningandranhimaroundthetrack20timesandbrought himback in andwashedhimand fedhim,”Cameronsays.“Hewasagoodhorse,buthewasahyperhorse.”

Whileanyoneinthehorseindustrywilltalkofmakingsacrificesfortheirsport,nooneknowsthisbetterthanCameron.Heneverwantedtheretobeaperceptionofconflictofinterestorbribery,sohegaveuptraininghorsestopursuejudging.Oneofthequalitiesofagoodjudge,henotes,istostandonyourconvictionsandjudgmentbeyondtheinfluenceofanyone.Andthat’sexactlywhathedid.

“He is an example, a rolemodel for integrity,” says Pat Carter, arespected coach from St. George, ON. who first showed underCameroninthemid1960s.“Thereareveryfewpeopleinthehorseindustrywhohavethatmuchintegrity.”

Camerondidtakeonebribeoncethough.Atleastthat’swhathelikestotellpeople,waitingwithhischaracteristicsmirkandatwinkleinhis

eyes,toseetheirreaction.

Toillustratehispoint,heopensaclosetinwhatcanonlybedescribedas a Wild West museum meets awards room that occupies the entire basementofhistidyhome.Trophies,plaquesandcommemorativerings and belt buckles jockey for space with miniature Remington statues,1800s-erareplicafirearms,leatherboundWesternbooksandlimited editionWesternprintsoneverywall.Hepullsoutaletterman-style jacket bearing the name Khemosabi – Cameron’s favourite Arabian.CameronmadethelegendaryhorseU.S.NationalChampionStallion in 1973 and years later the jacket arrived on Cameron’s doorstep–agiftforanadmirer.

BronzestatuesofArabianhorsesstandproudly inhiscollectionofmemorabilia, awarded tohim in 1991 and1992whenhewon theArabianHorseman’sAwardasJudgeoftheYear.AlthoughheneverownedorshowedanArabian,Cameronmadethenumber34spoton theArabianHorseAssociationCentennial100 listwhen40,000members from that association voted on the most influential andsignificantpeople,horses,eventsorinnovationsinthepastcentury.

Cameron’s goal throughout his career was to be a fair judge who treatedrulebooksliketheBibleofhorses.

“There were lots of times that I excused people – big guns – and I neverfeltanyqualmsaboutdoingit.That’swhypeoplewouldcometomyshowsbecausetheyknewIwasgoingtolookatthehorses,”saysCameron.“And I always lookedat abadhorse longer thanagoodhorse to let people know.Howmany timeshaveyouheard,‘Thejudgeneverevenlookedatme?'”

Healsowantedexhibitorstohaveapositiveexperienceinthering,sohecouldoftenbeseenspeakingtoexhibitors.

“He was so honest with people,” Carter says of Cameron. “Ireally appreciated that – his contribution is his courage under all circumstances.”

Cameron wanted exhibitors to leave the ring with encouragement andways to improve,not frustrationandconfusionoverhow theywerejudged.

“Ialwaysstoodrightbythegatesowhentheycamein,”hesays,noting that in addition to looking at the horse and getting a firstimpression,hewantedtomakesuretheywereturnedoutproperly.“Iwantedtoencourage,notdiscourage.Theymayhaveadroppednosebandonwhentheywerewarmingupthattheyforgottotakeoff.I’dstopthemandtakethatoff.Thatcouldbemybesthorse.”

He recalls judging an Arabian exhibitor once who didn’t have a throatlatchontheirhalter–arequirementfortheclass.Ratherthanturnhisbackon themand relegate themto lastplace,he told the

Member Spotlight

AyoungCameronsharesamomentwithhissecondhorse,Monty(left).Cameronwonthefirst50-MileEnduranceRideheldinOntarioin1967onaMorgannamedPillPeddler'sHenry(centre).CameronjudgesaSaddlebredclassattheSt.Catharinesracetrack(right).

Pho

to C

redi

t: D

on S

incl

air

22 | WHOA! Winter 2013

exhibitor what they had done incorrectly and then proceeded to take outhisshoelace,tieittothehalterandcontinuetojudgetheclass.

“That person will come back and show again,” he says withconviction. “Some judgeswill just say, ‘Eliminate them.’And theywill say, ‘Well I’mnot coming back. They didn’t tellme anything.’Again,encourage,don’tdiscourage. I hobbledaroundwith a looseshoeonmyfoot.”

Cameron was also known for constantly moving around the ring,often standing in corners and other locales that allowed him to see thebigpicture.Butitwaswhathedidn’tseethatmanyremember.

“Icouldhearaguybehindmeonhiswronglead,”Cameronrecalls.“I could just hear a different noise and I would know that horse was onthewronglead.Andtheywouldsayafter,‘Hewasright.Iwasonmywronglead.’”

Helaughs,recallingthetimeagroupofyouthexhibitorspresentedhim with a hat at the end of a show that had eyes glued all the way aroundit.

“Theexpression ‘tohaveeyes in thebackofyourhead’comestomindwhen Petewas judging,” says long-time steward and judgeJill Barton of Odessa, ON. “He was alert to all of the signs thatcompetitors had broken gait or horses were being corrected by their ridersbehindhisback,manytimesbytherhythmofthefootfalls.Ashe walked the line he would often comment on why you had placed where you did!”

Perhaps his judging style will live on through the 200 learner judges whohehasmentoredovertheyears.

"A lot of them just wanted to be a judge for the power and they will nevermakeit."Cameronsays."ButIdidhavesomegreatjudges.AndI have judges who still call me and we talk about a show they have justbeentoandtheysay,‘Whatwouldyoudointhissituationthatjust happened at that horse show?’”

Justashorseshowshavechangedover theyears,sotoohas life.Fromhisdiningroomtable,whereVelma,hiswifeof60years,servessandwiches for lunch, Cameron looks out thewindow to his backyard – his pride and joy, always manicured to perfection with nodetailoverlooked.Yearsago,therewerenohousesaroundtheirSt.Catharines home, only fieldswherePeterwould take his dogs forwalks.

Butthosedaysaregone.TheyearsofpresidingovershowsacrossNorthAmericafromcentreringarebehindhim.Asheflipsthroughalbumafteralbumofoldphotographs,pausingtotellthestorybehindeachone,hestepsbackintothepast.

Subject to policy conditions and exclusions. Insurance products provided by Novex Group Insurance. Services available in Ontario through Canada Brokerlink (Ontario) Inc. ™ BrokerLink & Design is a trademark of Canada Brokerlink Inc. Used under license. © Copyright 2012 Canada Brokerlink Inc. All rights reserved. Certain conditions apply to all discounts.

AURORABLIND RIVERBRANTFORDCAMBRIDGECHAPLEAUDELHIDUNDASELLIOT LAKEESPANOLAEXETERGERALDTONHAMILTONHAWKESBURYHUNTSVILLEKITCHENER

LONDONLONGLACMANITOUWADGEMARATHONNEWCASTLENORTH BAYPARRY SOUNDPETERBOROUGHPORT ROWANSAULT STE. MARIESIMCOESTRATFORDSTURGEON FALLSSUDBURYTERRACE BAY

THUNDER BAYTILLSONBURGTORONTO - NORTH YORKTORONTO - YONGE STREETWAWAWINDSORWOODSTOCK

(905) 727-4605(705) 356-7635(519) 756-3800(519) 624-1443(705) 864-1010(519) 582-1611(905) 628-2221(705) 848-7187(705) 869-1380(519) 235-2211(807) 854-1217(905) 548-6886(613) 632-4174(705) 789-9667(519) 576-5242

(519) 434-1955(807) 876-4772(807) 826-3231(807) 229-1109(905) 987-3200(705) 476-3411(705) 746-9315(705) 743-4211(519) 586-2762(705) 949-7520(519) 426-8061(519) 271-1840(705) 753-3411(705) 675-1307(807) 825-3246

(807) 622-6155 (519) 688-3638(416) 497-6907(416) 368-6511(705) 856-2200(519) 969-5910(519) 539-8600

To learn more about the OEF Group Insurance program, or to get a no obligation quote, call any one of our 37 local offices today.

As a member of the Ontario Equestrian Federation, you could save up to 15% on both your home and

auto policies and an additional 15% by bundling. To learn more, or to see if you qualify for preferred

discounts, call, meet us in person or visit BrokerLink.ca/OEF.

“As an OEF member, I saved$245 when I switched my homeand auto policies to BrokerLink.”

_ Lina L

Member Spotlight

“The only thing I wish I could have changed is how they show some ofthehorses,butthat’snotuptome,”hesays.“Wejusthavetoenforcetherules;wedidn’tmakethem.Wemightnotlikethem,butwehavetoenforcethemthewaytheyare.”

Hestillgoes toshows fromtime to timeasaspectator,butfindshimself spendingmore time chatting to peoplewho knowhim, orofferinghisopiniononhorsesattheirowner’srequest,thanhedoeswatchingclasses.

“Peoplewillcomeuptomeandsay,‘AreyouPeterCameron?’andI’ll say, ‘It dependsonwhether your horsewonor not,”Cameronjokes.“Oneguysaid,‘IwouldratherhaveathirdbyyouthanafirstbyanotherjudgebecauseIknewthat’swhereIbelonged."

It has been a long, rewarding career for Cameron who, despiteretiringfromjudging,stillmanagestohavehisfingeronthepulseofthehorseworld.

“I’d like to be remembered as an honest judge – a judge who gave everyone a fair look and for the fact that I judged all those years withoutahintorsuggestionofconflictof interest,”saysCameron.“Mywholemissionhasbeentoencourage,notdiscourage.” T

Peter Cameron won the Arabian Horseman's Award as Judge of the Year in 1991 and1992.

CameronrodeintohistoryonDeymaratNorthAmerica'slargestcountyfair(left).CameronspeakstoaleadlineexhibitorinMainein1986(centre).OneofCameron'strademarkswasspeakingtoexhibitors.Whilehetookjudgingseriously,Cameronlikedtohavefunandhadasoftspotforjudgingstickhorseclasses(right).

Pho

to C

redi

t: D

odo

Kni

ght

Pho

to C

redi

t: P

eter

Wes

t P

hoto

grap

hy

www.horse.on.ca | 23 Subject to policy conditions and exclusions. Insurance products provided by Novex Group Insurance. Services available in Ontario through Canada Brokerlink (Ontario) Inc. ™ BrokerLink & Design is a trademark of Canada Brokerlink Inc. Used under license. © Copyright 2012 Canada Brokerlink Inc. All rights reserved. Certain conditions apply to all discounts.

AURORABLIND RIVERBRANTFORDCAMBRIDGECHAPLEAUDELHIDUNDASELLIOT LAKEESPANOLAEXETERGERALDTONHAMILTONHAWKESBURYHUNTSVILLEKITCHENER

LONDONLONGLACMANITOUWADGEMARATHONNEWCASTLENORTH BAYPARRY SOUNDPETERBOROUGHPORT ROWANSAULT STE. MARIESIMCOESTRATFORDSTURGEON FALLSSUDBURYTERRACE BAY

THUNDER BAYTILLSONBURGTORONTO - NORTH YORKTORONTO - YONGE STREETWAWAWINDSORWOODSTOCK

(905) 727-4605(705) 356-7635(519) 756-3800(519) 624-1443(705) 864-1010(519) 582-1611(905) 628-2221(705) 848-7187(705) 869-1380(519) 235-2211(807) 854-1217(905) 548-6886(613) 632-4174(705) 789-9667(519) 576-5242

(519) 434-1955(807) 876-4772(807) 826-3231(807) 229-1109(905) 987-3200(705) 476-3411(705) 746-9315(705) 743-4211(519) 586-2762(705) 949-7520(519) 426-8061(519) 271-1840(705) 753-3411(705) 675-1307(807) 825-3246

(807) 622-6155 (519) 688-3638(416) 497-6907(416) 368-6511(705) 856-2200(519) 969-5910(519) 539-8600

To learn more about the OEF Group Insurance program, or to get a no obligation quote, call any one of our 37 local offices today.

As a member of the Ontario Equestrian Federation, you could save up to 15% on both your home and

auto policies and an additional 15% by bundling. To learn more, or to see if you qualify for preferred

discounts, call, meet us in person or visit BrokerLink.ca/OEF.

“As an OEF member, I saved$245 when I switched my homeand auto policies to BrokerLink.”

_ Lina L

24 | WHOA! Winter 2013

New Awakenings Wellness Centre in Port Perry, ON. helpspeoplerealizethe joyof livingwithoutdrugsoralcoholthroughthe assistance of some special four-legged therapists with a knackforconnectingwiththoseontheroadtorecovery.

An all-inclusive treatment program for men suffering from alcohol anddrugandsubstanceabuseissues,NewAwakeningsprovidesa highly individualized, holistic approach to treatment wheresocial, psychological, physical and spiritual needs are assessedand reviewed throughout the treatment process. Thewellnesscentre’salcohol,drugandsubstanceabusetreatmentprogramsinvolve a preliminary assessment to determine how to address a client’sspecificneeds.Together,theythencreateacustomizedrecoveryplan.

One of the programs New Awakenings utilizes is its equinetherapyprogram.Equinetherapyservesasanaturalwaytoworkwith people who are struggling with addiction issues, mentalhealthconcernsorconcurrentdisorders.Theuseofhorseshelpsthe client to create a bond of trust and companionship with an animalwhoisverygentle,compassionateandnon-judgemental.Equinetherapycandecreasehostilityandfeelingsofanger,lowerstresslevels, increasetrust, improveself-esteemandprovideagreatersenseofpatience.Whenahorseispairedwithatroubledperson, a bond gradually develops between them. Throughouttheprocess,clientswillworkwiththehorsestoestablishabondbytakingpartinavarietyofhorsecareand“joinup”techniques.Some of the steps taken include:

Equine Therapy Forges Unbreakable Bonds

Therapeutic Spotlight

www.horse.on.ca | 25

Therapeutic Spotlight

Brushing the horses:By doingwhat seems like a simple task,humansbegintounderstandthepowerandsizeofahorse.Itisalso the initial stage of caring for something else that is reliant on humaninteraction.

Lungingthehorse:Sincehorsesarenaturallyherdanimalstheycanbetreatedassuch,evenwithhumaninteraction.Bylungingahorse,humansareessentiallyspeakingthesamelanguageashorsesandactingas theherdleader.Asahorseismovingaroundthehuman, itwill oftenbegin to chewandmove itsmouth toshow the leader (human) that it would like to be accepted into the herd.Thisisthebeginningofaveryspecialbondbetweenhumanandequine.Ifthehorseisverytrustingofthisbond,thehumancancrouchdowninthemiddleofthearenaorfieldandthehorseshould “join up” with its human companion by walking up and makingeithercloseeyecontactorphysicalconnection.

Free lunging: The ideal way to join up with a horse and establish an unbreakable bond is to allow the horse to be without a halter andletitbefreetowanderaroundthehuman,whowillencouragethehorsetomove.Asthehumanstopsandcrouchesdown,orevenstandsstill,thehorsewillcomeforwardandmakecontactwith the leader to express that commitment and allow the human toreplaceawholeherd.

Riding:Iftheclientfeelscomfortable,theoptiontorideahorseisavailableaswell.Thisisagreatwaytounderstandthedynamicsandpowerofananimalofthissize.Workingattheirowncomfortlevel, clientswill learn how to control the horse – not throughphysical strength,but insteadusingall thehorse language thatleadsuptotheriding,suchasverbalcommands,bodylanguageand the ability to feel their movement through our body to effectivelyworkasateam.

Teamwork is a great skill that clients need to work on as part of theirtherapeuticapproachtowellness.Manytimesaddictsforgetthat,inordertobehealthy,onemustrealizethateverythingisn’tan “I” or “Me” statement and that it is considered a strength to ask forhelp in timesof trouble.This teamworkbetweenhorseandhumanwillhelpsolidifythismind-set,whichisanimportantpartofsobriety.

There are too many positives to mention when speaking about riding and the connection that is established between horse and rider, but another pivotal piece of healthy sobriety is theclient’sabilitytomoveforwardandliveinthe“hereandnow.”For instance, the horse may have an issue it needs to work

through.Bycontinuallyworkingonthesameissue(i.e.walkingover water without spooking) the rider will learn that consistency helps reassure the horse that the rider can be trusted. It alsodemonstrates – just like working on their steps and continually reminding oneself that at one time they struggled with addiction ormentalhealth–thattheycanovercomeobstacles.

The key to joining up is the voluntary action of the horse to allow itself to become connected on a deeper level towards its human partnerand,inturn,createapartnershipthatcarriesonthrougha varietyofother interactions,suchasriding,driving,orgroundworkwith thehorse.Thiscanbeclosely linked to theprocessof ending addiction and voluntarily turning to a higher power to seek that strength and unity to move forward with a healthy and balancedlifestyle.

People who struggle with addiction and mental health are sometimes reluctant to reach out to something so large and powerful. They often find they are overcomewith a sense ofunderstanding and empathy that is not voiced, but rather feltthrough the simple interactionswith a horse. Because of this,equinetherapyallowsclientstoopenuptoreflectbothpositiveandnegativethoughtstothehorse,ortotheircounsellor,whoistrainedinaddictioncounsellingandmentalhealthsupport. Overall,themostempoweringpartofequinetherapyisthehopethat the client will find trust, power, strength, understandingand,most importantly, a uniqueunspokenbond and friendshipbetween human and animal that continually grows throughout theirstayatNewAwakeningsWellnessCentre.T

EQUINE MASSAGE

THERAPY

BY DIANE

CERTIFIED EQUINE MASSAGE THERAPIST SERVING

YORK REGION

SPORTS MASSAGE FOR AHAPPIER HORSE

DIANE BARROW, C.E.M.T.

406 - 249 MAJOR MACKENZIE DR. E.RICHMOND HILL, ON L4C 9M8

905 884 8799DIANE@YORKREGIONHORSEMASSAGE.COM

Broadbent Building ~ Cornerstone Insurance Brokers ~ Equine Specialty Products ~ Just Add Horses ~ KIDEUP Equine Massage ~Michele Cimino Equine Acupuncture

~ Sutton Incentive Realty, Michael Stuart Webb Sales Rep ~Windy Hill Farm

Equin-Health Canada ~Equine Edge Massage Therapy ~ LD Cairns Design/Build Inc. ~Myrddin Farm

Thank YouTo Our Partners

PLATINUM

BRONZE

COPPER

Ontario Equestrian Federation1 West Pearce, Suite 201, Richmond Hill, ON L4B 3K3p: 905-709-6545tf: 1-877-441-7112f: 905-709-1867e: horse@horse.on.ca w: www.horse.on.ca

River Bend Designsphotography - video - design solutions

GOLD

SILVER

www.horse.on.ca | 27

Around The Barn

The OEF would like to thank everyone who completed the Horse FacilitiesProgramsurvey,whichwase-mailedtomembersinlateNovember.

Some respondents were frustrated because we asked questions abouttheprogramwithoutprovidingalotofexplanationupfront.Thiswasnotmeanttobeanexerciseinfutility.Thesurveywasdesigned this way because we wanted to test respondents’ awarenessandunderstandingoftheHorseFacilitiesProgram.

We wanted honest answers and opinions and we’re paying close attention to the feedbackwe have received.We are currentlyconductingacarefulanalysisof the resultsof thesurvey.Earlyindications are that there has been a gap in our promotion of this program,sowe’retakingthisopportunitytoexplainsomeofthebasics.

Horse Facilities Advisory Council HistoryIn the year 2000, the Association of Riding Establishments ofOntario (ARE-ONT) was established to represent the interests of riding establishments. One of their early and importantaccomplishments was the successful lobby of government to overturn a decision to tax riding establishments at the commercial rateratherthantheagriculturalrate.

In 2005, ARE-ONT joined the Ontario Equestrian Federationas theHorse Facilities Advisory Council. This also representedthe high point in the organization’s membership participation.Importantbenefitsweremadeavailabletomembersthroughthischange,principallyaccesstomarketingandeducationprogramsandadministrativesupport.

Sincethattime,littlehaschangedwiththeprogram,membershiphas waned and, in 2011, the OEF board of directors struck asub-committeetoidentifywaystokick-startthisprogram.Manynew ideaswere discussed, some ofwhich have already beenimplemented, such as a searchablemap on theweb directoryofstables.Other ideasrequiresettingobjectivesandreviewinginterestlevels,tacticsandprogrammingwiththemembership.

Horse Facilities Membership Program – Going ForwardAsurveywaslaunchedonNov.16tobeginaconsultationwithOEFmembersonthisprogram.Althoughtheanalysisisnotyetcomplete,earlyindicatorsarethatweneedtoimprovefamiliarity

Revisiting The Horse Facilities Programby Pam Coburn

withtheprogrambybothridersandfacilityowners/operators.

The fundamental purpose of the program is to professionalizethe operation of riding establishments. Membership requiresthat operators meet a set of minimum standards ensuring bestpractices relating toequinecare, facilitymanagementandmaintenanceandbusinesspractices.Wealsostronglyencouragetheuseofcertifiedcoaches.

Oneofourmost recentprojects,whichhasmetwithgreatsuccessandapproval,is a Guide for New Riders, launched atthe2012RoyalAgriculturalWinterFair.

While this guide is a unique information and educational tool for people who are interested in equestrian sports, itwill also establish early relationships between new riders and the Ontario Equestrian Federation. This organizationwill function as an information source whenthoseridersbeginlookingforfacilities,coachesandotherequinerelatedproductsandservices.

The next step is to increase participation in equestrian sports through the active promotion and distribution of this guide to school,recreation,sportandtourismgroups.

Sincefall2012,theOEFhashadastaffpersondedicatedtotheHorseFacilitiesprogram.Asaresult,wewillbeabletoprovideanimprovedlevelofsupporttoourHorseFacilitymembers.

A detailed presentation of the Horse Facilities Council Program overview and objectives was shared at the 2011 Annual General Meeting,andiscurrentlyavailableonourwebsiteforthoseofyouwhowereunabletoattend.Pleasehavealookandsendusanycomments,questionsorideasyouhave.

We hope to establish focus groups early in 2013 to look more deeply into the options and priorities for improving the value of thisprogramforourmembers.

Please stay tuned to WHOA! and our website for announcements as new initiatives are implemented.T

A Guide For New RidersA Guide For New Riders Tips for �rst-time horseback riders and parents

Ontario Equestrian Federation

28 | WHOA! Winter 2013

Safety First

Protective riding vests were once sported only by Jockeys and Eventers,butmoreandmoreequestriansfromotherdisciplinesarediscoveringthebenefitsofwearingavestwhenriding,drivingandworkingaroundhorses.

“You can never predict what’s going to happen,” says LeslieNewton,salesandmarketingmanagerofTipperaryEquestrian,thelargestmanufacturerofprotectiveridingvestsintheworld.“Youthinkyoumightbeonabomb-proofhorseandtheyspook.You could be working around your horse in the stall and something goeswrong.A friendofminewaskicked in the stomachby ahorse she had for years. Things happen and if you are aroundhorsesyouknowthattobetrue.Everybody’sgotastory.”Newton is quick to point out the most common misconception about protective vests though. Despite what you might think,thereisstillariskofbeinginjured,evenifyouwearavest.

“Vests are designed to protect your most important internal organs, but you can’t protect against everything and there issomeimpact,”saysNewton.“Riding isadangeroussport.Wedon’twanttoscarepeople,butattheendofthedaythepotentialforinjuryisthere.”

Thatbeingsaid,wearingprotectiveequipmentsuchasa ridinghelmet and vest can reduce the risk of serious injury when riding and working around horses. Made from a variety of differentmaterials, primarily high density foams, protective vests aredesigned to reduce trauma to the body caused by impact with the groundoranobject.

“Thewholeideaisyouaretryingtodissipatethatenergylevel,”Newtonsays.“Youaretryingtospreadoutthatenergyinsteadofputtingitonespotandthat’swhatthefoamisdesignedtodo.”

KarlSlezak,ashort-listedmemberoftheCanadianEventingTeamwhoridesoutofWolfRunFarminCaledonEast,hasseenfirst-handtheprotectionvestsoffer.

“It’s definitely a benefit to anybody. It’s addedprotection,” hesaysofprotectiveridingvests.“There’snodownsidetoit,really.Iwoulddefinitelyencourageanyonewhowantedtouseonetouseitallthetime.”

Waterloo resident April Wurr credits her protective riding vest withsavingherlife.ShewastackingupherQuarterHorse,whowastiedtoahitchingpost,whenacatspookedthemare,causinghertopullback.Althoughthehorsewastiedwithaquickrelease,Wurrstruggledtofreethepanickedhorse.

“It took me about a minute to get her loose and when I did she jumpedstraightup intheairandthenback.Herheadandhoofcaughtme,”saysWurr,whowaswearingahelmet,butonlyhadhervestpartiallyzippedup.“Iwentflyingbackwards.IrememberwakingupandIwasspittingupblood.”

In a matter of seconds she suffered a broken jaw and broken facialbones,aswellascutstohermouth,faceandpartsofherchest thatweren’tprotectedbyhervest. It took30stitchestocloseupherwounds,herjawwaswiredshutforamonthandshehadtotakesixmonthsoffriding.Butshelivedtotellthetaleandencourageotherstowearavest.

“The vest being only half done up was the reason I was cut open onmy chest. If itwas done up Iwouldn’t have sustained anyinjuriesbelowmyjaw.Thedoctorhadsaidwithoutthevestwhoknowswhatwould have happened,”Wurr says. “I know thatwithout it, on thatSeptemberevening I veryeasily couldhavedied.”

Butinordertodotheirjob,vestsmustfitcorrectly,whichiswhytheymustbefittedbysomeoneknowledgeableaboutprotectivevests.

“Youneedtobefitbysomeonewhoknowswhattheyaredoing,”saysNewton.“Iseealotofwomentryingtofitintoasmallersizeandtheycan’tbreatheandobviouslyyoucan’tridethen.Every

By Melissa KosowanVests Offer Protection For All Riders

PhotoCourtestyOf:KarlSlezak

www.horse.on.ca | 29

Safety First

vestfitsdifferentlyandrequiressomebodytoactuallyoutfityou.”She says parents are often guilty of buying a vest that they think theirchildwill“growinto.”

“We see that all the time,” says Newton, who recommendsyoung riders starting out look for a vest that can be adjusted to allowthemtorideinitlongerbeforetheyoutgrowit.

Forpeoplewithspecialsizerequirements,customfittingisalsoanoptionwhentryingtofindavest.

“I had awomanwith a spine issue,” saysNewton. “She hadbeen inanaccidentandhadadegenerativespinedisease.Shewasshrinkingandshehadaverysmalltorso.Ididn’thaveavesttofither,sowedesignedavestforher.”

Inadditiontoproperlyfittingtherider,theprotectivevestchosenmustalsobesuitableforthedisciplineitwillbeusedfor.

“Therearesomanytimespeoplebuythewrongthing.Theywillbuy an Eventing vest and they will ride in it all the time and try todo theirflatworkand theydon’tunderstandwhy it’shittingthebackoftheirsaddle,”Newtonsays,explainingthatEventingvestscomedownfurtheronthebackthanothermodels.“Firstof all it doesn’t fit properly and secondof all, it’s designed forCross-Country.”

While most riders now understand the importance or wearing aridinghelmet,protectivevestshavebeenslowertocatchon,particularly in North America. In Europe and the UK, they arecommonlywornbyridersofalldisciplinesandlevels.

“Notasmanypeoplewearavest.ItreallystartedwithEventingandthentherodeostuffandnowit’stricklingdown.Inthepastfew years people are becoming more aware that it’s probably a goodidea,”saysNewton.“It’srealistictoexpectthatit’sgoingtotakealongtimeforpeopletochangetheirmindsaboutthat.”

Whilemost riders know to look for the ASTM/SEI certificationlogowhenpurchasingaridinghelmet,it’snotasclearcutwhenitcomestovests.Becausethedemandforprotectivevestsishigheroverseas,particularlytheUKandEurope,somevestsarecertifiedwiththeBritishEquestrianTradeAssociation(BETA).Therearefewonthemarket,however,thatareASTM/SEIcertified.

But just because a vest isn’t SEI certified doesn’t necessarilymeanit’sinferior.

“It’s a very confusing conversation for a lot of people,” saysNewton. “Remember that ASTM is the group that writes thestandard. As a manufacturer we take those requirements andgomake theproduct to their specifications.SEI adopts certainstandards and then can certify them through an independent test lab.”

She explains that the SEI doesn’t automatically go through the processtocertifyaproductmadetoaparticularASTMstandard.First there needs to be enough products made to the same standardtowarrantthecertificationprocess.

“It has to be viable that there is more than one product on the market. For example, the ASTM standard on our Competitor– we’re the only one in North America making a vest to that

standard,soit’sdifficultforSEItofindthevalueincertifyingthatproduct.”

InthecaseofTipperary’sbest-sellingEventermodel,itwasmadebeforetherewereASTMstandards.

“TheEventerwascreatedtoanoldBETAstandard,”saysNewton.“Wedidn’thaveASTMstandardsatthetime.Thatcertificationdidn’tmeananythinginNorthAmericawaybackwhenand,ifitain’tbroke,don’tfixit!”

Nomatterwhattypeofprotectivevestyouendupchoosing,theexperts are quick to remind riders to make sure it’s something that they will wear!

“Don’t buy something because someone else said it’s comfortable,”Newtonsays.“Youneedtofeelcomfortableinitandfindtherightmodelthat’sdesignedforyourdiscipline.” T

Pho

to C

ourt

esty

Of:

Tip

pera

ry E

ques

tria

n

equine wellness 1

EquineWellnessMagazine.com

VOLUM

E ISSUE

Display until October 8, 2012

SPECIAL ISSUE:

Fire!Help your fi re department

help you

EquineYour n

atural resou

rce!

EQU

INE

WEL

LNES

S

$5.95 USA/Canada

August/September

WELLNESS

&&Barn Farm

BUILDING A

PADDOCKPADDOCKParadis

e

DEVELOPING A

PROGRAMHerd Health

How to manage your horse’s hydration

KEEP YOURKEEP YOURCool

REBUILDING

CONFIDENCE

AFTER AFALL

GIVE DUST THE

dust-off

RaindropTHERAPY

WHAT COMES NATURALLY

An interview

with Uta Gräf

EWM_V7I4.indd 1

16/07/12 2:01 PM

OEF MEMBERSSPECIAL OFFERGet the best for your horse!EW is the leading resource for natural Equine health unlike any other with a following of passionate and well educated readers.

1 YEAR SUBSCRIPTION

$18 6 issueswww.horse.on.ca

Visit the OEF website & subscribe on your OEF membership application

• Have healthier horses• Save money on vets• Get FREE digital issues• Get special offers

WE’RE A Natural

m a g a z i n e

EquineWellnessMagazine.com

equine wellness 1

SPECIAL ISSUE:HORSESperformance

KEEP YOURManage your horse’s hydration

this season

Cool

Get that show ring shine – naturally

WowGet that show ring shine – naturally

FACTOR!

Our top 8 tips for selecting a

boarding barnHOME

SweetHOME

Shoeing options for transitioning horses

options for transitioning horses

MetalShoeing MetalMore Than

Coloring the world of equine lameness

Equine Thermography

MonsterTAME THE CLIPPINGTeach your horse how to clip

EquineWELLNESSYour natural resource!

EQU

INE

WEL

LNES

S

WHITE LINE DISEASE – THE TRUTH BEHIND THE MISNOMER

What’s behind

therapy

ShockwaveEWM_V7I3 v2.indd 1

5/16/12 12:59:08 PM

Your natural

resource!

WELLNESS

RaindropRaindrop

SPECIAL ISSUE:

SPECIAL ISSUE:performanceperformanceperformanceperformance

Coloring the world of equine lameness

Thermography

Thermography

Thermography

Thermography

MonsterMonsterTAME THE CLIPPING

TAME THE CLIPPING

TAME THE CLIPPING

TAME THE CLIPPINGTeach your horse how to clip

Teach your horse how to clip

EquineEQU

INE

WEL

LNES

S

EquineWellnessMagazine.com

EquineWELLNESSYour natural resource!

EQU

INE

WEL

LNES

S

VOLU

ME 5 ISSU

E 1EQ

UIN

E WELLN

ESS MAGAZIN

E

What’s your horse’s learning style?

REHAB & RESCUE SPECIAL ISSUE

CRANIOSACRAL THERAPY 101

STALL BOUND?Keep her busy while she recovers

JANUARY/FEBRU

ARY 2010

KEEPINGTRACKWhy you should make a record of his health info

FOOD FOR thought How to beef up a malnourished rescue

AMERICA’S FIRST HORSE

The $1dressage champion

EWM_V5I1_Cover-chocolate.indd 1 11/26/09 2:52:09 PM

Display until October 8, 2012

$5.95 USA/Canada

$5.95 USA/Canada

August/September

August/September

How to manage your horse’s hydration

CONFIDENCEFALL

WHAT COMES NATURALLY

An interview

withWHAT COMES NATURALLY

An interview

with

EquineWellnessMagazine.comEquineWellnessMagazine.com

THERAPY 101THERAPY 101

STALL BOUND?STALL BOUND?STALLKeep her busy while she recovers

AMERICA’S FIRST HORSE

SAVE OVER

50%

www.horse.on.ca | 31

Mane Events

Farm Show Adds Horse Depot

Can-Am To Open Its Doors In A New, Expanded Location

Markyourcalendars for theCanadian InternationalFarmShow,which takesplace fromFeb.5-7at theInternationalCentreinMississaugaandfeaturesthenewlycreatedHorseDepot,anexhibitpresentedbytheOntarioEquestrianFederationtoshowcaseproductsandservicesforhorseowners.

“We are looking forward towelcoming horse owners to theCanadian International FarmShow,” saysDianneGraham,executivedirectoroftheOEF.“Ifyouareinthebusinessofhorses,oroperateyourownstable,thisisashowyouwon’twanttomiss.”

Thenewequestrianexhibitwill includeequipment,feed,tack,clothing,groomingsupplies,fencing,trailers,ridinggroups,farriers,veterinarians,breeders,associationsandmore.Educationalseminarswilltouchontopicsrelevanttosmallfarmandhorseowners.

BilledasCanada’slargestindoorfarmshow,theshowwelcomedover20,000visitorsin2012andthatnumberissuretogrowwiththeadditionoftheHorseDepot.

FormoreinformationabouttheCanadianInternationalFarmShowvisitwww.canadianfarmshow.ca. T

WatchfortheOntarioEquestrianFederationattheallnewCan-AmAllBreedsEquineEmporium,takingplaceinanewlocationattheOrangevilleEventCentrefromMarch28-31,2013.

Can-Am has established itself as a leading equine show in North America and is pleased to move to an expanded facilitywithworld-classentertainersandclinicians,offeringfourdaysofexcitement.Withover30freeclinicians,theHomeHardwareArenawillfeatureGuyMcLeanandStaceyWestfall(RoadtotheHorseChampions)alongwithAmberMarshall(CBCHeartland)andmanyotherhighprofileequestrianathletes.

TheGreatCanadianTackandTrailerSalewillofferover90,000sq.ft.ofequineshoppingwithvendorsfromacrossCanadaofferingspecialCan-Amdiscountstostarttheyear.TheNewCanadianLifestyleareawillshowcountrylifestylefurnitureandCanadianartists.TheUniversityofGuelphwillfeatureEquiMania!itsinteractiveyoutheducationprogram,whiletheRAMTrucksBreeder'sShowcaseandParadeoftheBreedstohighlightmanybreedsoftheequineworld.

TheCan-AmExpopromisestodelightandentertainaudienceswithmagnificenthorseperformances,music,interactiveexhibitions,andfoodandlifestylethatreflectourcountryroots!

Visitwww.canamequine.caforthelatestupdates,schedules,hotelsavingsandOEFdiscounts.

Visitors to Ontario’s Mane Event,an inaugural showcase featured at the 20th annual All About Pets Show, will be treated to worldrenowned clinicians and celebrities at the “two-for-one” show, held

March29-31attheInternationalCentreinMississauga.

Award-winning country music artist and TV host, BeverlyMahoodandTerryGrant,starofsixseasonsonthehitTVseriesMantracker will join renowned clinicians including AQHA Horse WomanoftheYear,coach, judgeandauthorLynnPalm;worldrespected trainer and clinician Josh Lyons; best-selling author,Chris Irwin; and world and national championship competitor,coachandjudgeHarveyStevens.

Horse care, regardless of breed or discipline, will be a keycomponent of the show. Speakers will include Dr. RoxanePardiac DVM, who will address the benefits of chiropracticand acupuncture treatment for horses, while trusted animalcommunicator,LaurenBode,willprovide the intangible link forhorsesandtheirhumanpartners.

“We’re delighted to have the Ontario Equestrian Federation as a partner on this inaugural showcase,” says showownerAlanBarnes.“Buildingon thestrengthof theAllAboutPetsShow,Canada’slargestconsumerpetevent,providesanaturalsynergyforanequineshowcase.”

The dedicated exhibition hall for Ontario’s Mane Event will be a

All About Pets Show Welcomes Equestrians To First Mane Eventkey featureareawithin thealmost200,000sq. ft. ofAllAboutPetsShowfloorspace, includinga largedemonstrationringforclinicians and entertainment, a lively speakers stage, plus theequinetradefairfilledwithleadingsuppliersandretailers.

Admission to Ontario’s Mane Event includes entrance to the All AboutPetsShow,featuringthe“who’swho”ofthepetworld,withhundredsofexhibitorsandthousandsofproducts.

Forinformation,schedules,onlinecontestsandticketdiscountsvisitwww.allaboutpetsshow.com.T

32 | WHOA! Winter 2013

OEF To Ride Into The Capital For National Women’s ShowThe Ontario Equestrian Federation is heading to Ottawa this spring to attend the National Women’s Show in Ottawa where it willshowcasethebenefitsofridingtomorethan20,000women.

“We are very excited to be taking part in the National Women’s Show,”saysDianneGraham,theexecutivedirectoroftheOEF.“Many women have always dreamed of riding or are looking for an activity that keeps them healthy – physically, mentally andemotionally.Thisisagreatopportunitytointroducethemtothesport.”

The show,which takes place April 13-14, 2013 at theOttawaConventionCentre,willfeatureover250exhibitswitheverythingfromfoodand winesampling, fashionshows,celebrityguests,freemakeovers, health, wellness and beauty secrets, cookingdemos,homerenovationadviceandtravelideas.

“The National Women's Show is the perfect place for groups and associations, such as the Ontario Equestrian Federation,toboostmemberships, promotehealthy sports towomenandgainvaluablebranding,”saysLindsayLessor,accountmanagerwith theNationalWomen’sShow.“This is thepremiereeventforwomeninOttawatohaveagoodtime,relax,shopandlearnaboutproductsandservicesthatareavailabletothem.” T

Mane Events

www.horse.on.ca | 33

Horse-Canada offers timely advice on caring for your horse.

Veterinary advice and current research help you keep your horse healthy.

You’ll improve your skills and knowledge of horse ownership and riding.

You’ll learn more about horses and the unique ways they think and act.

Canada’s top-sellingequine magazine

Special Offer to OEF members

GET 45% OFFTHE NEWSTAND PRICE!

1 year (6 issues) for $20.00 HST included (reg. $24.95)

Visit the OEF website www.horse.on.ca, click on membershipand subscribe on your OEF membership application.

contact us: www.Horse-Canada.com | 800.505.7428

Lovesick? We have a Subscription for that...

Your whole family will enjoy reading about horses with our special kids’ pull-out magazine, Horsepower!

HC_OEF_FP.indd 1 9/17/2012 1:52:38 PM

34 | WHOA! Winter 2013

Coaches Corner

Whenmyhusband,Ian,toldmeIwastheCross-Countryexpertfor this clinic, I panicked! I used to be an expert backwhen Ifirst startedEventing, competing atRolex, theWorlds and theOlympics.Iwasanexpert–then.Iwasconfident,brave.Iknewitall.Now,30yearslater,IrealizeyouneverknowitallandalotofverygoodridersnevermakeittotheOlympics.

ThemoreIlearnabouthorsesthemoreIrealizehowmuchIdonotknow.

Working with horses is a never-ending journey of an accumulation ofknowledge.And justwhenyou thinkyouknow theanswer,anotherproblemarisesthatdoesnotrespondtoyoursolution.

However, that brash confidence that one has with youth is apositive component to compete successfully. As a rider agestheygainmoreknowledgeanddevelopahigherskilllevel,whichcountersthatlossofyouthfulbravado.

To be a good coach, riding at a high level is not necessary.However,acompleteunderstandingofwhatittakesmentallyandphysicallyisrequiredbycoaches.

The topic I want to present to you is moving up from Training level toPreliminary.

Preliminaryisjustthat,itiswherethesportbegins.Onceuponatime therewasPreliminary,IntermediateandAdvanced.NoPre-Training,noTrainingandcertainlynoEntryorPre-Entry.Ridersin days gone by rode inter-disciplinary but now we are very specializedandoursportofEventinghasgrowntoaccommodateridersandhorsesofalllevels,ambitionsandabilities.

Moving up from Training to Preliminary requires an understanding of the sport, an accomplished, confident rider, a good jumpinghorse with a solid base jumping all types of Cross-Country fences separately and in combination. Thehorsemustbe trainedwellenoughontheflattodoatestatthelevelandscorewellabove50%andShowJumpcompetentlyatthe1.10mto1.15mlevel.

For riders to progress up the levels without a good foundation in the basics harms our sport and makes it appear dangerous throughunpreparedness.So,acoach’sjobistoinstillconfidence,impart the proper basics and develop capable riders and horses throughpropertraining,concentrationonthebasicsandattentiontodetail.Acoachshouldnotfacilitatearidercompetingbeyondthelevelofpreparednessandskilllevelofhorseorrider.

There will always be the top riders who can develop horses up thelevelsquickly,buttheseridersinstillconfidencethroughtheir

Making The Leap To The Next LevelBy Kelly Plitz

naturalfeelandconfidence.Theirabilityiscarriedthroughtotheirhorses.

Justbecauseyouarequalifiedtomoveupdoesnotnecessarilymeanyoushould.

Preliminaryiswherethehorsesarefirstintroducedtothesportand a lot will go no further due to lack of training or just because they do not possess the athleticism to progress up the levels.Thiscanbelackofheart(confidence/desire)orlackofability.Notallhorsesarecreatedequalandnotallaresuitedto thissport.Justbecauseyourstudentownsit, if it isnotsuitableit isyourresponsibilitytoletthemknow.Iftheriderchoosestocontinuewith an unsuitable horse,make them as safe as possible andkeepthemattheleveltheycanhandlesafely.

A rider is better off spending too much time at the lower levels rather thenmoving up too quickly. The lower levelswill instillconfidence in thehorseand rider andwhena level seems tooeasy,itisthentimetomoveup.

Sometimes a move up at a soft Preliminary is recommended then a move back down to Training at the next event and then up again toanothersuitablePrelim.Youmust,asacoach,haveknowledgeabout certain courses to know what is right for your horse and riderinordertocreatesuccessandavoidfailure.

Speakingoffailure,ridersmustbeabletodealwiththis.Ifonenever tries, onewill never fail.However, failing is a byproductoflearningandmustbeincludedineveryplantowardssuccess.Dealing with failure is a big deal in Eventing because a rider will failatsome,ifnotseveral,pointsintheircareer.Howtheydealwithitwilldeterminehowtheyproceedandsucceed.

Inregardstotypesofobstacles,ridersshouldexpectbanksupanddown,ditches,jumpingintowaterandout,undulatingland,skinnies,corners,coffinsandangledjumps–allthisatahigherspeed(520m/m)andincloserproximitywhenincombinations.

Ridersmust learn to ridewith and behind themotion, extend(gallop)andcollect (coffincanter) thecanter.Ridersmust learntoreleaseandgatherreinswhengoingdownabankdrop.Theymust learn to spread their arms and hands to take up the contact whenridingatthebuckle.Ridersmuststarttobemoreathletic,rideshorterinthestirrupsandhavesuperiorbalance.

Thehorsesdonotice thedifference fromTraining-sized fencesto Preliminary-sized fences; the speed,width, height, distanceand complexity are all “ramped up” at this level and generally

Kelly Plitz is a level 3 Eventing coach who represented Canada at the 1982 World Championships in Germany with Canadian Eventing Hall of Fame inducted horse Dialadream, and at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics where the pair finished in 25th as the top Canadians.

This past October, Plitz was the Eventing expert at a Coaching Analyze Performance Clinic, organized by the Ontario Equestrian Federation and held at Hop Hill Stables in Uxbridge and Dreamcrest Equestrian in Port Perry. She graciously agreed to share her notes for OEF members interested in taking their Eventing horses from Training level to Preliminary.

www.horse.on.ca | 35

Pho

to C

redi

t: B

ailin

i Pho

togr

aphy

horsesrequiremorelegtothejumps.AtPreliminary,thejumpsin combinations are closer together and require more accuracy andathleticism.

Ridershavetobefittosucceed.Theircorestrengthneedstobedeveloped.Riderswithweak,flabbymiddlesareweakriders.Thisneeds to be addressed if they plan to move up to “prelim”.Lackofriderstrengthhasalottodowithfallsofridersandhorses,astheridersarenotstrongenoughtobecomethatfifth legwhenrequired.

Coachesmustbereadytofinishwhatisstarted.Donotattemptto school anything you feel cannot be accomplished within the lesson. You have to be prepared to get on and ride the horsethrough it or you have to think on your feet and get it done on the ground.Youmustalwaysfinishwhatyoustart.Beverycarefulnotto“overface”ariderorahorse.Ifaproblemisbeyondyourabilityasacoach,stepbackandaskforhelp.Donotunderminetheconfidenceofhorseorriderforthesakeofyourpride.Knowwhentostopandstoponapositivenote.Therearetimeswhenyoumustpushbeyondacertainlevelofcomforttomoveforward,butthatdegreeofdifficultymustbecalculatedsotheoutcomeissuccessful.

It’s also essential to know your jump dimensions – 3’7” is a big jumpandalotofcoursesareonthesoftside,soriderscangetlulledintothinkingtheyarejumpingthesizeonlytobeshockedwhen they go to a “real” course and then they find they arelackingskills.

Use a tape measure or a metre/yard stick to give you a sense of heightandwidth.

Wehaveallseenthe15.2hhorsethattheownerthinksis16handthe16.2hhorsethatis“17h”sotrainyoureyetomeasuresoyouarenotcheapingoutonheight.Afencethatis3’7”issmallonpaper,butbuilditinacourseanditisquitebig.I’mnotsayingyouneedtoschoolthisinallyourprepsandcombinations,butthatisthetargetheightandyourhorseandridermustbeconfidentandcompetentatthisheight.

There is no magical formula when developing horses and riders to goPreliminaryandbeyond.Individualcoacheswillhavetheirownprograms. However, hard work, dedication, attention to detailandsafety,whileinstillingconfidenceandmaintaininghorseandrider soundness – both mental and physical – must be consistent components in all successful training programs. Unfortunately,moneyisabigfactorinsuccess,butnothingreplaceshardwork,dedicationandtalent.Moneycannotbuythat! T

Coaches Corner

36 | WHOA! Winter 2013

Workingwith a certified coach ensures that the individual hasinvestedtimeandmoneyintomeetinganindustrystandard;theyare adhering to a standard of ethics as well as the Equine Canada CodeofConduct.Whenworkingwithacertifiedcoach,youcanfeelconfidentknowing that theyhaveextensivesafety trainingandalsoholdcurrentfirstaidcertification.

Whileitmightseemoverwhelmingwhenyoufirststartsearchingforaridingcoach,agreatplacetostartistheOntarioEquestrianFederation website, www.horse.on.ca. There you can searchunderCoaching in the“FindaCoach/Instructor” link,making iteasiertotrackdowncertifiedcoachesinyourarea.Thesitealsoprovidesinformationonwhat itmeanstobecertified,whyit isimportanttoworkwithcertifiedcoachesandalsohowyoucanbecomeacertifiedcoach. T

Coaches Corner

Are you a beginner rider new to the world of horses, or an experienced rider who has hit a plateau with your skills?

Whatever your riding background, working with a certifiedinstructororcoachcanbeaveryrewardingexperience.

If you have made the decision to enrol yourself or your child in horseback riding lessons, there are a few things you shouldconsiderbeforeyouchooseyourcoach.

According toGillianRossErasmi, theeducationcoordinator fortheOntarioEquestrianFederationandanEquineCanadacertifiedcoach,oneofthebiggestmistakesmadebyaspiringriders–ortheir parents – is not taking adequate time to research a coach or theirfacility.

“It is important to visit a coach and their facility,watch somelessons,askquestionsandseeiftheyaretherightfitforyouoryourchild,”saysRossErasmi.

Jennifer McIlwraith, a certified western coach with EquineCanada, agrees. McIlwraith states that many people don’t doenough research. She says they need to check the coach’scredentials, lookat theachievementsof theirpastandpresentstudentsandalsowatchthecoachactuallyteachalesson.

There are some key questions that you should be asking prior totakingthatfirstlesson.RossErasmistressestheimportanceof having a conversation with the coach about what your expectationsareandwhatyouhopetoaccomplish.Ifyouareabeginner,perhapsyourgoal is tosimply feelmoreconfident inthesaddle.Ifyouareamoreaccomplishedrider,youmaywanttoworkwithacoachwhospecializesinyourareaofinterest.

StephanieSt.PierreisanEquineCanadacertifiedenglishcoachand has some sound advice when it comes to questions that shouldbeaskedofpotentialcoaches.St.Pierresuggestsfindingoutsomekeyfacts,suchashowlongthelessonsare,howmanystudentsare ineachlessonandwhatthecancellationpolicy is.She,too,suggestsgoingtoseethefacilityandwatchingalesson.All three coaches agree the most important question to ask is if theyarecertified.

Upcoming Events • EquineCanadaConference:Feb6-10,Ottawa• CoachingAssociationofOntarioConference:Feb22-24,Hamilton• DesignanEquestrianSportProgram:Feb24,Hamilton• St. John Ambulance Standard First Aid Course: March 2 & 3,

Richmond Hill• WesternCoachingUpdate,FeaturingSpeedEvents:March2,Reach

Huron,Clinton• NCCP/ECEquestrianTheory:April12-14,ReachHuron,Clinton• DrivingInstructorWorkshop:Spring,TBA• Ontario CoachesWeek April 12-21: Look for great NCCP course

offerings all over Ontario• NCCP/ECEquestrianTheoryCourse:April20&21,Kenora• WesternInstructorMentoringWorkshop:April21,Brockville• St.JohnAmbulanceEmergencyFirstAid:April22,RichmondHill• NCCP/EC Dressage Workshop with Cara Whitham: April 28,

Richmond Hill• St. John Ambulance Standard First Aid Course: June 26 & 27,

Richmond Hill• Summer2013theOEFisplanningeventsforNorthWesternOntario,

Thunder Bay/Dryden area -TBA

Coach and Instructor Evaluations• English Competition Coach –Winter/Spring: Powassan, GTA, and

Ottawa• English Instructor of Beginner - Winter/Spring: Powassan, GTA,

LondonandOttawa• Western Instructor of Beginner Spring: GTA• Western Competition Coach (Fall 2013)

Finding A Certified Coach Who Is Right For YouBy Courtney Mckenna

at the All About Pets Show

ONTARIO’SMANE EVENTMARCH 29,30,31, 2013 • INTERNATIONAL CENTRE • GTA

RENOWNED CLINICIANS:

Industry Speakers & Demos • New Products• Ultimate Spring Shopping Experience

• Breed & Product Demos

LYNN PALMAQHA World & ‘Superhorse’Champion; AQHA Horse Woman ofthe Year; Judge, Coach, Author, Clinician

JOSH LYONSAcknowledged worldwide as a leading trainerand clinician

CHRIS IRWINThe “Dr. Phil” for horse owners and best-selling author

100s OF VENDORS • EXPERT SPEAKERS • 1000s OF PRODUCTS

401

PEARSONINT’L

AIRPORT

INTERNATIONALCENTRE

FREE PARKING

41

0

42

7

40

0

NOT TO SCALE

FROM ORILLIA, BARRIE...

FROM ORANGEVILLE...

FROM KINGSTON, PETERBOROUGH, OSHAWA...

FROM CALEDON,BRAMPTON...

FROM LONDON, HAMILTON, BURLINGTON, OAKVILLE...

20TH ANNIVERSARY OF ALL ABOUT PETS SHOW

allaboutpetsshow.com/omeLIKE ON FOLLOW ON

Full list of expert speakers and clinicians, online contests and ticket discounts at allaboutpetsshow.com/ome

Logo as it will appear in vertical applications.

Logo as it will appear in horizontal applications.

Rounded border is part of the logo and ties the logo into single unit as well as help the logo stand off coloured background or image.

Photo Credit: Clix Photography - Shawn Hamilton

at the All About Pets Show

ONTARIO’SMANE EVENTMARCH 29,30,31, 2013 • INTERNATIONAL CENTRE • GTA

RENOWNED CLINICIANS:

Industry Speakers & Demos • New Products• Ultimate Spring Shopping Experience

• Breed & Product Demos

LYNN PALMAQHA World & ‘Superhorse’Champion; AQHA Horse Woman ofthe Year; Judge, Coach, Author, Clinician

JOSH LYONSAcknowledged worldwide as a leading trainerand clinician

CHRIS IRWINThe “Dr. Phil” for horse owners and best-selling author

100s OF VENDORS • EXPERT SPEAKERS • 1000s OF PRODUCTS

401

PEARSONINT’L

AIRPORT

INTERNATIONALCENTRE

FREE PARKING

41

0

42

7

40

0

NOT TO SCALE

FROM ORILLIA, BARRIE...

FROM ORANGEVILLE...

FROM KINGSTON, PETERBOROUGH, OSHAWA...

FROM CALEDON,BRAMPTON...

FROM LONDON, HAMILTON, BURLINGTON, OAKVILLE...

20TH ANNIVERSARY OF ALL ABOUT PETS SHOW

allaboutpetsshow.com/omeLIKE ON FOLLOW ON

Full list of expert speakers and clinicians, online contests and ticket discounts at allaboutpetsshow.com/ome

IndLogo as it will appear in vertical applications.

Logo as it will appear in horizontal applications.

Rounded border is part of the logo and ties the logo into single unit as well as help the logo stand off coloured background or image.

38 | WHOA! Winter 2013

Ask Dr. Bob

Withthedroughtthissummerandhayinshortsupply,therehasbeenhaytakenfromfieldsthatpreviouslywerenotusedforhayproduction.Someofthishaycontainssomeunusualplantsthatmaybeproblematicforhorses.Oneofthemostimportantskillsahorse owner needs to acquire is the ability to identify the normal mixtureofplantsthatappearinhayandpasture.Theotherscanbecollectedandsubmittedtoanexpertforidentification.Haycanbe a composition of one or more legumes or grasses in various proportions.Both common andLatin names are usedbecausesomeplantswillhavedifferentnamesfromregiontoregion.

LEGUMES Thecommonlegumesfoundinhayincludealfalfa,clover,bird’s-foottrefoilandvetch.Theyarehigherinproteinthanthegrassesbecause the major limiting component of protein synthesis is nitrogen.Legumesfixnitrogen from theair and therefore theircrude protein content in hay can be 15-30% on a dry matter basis andthereforedesirableasanexcellentproteinsource.

Alfalfa hay (Medicago sativa) also called lucerne is well accepted byhorses.Alfalfahasanabundanceofleavesandhorseswillbeobserved readily consuming the leaves and pushing the coarser stems aside. Horses are commonly seen “vacuuming” thebottomofthehaymangerfortheleaves.

Horses like clover (Trifolium spp.).White Dutch (T. repens) or commonwhitecloverisalowhorizontallygrowingplant(lessthanfiveinches).Inhay,onlyaleaforaflowerwillbeseenonasmallsecondary stem. Red clover (Trifolium pratense) grows upright withahairystem.Itisabiennialwhichmeansitwillliveforabouttwo years and then will die off unless it is allowed to re-seed itself.Asahaycrop,redcloverishardtodryandbecomesmoldyeasily.Thesemouldscancontainestrogenicpropertieswhichcaninterferewiththereproductivecyclesofmares.Thecloverscanalsoproduceslaframine,whichisknownasthe“slobberfactor.”Slaframinewillmake horses salivate profusely. Red clover hasalsobeenassociatedwithredurineinsomehorses.Porphyrinsareexcretedintotheurineandwilloxidizeandturnred.This isusuallyseenduringthewinterwhenhorsesurinateonthesnow.

Dr. Bob, We had some hay delivered to us and it has some plants that we don’t recognize. Can you help us identify them?

Pho

to C

redi

t: J

ohn

Nor

thco

te T

rue

Nor

th P

erch

eron

s

Thisphotographshowsanewlyseededhayfield.Twomainplantsaredominant:fallpanicum(whiskbroomlike)andbristlyfoxtail(seedheadsintherightforeground).

Agingivalulcerassociatedwithgrazingplantssuchasbristlyfoxtailor,inthiscase,raspberrycanes.

Alsike clover (Trifolium hybridum) grows upright with flowersalongtheentirelengthofthestem.Itmustbedifferentiatedfromthe other clovers because it can contain a fungus that causes photosensitivityandhepaticfailureinhorses.Horsepasturesandhayfieldsshouldnotcontainalsikeclover!

Bird’s-foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) is a low growing perennial withayellowflower.Itiscommonincattleandsheeppasturesand hay fields. It increases each year and doeswell on poorlydrained soils. However, it contains bitter tannins which manyhorsesdislikeandrefusetoeat.

The vetches for the most part are considered weeds in Ontario becausetheyinvadepasturesandcultivatedfields.However,insome countries, vetches are grown as livestock feed. Vetchesare perennial and grow from seed as well as underground root-stock.Tuftedvetch(Vicia cracca) is a common invader of Ontario fields. Crown vetch (Coronilla varia) is used in erosion control alongroadwaysandistoxictohorses.Hairyvetch(Vicia villosa) cancausegranulomatousinflammation.

FOR ALL SEASONSwww.bucas.com

WIN

TE R S PR ING SUM

MER AUTUM

N

Smartex Turnout

Power Turnout

Irish Turnout

Buzz Off Rain

40 | WHOA! Winter 2013

commonpastureplantsandweeds.Youcanfindfactsheetsonpoison plants or be linked to excellent resources from my website horsenewsandviews.com or drop me an e-mail at dr.bob@horsenewsandviews.com. T

RESOURCESPasture Grasses Identified - http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/livestock/beef/facts/06-095.htm

Pasture Legumes Identified - http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/04-057.htm

Ontario Weeds Gallery - http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/ontweeds/weedgal.htm

Horsetail (Equisetum)isoneofthefirstplantstogrowinthespring.Horseownersare concerned when they see the fertile spike stem and the sterile green pine tree-like stem.

Common Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare) is a perennial that may be associated with abortions.

Dr. Bob Wright has authored more than 150 fact sheets, information sheets and scientific publications. He also created the monthly Horse News and Views column where more than 450 “snippets” provided advice to horse owners. The topics of these writings were based on the many investigations he has been involved in. Much of this information can be read on http://www.horsenewsandviews.com/

Ask Dr. Bob

GRASS HAYGrass hay commonly consists of one or more of the following grasses; timothy, brome grass, orchard grass, reed canary,perennial rye, Canada or Kentucky bluegrass and fescue. Thegrasses produce seed heads in late May to early June in Ontario beforetheweatherisreliableenoughtocurehay.Therefore,byhaying time, their nutrient content will have decreased below10%crudeprotein(ona100%drymatterbasis).

Timothy (Phleum pratense) is the traditional grass of horses and isrecognizedbyitsspike-likepanicle.Timothyiseasytoestablishanddriesquicklywhenmakinghay.Smoothbromegrass(Bromus inermis)isatallgrassthatgrowsreadilyonwell-drainedsoils.Itisdifficulttoplantbecauseof its large, light,fluffyseed,whichcausesdifficultieswithmanyseeddrills.Orchardgrass(Dactylis glomerata) is an early maturing perennial bunchgrass with a distinctive“cocks-comb” likeseedhead.Reedcanary (Phalaris arundinacea) grows to two metres and has good tolerance to both poordrainageanddroughtconditions.Oldervarieties,however,containunpalatablealkaloids.Canadabluegrass(Poa compressa) and Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis) are low growing perennialswithfineseedheads.Ithasshallowrootdevelopmentandthereforehaspoorgrowthinthehotterpartsofthesummer.However, bluegrass creates a good sod that will withstandheavy traffic. Tall fescue (Festuca arundinaceum or Lolium arundinaceum)hasafibrousrootsystem,whichisgoodforhightrafficareas.Perennial rye (Lolium perenne) can withstand high soilmoistureandhightemperatures.Bothperennialryeandtallfescue can contain ergot alkaloids which can extend the gestation lengthofpregnantmares.Thiswill result indelayedbirthsanddead,weakordyingfoals.

COMMON WEEDS IN HAYInthefirstyearahayfieldisseeded,annualweedswillbepresentin thehayunless the farmerhasusedplantspecificherbicidestoeliminate them. In subsequent years, the annualweedswillnot be present but perennial weeds will increase unless they are controlled.

The annual weeds that can occur in large numbers in hay include bristly foxtail, fall panicum, hoary alyssum andmustard.Whenbristly foxtail (Setaria verticillata) is mature it contains forward-pointing barbs,which can penetrate the gingiva of horses andcauseoralulcers.Fallpanicum(Panicum dichotomiflorum) is toxic totheliverofhorses.Hoaryalyssum(Berteroa incana) can cause laminitis and limb edema. Wild or common mustard (Sinapis arvensis)cancausedigestivedisturbances.

Perennial weeds commonly occur in low numbers in hay unless underspecialcircumstances,suchascuttinghayalongtheborderofawoodlotordamparea.Inthiscase,largeamountsofhorsetail(Equisetum spp.) or bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum) can be incorporated into thehay insufficientquantities tocauseharmif fed over long periods. Buttercups (Ranunculaceae spp.) are commoninhay,butthetoxicchemical thatcausesoral lesionswhen grazed fresh dissipates in the hay curing period. Otherperennial weeds may be present in low numbers but are too numeroustoincludeinthisarticle.

ResourcessuchastheOntarioMinistryofAgriculture,FoodandRuralAffairswebsitecanbereferredtofor identificationofthe

www.horse.on.ca | 41 Visit Today, Visit Often • HORSEJournals.com

Published Annually. Used Daily.Your Annual Resource for Canada’s Horse Industry

· Future of the Canadian Horse Industry · Education for your Career with Horses· Canada’s First Horses· Equine Assisted Therapy· Changes and Challenges in Canada’s Horse Racing Industry

Featuring the 2013

Readers’ Choice Awards

PLUS…100s of Businesses, Products, and Services serving Canadian horse people.

Visit www.HORSEJournals.com to Order Your Annual Guide!

Changes and Challenges inCanada’s Horse Racing Industry

Featuring the 2013

Choice Awards

ORDERYOURSTODAY!

ORDERYOURSTODAY!TODAY!TODAY

•Over1,000ArticlesandNewsPieces,searchablebytopic

•Blogs,Forums,Videos

•AComprehensiveMarketplaceofListingsforHorsesandItemsforSale,Businesses,Services,Stables,Coaches,Stallions,andEmployment

•Over 1,000 Articles and News Pieces,

Visit

for...

STARTING AT $149

PlaceYourListingatwww.HORSEJournals.com/order-listing

Advertise Your Business, Stable, or Service!Multiple Photos + Video

Logo, Website + Social Media LinksFEATURED BUSINESSES

Dubarry of IrelandApparel, Tack, Equipment

Richvale Saddlery Schomberg, Ontario

Apparel, Horse Health, Tack, Equipment

The EDGEHorse Health: Supplements

The Tack Shoppe of Collingwood

Nottawa, ONApparel, Horse Health,

Tack, Equipment

ECG+HJcom-OEF-1212.indd 1 12-12-07 5:11 PM

42 | WHOA! Winter 2013

ensurecontinuouscoverage.Weareveryexcitedtooffersomenewandimprovedoptionalinsurancecoverages,sopleasereadyour renewal package carefully and take advantage of the bulk buyingpoweroftheOEFtogetgoodprotectionatagreatprice.Ifyouhaveapotentialclaim,pleasecontactBFLimmediatelyatOEF@BFLCANADA.caor1-800-668-5901.

Now, back to our introduction. BFL CANADA has been in thebusiness of insuring horses and everything that goes with them for over20years.Ourteamismadeupoflifetimehorsepeoplefroma variety of backgrounds who have decided to make insurance theircareer.Asaresult,allOEFmembers,whetherrecreationalorcompetitiveandregardlessofdiscipline,haveaccesstoateamof insurance specialists with valuable horse experience to help themmakedecisionsaboutriskandinsurance.

I am pleased to introduce the insurance professionals dedicated to working with the OEF membership:

Andrea Bartels: Membership Insurance ProgramAndrea grew up at her family’s Hunter/Jumper show facility and has been an active competitorforover15years.BeforejoiningBFL,AndreaworkedwithatopThoroughbredtrainer and assisted in training many racetrack winners. Her broad experiencein various equine disciplines makes her an excellent choice to answer front-line questionsforOEFmembers.Alongwithherhonours diploma from Sheridan College and

herdegreeinpsychologyfromtheUniversityofWaterloo,sheisa Registered Insurance Broker and is working toward completing herCharteredInsuranceProfessionaldesignation.

Kara Edwards: Farms in Eastern Ontario; Coaches, Clubs, Horse Shows, Farriers and Grooms Across OntarioKara brings over 15 years of equine experienceandeducationtoourteam.Sheis an Equine Canada certified instructor,has completed an equine management certificatethroughtheUniversityofGuelph,Kemptville Campus, and is a graduateof the University of Guelph, with anhonours bachelor degree in bio-resource management (specializing in equine

management).Karahasexperiencecompeting in theDressageandHunter/JumperringsandnowspecializesinEventing.Afirmbeliever incontinuingeducation,Kara isaRegisteredInsuranceBroker,isworkingonamaster’sdegreeineducationthroughtheUniversity ofWesternOntario, and has started completing herCharteredInsuranceProfessionaldesignation.

Sarah Hansen: Broker-In-TrainingSarah attended Brock University to complete abachelorofrecreationandleisurestudies,with an honours in inclusive and therapeutic recreation, giving her in-depth knowledgeof certifications and designations relatingto therapeutichorsebackriding.Duringheruniversity years she actively participated in the Ontario University Equestrian Federation asaHunter/Equitationrider.Sarahalsobringstremendous business savvy to our team as she has managed her own manufacturing/

equineproductdevelopmentcompanyforthepastthreeyears.SarahhasyettocompleteherRIBOlicence;however,sheisontracktocompleteitbyJanuary2013.

Youheardright.EffectiveJan.1,2013(Sept.1,2012forextendedmembers), the insurance provider for theOEFhas changed toBFLCANADARiskandInsuranceServicesInc.Pleaseallowmeto introduce myself – my name is Sara Runnalls and I lead the equineteamhereatBFL.

I’d like to tell you a little bit about our company and our energetic teamthatisreadytoservetheOEFmembership.Butfirst,andmostimportantly,letmeassureyouthatcurrentmembersingoodstandingcontinuetoenjoyautomatic$5,000,000personalliabilityinsurance and $30,000 accidental death and dismembermentinsurance,bothofwhichwillrespondasaresultofahorse-relatedincident,subjecttothepolicytermsandconditions.Remember,youmust renew yourmembership before Jan. 1 each year to

I hear the Ontario Equestrian Federation has changed insurance providers. Who is the new provider, and how does this change affect me and my coverage?

Ask BFL

www.horse.on.ca | 43

Ask BFL

Stephanie Kirton: Horses and Travel Stephanie has over 20 years experience in the insurance business, specializing inequine-related products. Coming from along history of equestrian professionals,Stephanie has extensive knowledge of thisfield.Sheisfamiliarwithalldisciplinesof equestrian sport and takes pride in providing knowledgeable and efficientservice. Stephanie has a very high clientretentionrate,largelyduetoherunwaveringdedicationtoourclients.Shestaysabreast

ofcurrentdevelopmentsinveterinarymedicine,allowinghertoprovide exceptional service to our horse insurance clients during theclaimsprocess.

Cindy Sabourin: Farms (except Eastern Ontario)Cindy has been the BFL representative atWoodbine Racetrack since 2006 and has expanded her role to include sales and serviceforallaspectsofourequineclientele.Cindy’s lifelong background involving both raceandshowhorses, combinedwithhercommitment to completing her Chartered Insurance Professional designation, makeheragreatfitforourequineclients.Cindyexcels at customer service because she is

energetic,positive,knowledgeableandthorough.

Sara Runnalls: Risk Management, Seminars, Workshops, and anything you don’t see here!Sara grew up in the horse business. Herparents purchased their first commercialhorseback riding establishment in 1977 and retired in 2008. Sara ran the ridingschool aspect of this family business and competed professionally from 1991 to 1996, including two years named to theNational Talent Squad for Show Jumping.She has experience in various other riding

disciplines, including Hunter, Three-day Eventing, Dressage,Western,andmostrecently,Reining.Sara isanEquineCanadacertifiedcoachandanationalexaminerwithCanadianPonyClub.She also holds the Fellow Chartered Insurance Professional and Canadian Risk Manager Designations. Her lengthy andvariedequestrianbackground,combinedwithhermorethan16years of experience in the insurance industry and commitment to continuing her insurance education, make Sara a valuableresourcetoOEFmembers.

Our goal is to answer any insurance or risk management questions youmayhave,sopleasedonothesitatetosendyourquestionstoOEF@BFLCANADA.ca.IfyourquestionischosenforpublicationinAskBFL,wewillsendyouaBFLbootjack! T

Sara Runnalls is Vice President and Associate at BFL CANADA Risk and Insurance Services Inc. in Toronto, the official insurance provider to the OEF and its members.

Relax...We’ve got you covered!

BFL CANADA the O�cial Insurance Provider to the OEF & its members.1-800-668-5901 or OEF@b�canada.ca

With Better Protection and More OptionsWe are ready to serve you!

B F L M A K E S A D I F F E R E N C E

44 | WHOA! Winter 2013

Nohoof,nohorse!Horsepeopleunderstandperfectlywellthisold adage! But what are a horse’s real nutritional needs for healthy feet,andwhenshouldaddingahoofsupplementbeconsidered?

Ahorse’sfootisquiteacomplexsystem,withinternalandexternalstructures working in unison. The foot supports the horse’sweight,whileenablingtheanimaltobemobile;itsstrengthandintegrity begin at the cellular level thanks to the proper synthesis andorganizationofvariousnutrients.

Let’s take a look at the hoof and the tissues that compose it.Thehoofformsacapsulearoundthefoot.Itsstructureisquitehardandstrongwhile remainingflexible. It is thereforeable tochangeshapeunderthehorse’sweight,whilewithstandingthevarious impacts towhich it is subjected. The dermis, the partthatattachesthehooftothethirdphalanx(coffinbone),consistsmainly of collagen, a tissue whose role is to fill, support andprotect.Thedermisneeds tobeflexible toallow thehoofandbone of the foot to move in every direction under the effect of the horse’sweight.Thedermisconsistsofnerves that control thebloodflowandofnumerousbloodvesselsthatnourishthefoot.

Thecatchphrase forhealthyhooves isnutritionalbalance. It isimportant to ensure that the horse’s daily diet is providing it with sufficient nutrients to prevent occurrence of the various foot-relatedailments.Thenutrientsneededforthedevelopmentandmaintenance of strong healthy hooves are succinctly described here.

Amino acids and energyThe amino acids that form the various proteins are mostly used tosynthesizecollagen.Morespecifically,certainsulfuredaminoacids, such as methionine, allow the synthesis of intracellularsubstances that help “cement” the cells together and also allow the synthesis of structural proteins such as keratin. Keratin isparticularly important, since it is themainproteinof the tissueformingthewallofthehoof.Also,thefactthattheaminoacidmethioninecontainssulfur isbeneficial,assulfur isresponsibleforthebondsthatprovidestiffnessandresiliencetothehooves.A methionine deficiency, in addition to affecting the integrityof the hoof, can interferewith growth and lead to poor stresstoleranceaswellasskinproblems.

Likeprotein,energyisalsoanessentialelement,since,withoutenergy,nometabolic functionsarepossible. In fact,apart fromwater, of course, energy and protein are the main so-called“limiting” nutrients. If they are not provided to the horse insufficientquantities, thequalityof thehoofwillbedeficientno

Healthy Hooves Need Good Nutrition By Josée Lalonde, B. Sc. A.

Nutrition

GIVE YOUR YEARLING THE GIFT OF HEALTHY NUTRITION!

F R O M F E B R U R AY 1 S T T O A P R I L 3 0 T H, 2 0 1 3

PURINA®, CHOW® and the Checkerboard design are licensed trademarks of Nestlé Purina PetCare Company

NOURISHINGANIMALS… ENRICHING LIVESTo access the promot ion , v i s i t our web s i te and pr int your coupons . www.agr ipur ina .ca

PURINA WINTER PROMOTION ON FEED AND SUPPLEMENT• E V O L U T I O N J U V E N I L E• O P T I M A L

www.horse.on.ca | 45

GIVE YOUR YEARLING THE GIFT OF HEALTHY NUTRITION!

F R O M F E B R U R AY 1 S T T O A P R I L 3 0 T H, 2 0 1 3

PURINA®, CHOW® and the Checkerboard design are licensed trademarks of Nestlé Purina PetCare Company

NOURISHINGANIMALS… ENRICHING LIVESTo access the promot ion , v i s i t our web s i te and pr int your coupons . www.agr ipur ina .ca

PURINA WINTER PROMOTION ON FEED AND SUPPLEMENT• E V O L U T I O N J U V E N I L E• O P T I M A L

46 | WHOA! Winter 2013

matter how many vitamins and minerals the animal receives in its feedration.Thehorse’sprimarysourcesofenergyarefibre(hay,pasture,soy hulls,beetpulp),starch(grains)andfat(plantsource).

MineralsOne mineral that is especially involved in the development and maintenanceofthehoofiszinc.Zincplaysaroleinthehealthandintegrity of hooves by promoting the division and protection of thecellsofthedermisandthesynthesisoftheproteins.Aclinicalstudy has shown that the quality of the hoof is directly related toitszinccontent.Furthermore,zincstimulatesthesynthesisofcollagenpresentinsignificantquantityinthedermis.

Othermineralsthatareofspecificaccountinregardtothequalityofthehoofarecopper,manganeseandselenium.Theiractionisespeciallybeneficial tohoofhealthbecauseof their antioxidantproperties,whichprotectthecellmembrane.Copper,inadditionto contributing to the formation of collagen and elastin (blood vessel membrane), contributes to the formation of disulfidebondsinthekeratin,whichimproveshoofquality.

Clearly,ifthereisnotasufficientquantityofthesemineralsintheration,oriftheirinteractionsarenotbalanced,hoofproblemsmayarisedowntheroad.Thesemineraldeficienciescanalsoaffectthehorse’scoat,leadtojointdisordersandimpairwoundhealing.

VitaminsThe topic of hooves cannot be addressed without talking about biotin.Clinicalstudieshaveshownthebeneficialeffectsofbiotinintherestructuringofthehoofhorn,morespecificallythehoofwall.Usedoveralongperiodoftime,itcontributestorepairinghorndeficiencies.Servedalone,biotinhasshowntobesomewhateffective, but served togetherwithmethionine, the results are

Nutrition

evenmore conclusive.Having said this, since biotin is difficultfor thehorsetoabsorb, it is importantthatthehorseconsumeenoughtoobtainthedesiredeffect.

Othervitaminsalsocontributetomaintaininghoofquality,notablyvitaminE,apowerfulantioxidantwhich,likeselenium,manganeseand copper, protects the cell membrane. Vitamin C, which isinvolved in the production of collagen and the maintenance of the integrity of the blood vessels, and vitaminA, active in themaintenance of the integrity of the epithelial tissue (tissue formed ofoneormorelayersofcells),arealsoessentialtomaintaininghealthyhooves.

Forbadlydamagedhooves,addingabiotin,methionineandzinc-based curative supplement is recommended until the condition is resolved. Besides adding an efficient hoof supplement, it isimportant that the horse’s current feed ration be analyzed toensurethatitisindeedmeetingallofitsnutritionalrequirements,especiallywithrespecttovitaminsandminerals.Ifthehorsehasserioushoofproblems,itisunlikelythatitsnutritionalneedsarebeingmet.

A complete supplement such as vitamin and mineral balancer will needtobeaddedtotheirdailydiet.Donothesitate tocontactprofessionalequinespecialistsinyourarea.Theywillbepleasedtoworkwithyouandyourfarriertoensureoptimalhoofhealth.Once the horse’s daily ration is complete and balanced according toitsneeds,majorhealthproblemswillbepasthistory,provided,of course, that farrier care remains regular andconstantand isdonebyprofessionals. T

Josée Lalonde is Equine Marketing & Product Manager at Agribrands Purina Canada. Visit Purina’s new website at www.agripurina.ca

www.horse.on.ca | 47

48 | WHOA! Winter 2013

through with that promise and damages have resulted either to thehorse, rider, otherpersons,orproperty.Asanexample,a stableoperatormayprovidehorses for trail rides. The stableoperator assures his or her customers that the horses are well-trainedandsuitablefortheskillsoftheriders.Ifthehorseswereinfactpoorlytrainedorill-suitedtotheriders,thestableoperatorwould be liable based on a breach of contract if a rider fell off and washurt.

Negligenceisthefailuretotakepropercare.Ifthestableowner/operatorortheirstaffisnegligent,thestablewillberesponsibleforthedamages.Whatconstitutesareasonablestandardofcarewill depend on the particular facts of the situation. The stableoperatorisnotaguarantororaninsurerofhealthorsafety.Inthecaseofamishapcausinginjuryordeath,theoperatorwillnotbeheld responsible if the mishap was not caused by a failure on his orherpart,oronthepartofhisorherstaff,totakereasonableorpropercare.

Asanexample,aboarderofthestableisinsidethestableandslipsonsomeicethathasformedonthefloorofthestable.Shebreaksherleg.Ifthiswasarandomoccurrencebasedonanunforeseenevent(e.g.abucketkickedoverbyahorse)thiswouldnotbethefaultofthestableoperator.Where,however,thestableoperatorhad knowledge of a leak in the roof and ice gathering on that spot forsometime,and tooknostepstoremovethisdanger,itcouldbe argued that the stable operator did not take reasonable care toensurethatthestablewassafeforboarders.Inthissituation,the stable operator could be liable for all or part of the boarder’s damagesincludingmedicalbills,lostsalary,etc.

The courts use an objective standard when determining what constitutes a “reasonable standard of care” in a particular

Legal Lowdown

Accidents can happen anywhere and equine facilities are no exception.Knowthelawandbeprepared.

Canadian court cases involving horseback riding and other accidents related to the business tend to focus on breach of contractandnegligence.Forbreachofcontract,thecasesfocuson what was promised, versus what was actually delivered.Fornegligence, thecases focusonwhethersomeentity,be itapersonor a ridingestablishment,owesa“dutyof care”andwhetherthatdutyofcarewasbreached.Afarlesscommonlegaldoctrine that may also give rise to liability in horse riding accidents isthatofscienter.

Liabilityestablishedbycontractmeans that there isacontract,writtenororal,betweentheriderandthebarnorstableoperator.Thestableoperatorhaspromisedsomething,hasnot followed

By Catherine Willson, B.A. LL.B., and Adrian Roomes, B.A., J.D.

Be Prepared:Legal Liability And The Horse Business

www.horse.on.ca | 49

case. The casewill thereforenot turnon thedefendant’s ownassessmentofwhatheorshewasdoing(asubjectivestandard),butratherwhatthecourtthinksthedefendantoughttohavedone.The court will look to indicators of what constitutes reasonable behaviour,suchasapplicablelaws(liketheOntarioHorseRidingSafety Act S.O. 2001, c.4), as well as industry guidelines andindustrypractices.

InOntario,theOccupiers’LiabilityActstatesthattheoccupierofthe premises owes a duty to take all such reasonable care as is necessary in the circumstances to ensure that persons coming onto the premises will be kept reasonably safe. This duty, ofcourse,doesnotapplytorisksthatarewillinglyassumedbythepersonenteringthepremises.Ahorseridertakingafallonatrailwill probably fall within this category of perceived risk willingly assumed.Thatisunlessthetumblewascausedbecauseofsomedanger that the stable owner knew or should have known about anddidnottakereasonablestepstorectify;considerdeadtreelimbs over well-used trails, gopher holes, barbwire, etc. Otherjurisdictionshavesimilarlegislation.

In instances where the accident was caused because of the interventionofanotherhorse,dogorotherdomesticatedanimal,thenthedoctrineofscientermayapply.Thelawofscienterstatesthatwhereapersonisincontrolofadomesticanimal(horse,dog,cat,etc.)andhasknowledgeofadangerousorproblematictrait,characteristic,orhabitpossessedbythatanimal,thatpersonwillbe held liable for any injury caused by the animal as a result of the dangerousorproblematictrait,characteristic,orhabit.

In such cases, it must be established that, firstly, the animalconcerned has a nasty streak and, secondly, that the animal’sownerwasawareofthis.Forexample,ifadogownerknewhisdog would aggressively chase horses and subsequently let his dog roam free on a trail frequented by horse enthusiasts this couldgiverisetoliability,underthescienterdoctrine,fordamagesthatmayresult.ItisimportanttonotethatscienterisnotequallyapplicableineveryprovinceinCanada.Alwaysconsultalawyerbeforetakinganylegalstepsorrelyingonanyofthesetips.

Waivers and ReleasesAwrittenwaiverform,alsocalledarelease,isanattemptby a riding establishment to limit its liability for accidents and injuries caused to its patrons (or the horses of its patrons,inthecaseofastable).Bysigningawaiverorrelease form, a person voluntarily gives up his right torecover against the riding establishment for an injury even where the accident or injury was caused by the careless conduct of the stable owner or operator. Sobeforeyousignanything,readit;ifyouaren’tcomfortablewithwhatyouarebeingaskedtosign,don’tsignit.Ontheotherhand,ifyouaretheproprietorofahorseridingestablishment,awaiversignedbytheprospectiveguestshould be an essential condition for the use of your horsesorboardingfacility.

InsuranceIfyouaretheownerofahorse,orafacilitydedicatedtohorses,youshouldataminimumreviewyourinsuranceneeds with your broker. You need to have insurance.Doing so can provide you with a safety net in the event ofanaccident.Withoutinsurance,paymentofaclaimbya person injured by your horse or for property damage

1183 King Street West, Suite 1183, Toronto, Ontario M6K 3C5Tel: 416-534-9504 • Fax: 416-534-9503

Toll Free 866-258-2848www.willsonlewis.com

Quality Work + Excellent Service

Litigation Lawyers Practising in:Equine Law - Family Law

Construction Law - Employment Law Wrongful Dismissal - Tax Disputes

Civil Litigation - Commercial Litigation Estate Problems - Property Disputes

Contracts - Collections

E-mail: cwillson@willsonlewis.com

E-mail: clewis@willsonlewis.com

Specializing in

Equine Law including:

Boarding & Breeding Agreements

Syndications

Tax Issues

Negligence

Sales Agreements

Disputes & Litigation

Veterinary Negligence

Legal Lowdown

causedbythehorsewillcomeoutofyourpocket.Injuryclaimscanreachwellintothemillionsofdollars.

Horseownerscanpurchaseliabilityinsurance,mortalityinsurance,veterinary insurance and a host of other tailor-made policies for the horseindustry.Themostimportanttypeofinsurancecoveragetoobtain is a general liability policy that will protect you from claims resulting from injury or damage to people or property caused by yourhorse.Theusuallevelofcoverageprovidedis$1millionbutyoucanaskformore.

Taking PrecautionsDo an annual or semi-annual inspection of the stable property;perhapsonce in thesummerandonce in thewinter.Roleplaywhenyoudo the inspection.Lookat thebarnasachildwouldseeit,asaguestwithoutanyhorseexperience,asalawyer,asa dog,etc.Wherearethetroubleareas?Lookatloosehardware,trafficareas,feedrooms,storage,firesafety,barnrules–inshort,troubleshootandfixallproblemsthatyoucanfind.Trytomakethebarn,arena,paddocksandthegroundsassafeasyoucan.Writedownyourinspectiondate,whatyoudid,yourfindingsandyour fixes, and file this document. If you do get sued, a courtwill be impressed by the care and attention you do take to your operationandwillconsideritinyourfavour.

ConclusionAccidentshappeninthehorseworld.Understandingthesourcesofliability,asexploredabove,shouldhelpyoutopreventaccidents.Whentheydooccur,properinsuranceandagoodwaivercanhelpyoutoavoidcatastrophicclaims. T

The legal information provided in this article is based on the laws of Ontario. If you find yourself in a situation to which this article may apply, please consult a lawyer before acting or relying on any of the statements made herein.

Willson Lewis LLP is a litigation law firm practising in civil litigation, employment law, construction, commercial disputes, family law, tax disputes, and equine law. Catherine Willson is a partner at Willson Lewis LLP with expertise in equine law. www.willsonlewis.com, (416) 534-9504 or toll free (866) 258-2848

50 | WHOA! Winter 2013

Special Feature

Equestrian activities entail some degree of risk for injury to the rider. However, the issue of injuries to the head and the consequences of concussion have only recently been highlighted. General awareness of injury to the brain has increased due to extensive publicity regarding combat-related casualties and professional athletes where the effects of multiple concussions can evolve into a dementing disorder known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

This article is the first in a series of four to be published in 2013 that aims to improve awareness of equestrian related head injury with the hopes of reducing the frequency of this potentially disabling injury and its long-term impact.

The term concussion is commonly employed to describe what is technically identified as a traumatic brain injury. It occurswhen the brain’s normal functioning is interrupted after the head either sustains a direct impact to the skull or the upper body experiences a vigorous forward movement followed by a rapid stop, also known as an acceleration-decelerationevent.Whilethemostobviousevidenceofatraumaticbraininjuryisalossofconsciousness(“knockedout”),thateventonlyoccurswhenthespecificregionofthebrainthatcontrolswakefulnesshasbeendamaged.Traumaticbraininjurymorefrequently results in an altered level of awareness with the personappearingdazed,disorientedorconfusedorinaperiodof forgetfulness for events immediately before or after the injury,referredtoaspost-traumaticamnesia.

This period of short term memory loss represents the length of time during which the brain is unable to store new informationaftertheinjury.Ifweconsiderthebrainashavingcomponents similar to a computer, post-traumatic amnesiaoccurs when the information on the screen (RAM memory) is not being saved to the hard drive as when the power goes offbeforethesavebuttoncanbepressed.Withabraininjury,events that have not yet been stored in long-term files arelostinthepost-traumaticamnesiaperiod.Acommonmistakein initial assessment of the concussed person is believing that no injury exists because the person is awake and talking coherently when they actually have no recollection of any suchconversationswhenaskedlater.Givingthepersonalistof words to remember and asking them to repeat those words 5-10 minutes later will reveal this problem with short-term memoryfunctioning.

The ability to pay attention and concentrate are also damaged afterbraininjury,alongwithaninabilitytomulti-task.Aquickway to check for this problem is to ask the individual to repeat the months of the year backwards or to recite a list of numbers either forwards or in reverse. Normally, adults can repeatseven digits in the order they were given and six if asked to name them in reverse (hint: that’s why phone numbers have seven digits!) If a person has problems when naming the digitsbackward,itmayindicatethattheyalsohaveaproblemwithmultitasking.

Head Injury Part 1: Understanding Traumatic Brain InjuryBy Nora Cullen, MD, MSc, FRCPC and Gregory O’Shanick, MD

www.horse.on.ca | 51

Special Feature

The length of time that a person has post-traumatic amnesia or is unconscious indicates the severity of the injury and the potential for lasting complications. The different degrees ofbrain injuryaredescribedasmild,moderateandsevereandreflect the initialseverityof thesymptoms.Mildbrain injuryhas a loss of consciousness of no more than 30 minutes and/oraperiodofpost-traumaticamnesiaof lessthan24hours.A moderate brain injury has a loss of consciousness of 30 minutes to 24 hours and/or post-traumatic amnesia of one day tooneweek.Severebraininjuryhasalossofconsciousnessof over 24 hours and/or post-traumatic amnesia of over one week.Themost frequentevent falls in themildbrain injurycategory with over two thirds of all traumatic brain injuries fallinginthiscategory.

Following a mild brain injury, a variety of symptoms mayoccurthatmayaffectthinkingskills,behaviorand/orphysicalfunctioning. Headache is the most common physicalcomplaintandmaybeaccompaniedbynauseaandvomiting;light,soundorsmellsensitivity;dizziness;balancedifficulties;andringingintheears.Cognitivesymptomsincludeproblemswithshort-termmemory,speedofthinkingandattentionandconcentration. Behavioral problems can include irritability,moodiness, agitation, impulsivity, apathy, depression andincreasedproblemswithcontrollingemotions.

Most individuals with a mild brain injury have symptoms that resolvewithintwoweeks.Bythreemonths,twooutofthreepeople will have recovered and 85-90 per cent have recovered

by12months.Thosewhohaveongoingsymptomsbeyond12monthstendtobeolderpeople,females,haveapreviousbrain injury or other neurologic disorder, a chronic illness(hypertension,diabetesmellitus,etc),orhistoryofsubstanceabuse.

At thetimeofinjury,emergencymedicalattentionisrequiredifthepersonisunconscious,bleedingfromtheearsornose,sufferingaseizure,vomiting,hasevidenceofainjurytotheirskull,showsadeclineintheirlevelofawareness,isextremelyagitated or combative or whenever those in attendance are apprehensiveregardingthedegreeofinjury.

When in doubt, seek prompt medical attention!

Nora Cullen, MD, MSc, FRCPC, is a specialist in physical medicine and rehabilitation. She is chief of staff at West Park Healthcare Centre in Toronto and is an associate professor at the University of Toronto.

Gregory O’Shanick, MD, is president and medical director at the Center for Neurorehabilitation Services in Richmond, VA and is medical director emeritus of the Brain Injury Association of America. O’Shanick is also a rider and was named the 2012 U.S. National Champion in HA/AA Western Pleasure AATR Select at the U.S. National Arabian and Half-Arabian Championship Horse Show.

52 | WHOA! Winter 2013

Meeting A Horse On the Trail

• Make your presence known from a distance by calmly addressing therider.

• Please pass slowly on the left after the rider acknowledged your presence.

• If you aremotorized,we request that you stop and shut off yourengineasacourtesy.Pleasegreettheriderandwaituntilhorseandriderhavemovedoffasafedistancebeforecontinuing.

• If you are unsure of what to do in any situation concerning ahorse,pleaseasktheriderbeforetakinganyaction.

• Weallsharethetrails,soletsworktogetherinharmonytoensuresafeandenjoyabletrails.

CourtesyoftheOntarioTrailRidersAssociation,www.otra.ca

1. You and you horse should have suitable riding attire - hunter orangefromwaistupallyear,bootswithaheel,helmet,wellfittingsaddleandgoodtack.

2. Ride with a suitable horse - size, conditioning and trainingmatter.

3. Carryafirstaidkit,cellphone,GPS/compass and map on you NOTthehorse.

4. Never lead off until all riders aremounted.

5. Stay on the marked trails and obey thesigns. Knowwhereyou are on the trail in case of anemergency.

6. Walk on the right of the trail or road.Nevercanterorgallop.

7. Leave two horse lengthsbetween you and the other horses even when you have stopped.

8. When crossing a road do so all together.

9. Use the buddy system; beresponsible for the rider in frontandbehindyou.

10. If riding alone, tell someonewhere you have gone and whenyouwillreturn.

11. Use the threeC's -Courtesy,Communication and Common Sense.

12. Do not litter on the trail or campsite Put manure and hay in designated areas. Leaveonlyhoofprintsbehind.

13. No dogs on the trail or alone in thecampsite.

14. No alcohol or smoking on the trail.

15. Water your horse into the shore, and do not cross orwadeunknownwaters.

Best Practices for Horses on the Trails

FifteenminutesfromParliamentHill,intheheartoftheNationalCapital Commission’s Greenbelt, kilometres of delightfullygroomed trails run through 600 acres of fields and forest. Butwhat sets this trail system apart from Ottawa’s many excellent trailsisitsunique“horsefriendly”status.

Maintained by a not-for-profit association of recreational horseenthusiasts,these“exclusivelyequine”trailshavebeenopentotheridingpublicsince2004,whentheClubEquestreRamsayvilleEquestrian Club incorporated as CEREC to meet National Capital Commission(NCC)insuranceandliabilityrequirements.

TheuniquepurposeofCEREC is toencouragephysicalfitnessthrough participation in safe, non-competitive trail riding. Thisframework allows riders from any discipline to enjoy horse time together.Toencouragemoreriderstoventurebeyondthering,CEREChostedavarietyofsafetyclinicsthatfocusedspecificallyonwildernesssituations.

In 2005, the Ontario Trails Council recognized CEREC’scontributions by presenting the association with an Outstanding TrailBuildersAward.

Encouragedbyriders,CERECnegotiatedapartnershipwiththeUnitedCountiesofPrescott-Russell.Thisnewaffiliationsecuredaccess to an additional 22 kilometres of tremendous riding trails inthenearbyLaroseForest.

By2007,CERECfeltitwastimetogivesomethingbacktothecommunity.Inrecognitionofthelargenumberofwomeninvolvedin equine activities, CEREC hosted its first Pink Ribbon Ridefor aBreastCancerCure in theLaroseForest.After six years,participationgrewfromafewdozenridersandtheirsupporterstoover130ridersin2012.Participantshaveraisedalmost$70,000andtheridehasattractedridersofeverylevel,ageanddiscipline.

Whenaskedabouther interest in riding,onespryoctogenarianwithoverseventyyearsinthesaddlenotedwithconviction,“Thejoy of riding never diminishes!” It’s hard to argue with that! Ride on. T

Celebrating The Joy Of Trail RidingBy Vicki Bennett

PhotoCredit:V.Bennett

On The Trail

USE THE THREE C'S1. courtesy2. communication3. common sense

www.horse.on.ca | 53

Breed & Discipline Updates

Wherewouldanyorganizationbeiftheirmembersdidnotvolunteerunselfishlyday inanddayout?Theydevotecountlesshours, theydrivethousandsofmiles,theyspendmoremoneythantheywanttokeeptrackof,alltobenefittheirclub.

Largeorganizationssuchas theOntarioEquestrianFederationandthe Arabian Horse Association have instituted programs to honour distinguished volunteers. Each year theArabianHorseAssociationof Eastern Canada (AHAEC) is able to nominate club members who havegoneaboveandbeyond.Tohavethisopportunitytorecognizetheircontributionsamongsttheirpeersisaworthwhileachievement.

The Ontario Equestrian Federation’s People Make a Difference Awardisoneofthemosthighlyregardedawardspresentedannually.TheAHAECrecipientfor2012wasJeanDinsmore,long-timeownerand breeder of Arabian horses and the epitome of what this award isabout.

Manydecadesago,DinsmoredevelopedandlaunchedtheArabianRoyalRedAmateurBonanza(ARRAB)program.Muchlikeamaturity,exhibitorsnominatetheirhorseseachyeartocompeteinspecifiedclasses.Basedonnominationfees,sponsorshipsanddonations,thetopfivewinnersineachclasssplitthe“pot.”In2012,eachtopfiveplacement earned one of the highest paybacks ever recorded!

Without Dinsmore’s devotion to manage and promote the ARRAB program,ourexhibitorswouldnothavetheincredibleopportunitytoshowinprogramspecificclasses,toreceivemerchandiseandwinasizeablepayback!FromallofthewinnersandcompetitorssincetheinceptionoftheARRABprogram,thankyouJean!

The Arabian Horse Association also offers a volunteer recognition program, and thesewere recently announced at the association’sannualconvention.AHAECmembersTaraPorterandJaneWhitwellwerepresentedwiththeRegionalLevelVolunteerServiceAward.

Porter has keen knowledge in IT and handles the website development and maintenance for AHAEC and Region 18. Theseskills, combined with her flare for fundraising, have had a hugeimpactontheorganization’ssuccess.

Sincejoiningtheclubin1974,JaneWhitwellhasservedonAHAEC’sboard of directors multiple times. Recently she has organizedAHAEC’s booth at Toronto Horse Day and Spirit of the Horse exhibit at theRoyalAgriculturalWinter Fair. She also created theArabianHorse Activity Book for distribution to teachers, early childhoodeducators,ponyclubs,therapyridingprogramsandchildren.

ClubLevelVolunteerServiceAwardswereawardedtoCyndiTryonand Carol Stuart. Tryon has worked tirelessly on fundraising andsponsorshipsforbothAHAECandRegion18,culminatinginavery

The Sidesaddle Connection enjoyed a return to the Royal this year presentingtwoclinicsattheSpiritoftheHorsering.

DebbieSmith,oftheSidesaddleConnection,presentedbothinthemainringandtheeducationring,demystifyingthesidesaddletoanenthusiasticcrowd.WhiledemoriderMyschaBurtonandherhorseCriolleBluesrodeontherailinEnglishattire,Debbiepresentedthestepsariderwouldtakewhenstartingtorideaside.Topicsincludedfittingasidesaddle,positioningariderandwhattolookforinalessonaside,finishingwithanFAQfromtheaudience.

In the educational ring, Debbie explained the structure of thesidesaddle, the differences between a sidesaddle and an astridesaddleinfittingtobothhorseandrider,receivingsomeveryindepthquestionsfromattendants.

The Sidesaddle Connection would like to thank the OEF for the opportunity to present the sidesaddle at the Spirit of the Horse ring at theRAWFfor2012. T

Long-Time Arabian Supporters Honoured With Prestigious AwardsSubmitted by Jane Whitwell, Arabian Horse Association of Eastern Canada

Sidesaddle at the Spirit of the HorseSubmitted by Debbie Smith, The Sidesaddle Connection

successfulraffleforanATVin2012.SheiscurrentlyservingherfirsttermasanAHAECdirectorandclubsecretary.Tryonhasalsobeenawonderfulmentortoherdaughter,Aysha,whoservedonAHAEC’syouth board and has been an enthusiastic and competent ticket seller forallfundraisingprojects.

Being involvedwithAHAECandRegion18 formany years, Stuartthoroughlyenjoysworkingthein-gate.Shearrivesearly,stayslate,isextremelycourteoustoexhibitorsandofficialsandencouragesothermembersandfriendstovolunteeratourshows.

Anorganizationdoesn’texistwithoutthecommitmentandpassionoftheirvolunteers.Thankyouoneandall! T

TaraPorteronherHalf-Arabiangelding,ShakeItUp,areshownwinningReserveChampion in Native Costume at the Canadian Nationals Arabian & Half-Arabian ChampionshipHorseShow.

Pho

to c

redi

t: D

on S

tine

Pho

togr

aphy

Photocredit:MarshallDavidson/fotoworks.ca

54 | WHOA! Winter 2013

For $27 a year you can have all the latest news, training, results and more delivered right to you.

A savings of over

62% offthe cover price.

OEF Members Receive

HUGE SAVINGS$27(HST included) for 12 issues

www.horse.on.ca | membership@horse.on.ca877.441.7112 ext 14

Equestrian sport delivered to your door every month!

HS_OEF_FP.indd 1 9/17/2012 1:54:44 PM

www.horse.on.ca | 55

By popular request, Cadora Inc. and Cadora-Ontario arranged forStephenClarketofacilitatetwosymposiumsinCanada,oneinOntarioandtheotherinBritishColumbiaonOct.13-14andOct.20-21.

“What I loveaboutStephen is thatheconsistently reaffirms inhisclinics that Dressage is the backbone for developing a horse into an equineathlete–bethataDressagehorse,aThree-DayEventeroraBarrelRacer,”saysparticipantBethMansfield.

Clarke,a5*FEIDressagejudge,trainerandformercompetitorwaschairofthegroundjuryatthe2012LondonOlympics.Annually,hebringshisexpertisetoCanadaforthebenefitofridersfrombasictoGrandPrix.

“Stephenisalwayssuchgoodvalue,witheverythingalwayscomingfrom a good solid foundation,” offers participant Sian FernandezThomas. “The transparency in his training, his honesty and simplemethodology is why I think he is such a well-respected judge throughouttheworld.”

The Ontario venue was South Lane Farm in Vankleek Hill, kindlyhostedbyLouisePalmer.Atotalof16horse/ridercombinationswereeach given a 45-minute lesson with Clarke in front of an enthusiastic groupofover100auditorsduringthetwodays.Manyridersbroughttheircoachestoobserve,andClarke,asalways,invitedtheauditorstoparticipate.Healwaysbeginsbyhavingtheridershowtheirownwarmup,whichhewillthendiscusswiththem.

“Participating in the Ontario Build a Better Dressage Horse Symposium was truly a once in a lifetime experience I will never forget,” says participant Danielle Myronyk. “In my mid-teens andshowingtraining level, Ithoughthewouldn’thaveany ideahowtoteachme,butinfactitwastheopposite.Hesurprisedhimself,mycoachandmebywhatIcouldaccomplishonmyschoolmaster,whoIhadonlyownedforayear.Itreallyhelpedmyridingcomealongand

Pho

to c

redi

t: D

avid

Ros

enw

eig

I can’t wait until next year!”

Clarkehasasimplemessage:makesure thebasicsareconfirmedbeforemoving on to higher levels.He likes horses to go honestlyforwardfromtheleg,overtheback,rhythmicallyandhappily.

“IalwaysfeelthatifIlearnevenonethinginaclinicitisabonus,”saysLizSteacie,whoattendedtheclinic.“Icameawaywithfarmorefrom this clinic than just one thing!”

Stephen Clarke Shares His Dressage Skills With Ontario RidersSubmitted by Cadora-Ontario

Breed & Discipline UpdatesP

hoto

cre

dit:

Wen

dy W

ebb

Pho

togr

aphy

Competitive Trail Riding Showcased At Royal's Spirit of the Horse ExhibitSubmitted by Sarah Cuthbertson on behalf of OCTRA

The Ontario Competitive Trail Riding Association (OCTRA) would like to thank the Ontario Equestrian Federation for providing the club the opportunity to demonstrate in the Spirit of the Horse ring at the 2012 Royal Agricultural Winter Fair and to the Arabian Horse Association of EasternCanadaforsharingitsboothwiththeclub.

OCTRAwaswellreceivedforfivedaysoftheshow.Thereweremanyvisitors,questionsandinformationpackagesdistributed,whichfoundtheirwayhomewithmanyeagerpeople.Itwasapleasuremeetingso many members of the horse community and watching an endless streamofsmallhandssneakingthroughstallbarstopetvelvetnoses.

Thank you to all volunteers: Marg Murray, Phyllis Pecile, LindaKlarner, Wendy Webb, Solstice Pecile, Sarah Cuthbertson, EmmaWebb, Michelle Watling, Rick Watling, Marion Shearer, AnastasiaNeseverenko,BobColeman,MichelleBignell, RuthSturley,DeniseMinns, AdriannaBrands, Lily Ferri, DanielleDonald, JaneWhitwell,JohnCode,DorisWoolner,JanetHenderson,TaraPorter,CyndiTyron,AlanaRobinson,LynnHunt,ElaineWard,Janet&EricWojcik,GregLymer,JillBartonandFranWilliams.

Thank you, also, toNurtural bridles,whodonated bitless bridles totwo demonstrators and to Tipperary who loaned a helmet and vest for demonstrations.

The Ride & Tie demonstrations raised a lot of interest from horsemen andrunnersalikefromalldifferentagegroups.Ride&Tieisateamsportwheretworidersshareonehorse.Onepersonbeginsrunningwhiletheotherridesand,atsomepoint,ridersmustswitch(runnerbecomesrider).

If you are interested in learning more about Ride & Tie or any of the otherfourOCTRAsports(Endurance,CompetitiveTrail,SetSpeedandMileage),pleasevisittheOCTRAwebsiteatwww.octra.on.ca

Thereyouwillfindrules,mentorsandtrainingride information.Youcan also sign up on ourmessage board to ask questions, look forsharedtrailering,orjusttalkhorses!Lookforourrideseasoncalendarfor 2013 to be posted at the beginning of March and join us for an unforgettable ride! T

Emma Webb answers audience questions during the competitive trail demonstration intheSpiritoftheHorsering.

StephenClarkeoffersadvicetoariderduringhisrecentOntarioclinic.

56 | WHOA! Winter 2013

Pho

to c

redi

t: N

ancy

Dic

kerm

an

Some of the best Saddle Seat riders in the province came together onSept.8,2012tocompetefortophonoursattheOntarioProvincialSaddleSeatEquitationChampionships.

The championships were hosted by the Arabian Horse Association ofEasternCanadaatitsFallFestival,whichbroughtArabians,Half-Arabians, Morgans and Saddlebreds together at the OrangevilleFairgrounds.ThejudgefortheshowwasAmyGambleofMichigan.DanCrossmanagesthisshow.AspecialthankyoutoDanandhiscommittee for providing us a spot on the show’s busy timetable to runtheseclasses.

Riders for the provincial championships must qualify to compete at EquineCanadasanctionedshowthatoffersSaddleSeatclasses.Thisyear the schedule also included a championship class for Walk-Trot competitorsage10andunder.Itisanticipatedthatthisdivisionwillgrowandgetstrongereachyear.

The evening began with the Walk-Trot class and two young ladies competed; Alexandra Dickerman took the Championship withAlexandraInacioinReserve.BothofthesegirlsdidafabulousjobofguidingtheirSaddlebredsaroundthering.Watchformoreamazingperformances from them in the future!

Top Saddle Seat Riders Go Head-To-Head At Provincial ChampionshipsSubmitted by the Canadian Morgan Horse Association

The 13 & Under class was held next and Ashley Inacio was crowned Champion with Jenna Daniels closely behind in Reserve and Ashley JeppesoninThird.Thiswasanexcitingclasstowatch.Theridersdidan excellent job with their pattern work!

The14-17agegroupwasnexttogoanditfeaturedfourterrificriderswho have all had wonderful show seasons this year gathering top ribbons at the shows.Carly Browning topped off an amazing yearwinningthetitlewithHilaryBullerfinishinginReserveonaborrowedhorse!ClosebehindwasKylaVendrigandRachelBreen,whoalsohadstellarrideswiththeirmounts.

Theadultdivision(18&Over)featuredtwogreatriders;AshlynMooreclaimedtopspot inherfirstyearasanadultwithLisaKavanagh,aveteranrider,coming insecond. It isalwaysgreat toseetheadultriders continue to improve their equitation skills and promote Saddle Seatequitation.It’snotjustforkids!

Afterthechampionshipswerepinned,alltheriderswereinvitedbacktothepresentationareaformoreawards.Medalsandneckribbonsweregivenoutintheringbutwehadatablefulloflovelygiftsaswell.BreyerHorses,horsecoolers,beltbuckles,garmentbags,bucketsfull of goodies and candied apples were presented to the riders and lotsofflashesweregoingoffwithproudparentstakingphotos.Itisnotonlyanexcitingcompetition,italsoveryrewardingandeachriderhad an armful of stuff to take home too!

This would not be possible without the dedication of a few ladies whogatherduringtheyearandplanthisevent;LizBianchi,DonnaMartens and Susan Hawkshaw do the bulk of the work and raising sponsorshipdollarstopullitalloff.TheyaresupportedbyMaryRuthMooreandNancyKavanagh.

Theseladiesworkallyearlongmeetinganddiscussing,planningandfindingsponsorstomaketheeveningsuchagrandevent.Theyalsohostedalovelybuffetofsweetsandapplecidertofinishoffthenightinstyle.

The Ontario Provincial Saddle Seat Equitation Championships would liketothankallofthesponsorswhohelpedmaketheeventpossible.

For a list of sponsors, or for more information about Saddle Seatriding,visitwww.saddleseatcanada.com.T

Breed & Discipline Updates

The Ontario Percheron Horse Association had the pleasure of representing the breed at the Spirit of the Horse exhibit at the Royal AgriculturalWinterFairthispastNovember.

It was fun to show the public that the Percheron is not only a driving/workhorsebutagreatridinghorseaswell.KatieFlemingandRopp’sMayJunerepresentedthebreed.Ginger,assheisknownathome,is an eight-year-old Percheron mare who stands 18 hands and weighs in at 2,100 lbs. She is currently schooling second level Dressage.Percherons are quick learners so they make excellent Dressage horses.Theyalsohavegreat jumpingability for their size, jumpingupwardsof4-footfences.

The Ontario Percheron Horse Association enjoyed showing off at the Royal and looks forward to doing it again. To find outmore about the Percheron, or look up Ontario breeders, visithttp://www.ontariopercherons.ca

KatieFlemingridesRopp’sMayJune,aPercheronmare,intheSpiritoftheHorseringattheRoyalAgriculturalWinterFair.

Percherons Demonstrate Dressage Skills At The RoyalSubmitted by the Ontario Percheron Horse Association

Pho

to c

redi

t: E

llen

Hol

mes

Ontario's top Saddle Seat riders competed at the Ontario Provincial Saddle Seat EquitationChampionship.

www.horse.on.ca | 57

StormTrooperwontheGreenRoadsterClassicattheRoyal.Hewentontowintwomoreclassesattheshow.

Breed & Discipline Updates

Road Horse Classes At The Royal Highlight Standardbreds In The Show Ring Submitted by the Sherri Archdekin, Secretary of the Canadian Road Horse Association

The road horses were “going for the doctor” in record numbers duringthe2012RoyalAgriculturalWinterFair.

In the Ontario Harness Horse Association (OHHA) Green Roadster Classic, heldonSaturday,Nov.3,StormTrooper, ownedbyLloydNugent and driven by daughter Carolyn Nugent of Napanee, ON.received top honours by winning this prestigious class for the second year in a row. Registered as SJs Stormtrooper, this stylish eight-year-oldSJsPhotogeldinghasfoundasecondcareer.Heobtainedamarkof1:56.4asasix-year-oldatGeorgianDownsfortrainerRobertMacKenziebeforebecomingashowhorse.

The OHHA Green Roadster Classic is open to registered Standardbred trottersundertheageoffiveorintheirfirstorsecondyearofshowing.Sinceitsinception12yearsago,thisclasshasgreatlyincreasedtheclasssizesandexhibitorparticipationbothat theRoyalAgriculturalWinter Fair and at the fall fairs in Ontario and Quebec as exhibitors work toprepare theirhorses for theRoyal. Ithasalsogivenmanytrotters that are either not fast enough to race or that are retired from racing,anothercareer.TheCanadianRoadHorseAssociationwouldlike to acknowledge the continued generosity of the Ontario Harness Horse Association for providing sponsorship support for this class since2001.

Storm Trooper also went on to win two other classes during the Royal against other more experienced horses with a win in the Road Horse toBike15.2handUnderclass,aswellasbeingawardedthetri-colourfor his win in the Speed and Action Road Horse to Bike Canadian Championship Stake, sponsored by JamesMcClocklin andCentralOntarioStandardbredAssociation.

Yet another seasoned and successful former race horse took the top awardinthreeclassesduringtheRoyal.ArmbroBeaureceivedtop

Photocredit:LynnCassels-Caldw

ell

Photocredit:AnnLorimer

honours in theRoadHorse toWagonOver15.2h, theRoadHorsetoBikeOver15.2h,aswellasintheSingleRoadHorsetoaWagonCanadianChampionship.ArmbroBeau,ownedanddrivenbySteveMcLeanofGuelph,ON.isan11-year-oldBalancedImagegeldingthathas a racemark of 1:56. This championship classwas generouslysponsoredbyDavidHamilton,SCATissueNorthAmericaLLC.

The last weekend in September 2012 saw the Ontario Reining Horse Associationhost itsGrandFinaleand theN.R.H.A.EasternCanadaRegionalAffiliateFinals.

RidersfromOntarioandQuebecconvergedontheLondonWesternFairgrounds to enjoy a terrific weekend of competition and fun.Each class featured a presentation ceremony to recognize the topplacings, with O.R.H.A. president Carol Ivey, show manager andfirst vice presidentMikeMunroe and Jamie Boller fromN.R.H.A.,congratulatingtheindividualwinnersandqualifiersfortheOklahomaAffiliateFinalsinlateNovember.

The event included the Sired Stakes Futurity, which showcasedsomeveryimpressivetwoandthree-year-oldhorses.The2year-oldPleasureOpenClasswaswonbyCeeLittleWimp,riddenbyLorisEpis, and owned byDan Fletcher,with RockstarWimp, ridden byHeatherVaughn,ownedbyJohnFletcher,takingreserve.

Ontario Reining Horse Association Concludes Another Successful YearSubmitted by the Ontario Reining Horse Association

In the Non Pro, Dave Dorland and Chicoree Charlie were thechampions,withCarriePattersonfinishingsecondonFoxyGunGal,ownedbyLarryandLynneMcDougall.

Inthethree-year-oldclasses,TimStantonwontheLevel4OpenonShe’sAGreatDeal,ownedbyLisaStanton,andKenVanAlstinewontheLevel2LimitedOpenonhisWBWhizinKid.

FortheNonProLevel4andLimitedNonProLevel2,LarryMcDougallandGunsDon’tSpookMewerethechampions.

SaturdayeveningfeaturedaFunstyleclass,wonbySarahLearn,andapizzapartysponsoredbyO.R.H.A.presidentCarolIvey. The Grand Finale show was a perfect way to conclude another successfulyearofshowing.T

FunstyleparticipantsattheOntarioReiningHorseAssociationGrandFinalelettheircreativesideloose,asthesecreativecostumesreveal.

58 | WHOA! Winter 2013

Breed & Discipline Updates

Icelandic Horses Strut Their Stuff In Gaited Classes At The Erin FairSubmitted by the Ontario Icelandic Horse Association

ThankstotheeffortsofJenniferGirvinandtheErinFallFairboard,Icelandic Horse enthusiasts had an opportunity to ride and/or watch thegaitedclassesatthe2013ErinFaironOct.6,2013.

Nine Icelandic Horses were entered in the six Icelandic classes includingthe“BeerTolt.”Thelattereventwascloselycontestedwithnegligible spillage from the top riders. In addition, participants hadtheopportunity tocompete inopenclassessuchasbareback,eggand spoon and ribbon rides with the Paso Fino and Rocky Mountain/KentuckyMountainhorses.

AlexPregitzer,AGermancertifiedIcelandicHorsetrainerandIcelandicsports judge scored the Icelandic gaited classes and provided participants with a short analysis of their ride and the key points in theirscoring.Herinterestandadvicewereverymuchappreciated.

The show provided the setting for all to have fun and meet new horse enthusiasts. Itprovidedanexcellentopportunityfor Icelandicridersto obtain an independent assessment of their horses and to compare themwithothergaitedhorses.Forspectatorsitwasanopportunityto see the Icelandic Horses in action and meet with owners and breedersatringsideandattheErinFairEquinetent.

The Ontario Icelandic Horse Association worked with the Erin Fair organizers in identifying the judge for the event and promotingIcelandicparticipation.ThankyouandcongratulationstotheErinFallFairBoardfortheirorganizationoftheevent. T

Photocredit:JackieMcLachlan

Members of the Ontario Belgian Horse Association had a successful 2012 season,bringinghomesomeveryprestigioustitles.

OnOct.20,BelgiangeldingSouthridgeNavanRemark,ownedbyDaveZisterofChepstow,ON.andbredbyJamesMcWilliamsofNavan,ON.,won the Ontario Draft Horse Futurity at David Carson Farms and Auction ServicesinListowel,ON.,takinghome$8,500.

Participants in the futurity must compete under three judges and collect pointswiththeirtwo-year-oldBelgian,PercheronorClydesdaleinahalterclass,cartclassandpatternclass.Tobeeligibleforthefuturitythehorsemust be purchased as a foal from Carsons Fall Draft Horse Sale futurity consignments.SouthridgeNavanRemarkwaspurchasedbyDaveZisterfor$1,700.

Congratulations are also in order for Stoney Lake Belgians, owned byDarrelDrainofLakefield,ON.,onbeingtheownerandbreederofStoneyLakeEsmeralda,theSupremeChampionBelgianattheNorthAmericanBelgianChampionshipsVII,heldJuly17-21,2012.

The North American Belgian Championships (NABC) show has been described as being similar to the Olympics. Over 300 Belgians fromacrossCanadaandtheUnitedStatescompetedthissummerinBrandon,MB.fortophonours.

StoneyLakeBelgians,withprofessionaltrainingandguidancebyRandyandNancyRobertson, compete very successfullywith their homebredhorses both in Canada and the United States and have approximately 10 foalsbornannually.

Inthemid-1980s,theBelgianDraftHorseCorporationofAmericaandtheCanadian Belgian Horse Association made a pact to have a championship show in North America every four years to showcase the best of the best.Sincethebeginningin1988,theshowhasrotatedeveryfouryearsbetweenCanadaandtheUnitedStates.

In1988,thefirstNABCwasheldinconjunctionwiththeRoyalAgriculturalWinterFairinToronto.Aspertheagreement,the1992showwentstatesidetoLexington,KY.beforecomingbacktoMB.in1996forNABCIII.Theshowin2000washeldinColumbus,OH.,in2004inLondon,ON.andin2008inIndianapolis,IN.

Big Wins For Ontario BelgiansSubmitted by the Ontario Belgian Horse Association

Photocredit:LynnCassels-Caldw

ell

Pho

to c

redi

t: J

ohn

Nor

thco

te

StoneyLakeEsmeralda,ownedbyStoneyLakeBelgiansofLakefield,ON.receivedthe Supreme Champion award at the North American Belgian Championship VII inBrandon,MB.

DaveZisterofChepstow,Ont.showsSouthridgeNavanRemarktoafirstplacewinintheOntarioDraftHorseFuturity,takinghome$8,500.

PeterandJoanneMcLaughlanwaitforthejudge'scallattheErinFair.

www.horse.on.ca | 59

Ontario Equestrian Federation1 West Pearce Street, Suite 201, Richmond Hill, ON L4B 3K3p: 905-709-6545 tf: 1-877-441-7112 f: 905-709-1867e: horse@horse.on.ca w: www.horse.on.ca

Signed Hickstead portraits available through the OEF with all money raised

to support therapeutic riding.

Contact the OEF for more details!

Get Yours Get Yours Today!Today!

OnlyOnlyOnlyOnlyOnlyOnlyOnlyOnlyOnlyOnlyOnlyOnlyOnlyOnlyOnlyOnly

plus HSTplus HSTplus HSTplus HSTplus HST

Member-Canadian Investor Protection Fundmember-fonds canadien de protection des épargnants

www.janicehoneyman.com

Janice Honeyman, BA, CIM, FMA, FCSIInvestment Advisor & Associate Portfolio Manager

Tel: 416-860-7781 jhoneyman@mackieresearch.com

Proud Official Partner of the OEF

Building wealth for Canadians since 1921

Exclusive discounted pricing: up to 35% off for OEF members.

Full wealth management services:Customized Investment Solutions, Retirement & Financial Planning

23,000 FARMERS CAN’T BE WRONG, YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS THIS!• New Product Launches • Energy Feature • Jam-packed Educational Program

ALL NEW FEATUREw: www.grantontrailers.come: grantontrailers@execulink.com

GREAT Selection of New & Used Horse, Stock & Living Quarters Trailers!

4-STAR TRAILERS has established The All Aluminum Trailer as the industry standard for ease of maintenance and overall superiority!

Trades & Consignments Welcome! We service trucks & trailers, hitches, brake controls and awnings. (Sample Bank Financing $0 Down @ 6.5% Interest OAC) Leasing available.

2012 4-Star 2 Horse Slantload Gooseneck with 53” Shortwall XL Dressing Room (Job 31701)

15’x7’x7’, 2-3500# axles, 40/60 collapsible rear tack, 2 saddle racks, cross members 9 5/8” apart, electric brakes, extended dressing room LQ ready.

2013 4-Star 2 Horse Straight Load Bumper Pull with NEW Quiet Ride Technology (Job 32863)

13’x7’x7’6”, 2-3500# Torsion Axles with electric brakes, 15” steel wheels with stainless steel simulators, rear ramp with dutch doors, spare tire, dressing room with RV style screen door.

Monthly: $231.27

Monthly: $200.72

PARTNERS:

Investment in this project has been provided by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada through the Canadian Agricultural Adaptation Program (CAAP). In Ontario, this program is delivered by the Agricultural Adaptation Council.

EQUINE GUELPH™helping horses for life

Specialists in: Dewormers | Vaccines

Specialists in: Anti-in�ammatories | AntibioticsBiosecurity Products | DewormersFeed Supplements | Ointments

Sign up for Enews at www.EquineGuelph.ca to receive your first H E A L T H f l a s h this January!

Equine Guelph is pleased to announce the introduction of H E A L T H f l a s h – a program of four seasonal health reminders to help the busy horse owner keep on top of the changes that affect the sector during the year. The program will also provide special alerts in case of disease outbreaks and comes complete with interactive games to test your seasonal savvy.

H E A L T H f l a s h

PARTNERS:

Equine Hippique Canada, Kubota Canada, SSG Riding Gloves, Saddle Up SAFELY, System Fencing, UK Ag Equine University of Kentucky, UK Healthcare, Workplace Safety & Prevention Services AND all equestrian federations across Canada.

www.casa-acsa.caEQUINE GUELPH

™helping horses for life

Horse Behaviour & Safety

Learn Horsemanship through

Understanding Behaviour2-week online short-course for anyone handling horses

► February 25 - March 8, 2013SOLD OUT► April 1 - April 14, 2013

EquineGuelph.caSign-up Early at

Horse Behaviour & Safety

Horsemanship through Understanding Behaviour2-week online short-course for anyone handling horses

► February 25 - March 8, 2013

Horse Behaviour & Safety

Horsemanship through Understanding Behaviour2-week online short-course for anyone handling horses

eWorkshop

$75 + ta

x

horses@uoguelph.ca | (519) 824-4120, ext. 54205 www.EquineGuelph.ca |

horses benefithorses benefit

as you learn

www.equinestudiesdiploma.com

2013sign up for:

CoursesMay

April 13, 2013early-bird deadline

• Equine Behaviour• Health & Disease Prevention• Equine Event Management• Equine Business Finance and Risk Management• Advanced Equine Functional Anatomy

• Management of the Equine Environment

• Exercise Physiology

and Risk Management• Advanced Equine Functional

• Management of the Equine EnvironmentNEW

promoting health& performance

funding industryresearch

educatinghorsepeople

™helping horses for lifeequine guelph

• • • • • in partnership with the Campbell Centre for the Study of Animal Welfare • Diploma in Equine Studies – comprehensive online courses studying the equine industry • Workshops – hands-on sessions on a variety of topics (i.e., anatomy and biosecurity) •

Educating horse people through meaningful lifelong learning

•

• Diploma in W

•new

March 11 - 24, 2013

Colic Prevention

eWorkshop

www.horse.on.ca | 63

Subscribe Today – SAVE UP TO 73%Your Horse b Your Passion b Your Magazine

Canadian Horse Journal is Canada’s leading magazine for horse health and training. Readers LOVE our Canadian content, the latest veterinary research updates, horsemanship from industry experts, �tness and lifestyle tips, opinions and commentary, breed pro�les, interviews,

major event coverage, new products, contests, and much more. A favourite with horse lovers of all ages.

How toOrder:

• Visit www.HORSEJournals.com• 1-800-299-3799, or 250-655-8883, ext. 212• Email: subscriptions@horsejournals.com

Serving Central & Atlantic Canada – Ontario to the MaritimesOEF Members Get Lots of Perks!

• Reduced Subscription Rates • Digital & Print Delivery with Every Subscription

• Free Entry in our Blundstone Sweepstakes Draw when Subscribing & Renewing

See our flyer in your 2013 OEF Renewal Letter

CHJ-OEF-1212.indd 1 12-12-05 5:02 PM

For these & other products visit our web site for a dealer near you.ssgridinggloves.comWe do not sell directly to the public.

COLDEST WEATHERSSG® 10 Below™ Waterproof

Style 6400Due to the success of our summer weight SSG® Digital glove with the best grip and durability

of any riding glove, we engineered this 10 Below™ Waterproof glove with the digital palm.In addition the glove features a spandura back, a waterproof membrane,

thinsulate lining and inside that our exclusive polar fleece lining. As good as itgets in a winter riding glove.4 Layers of warmth!Color: Black

Sizes: 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

Something for everydegree of cold

COOL WEATHERSSG® Polartec® All Sport™

Style 6500Made of Polartec® Power Stretch® material, warm to the hands and flexible to the touch withsilicon over print on the palm insuring good grip. The Polartec® breathable characteristic

wicks sweat from your hand keeping them dry. Suitable for cool weather riding or otheroutdoor activities. Machine washable.Try them, you’ll love them!Color: BlackUnisex Sizes: XSmall 6/7, Small 7/8, Medium 9/10 and Large 11/12

COLD WEATHERPro Show WinterStyle 4300 (Most Popular Indoor or Outdoor)

Genuine leather for comfortable firmgrip on winter rides. Complete

thinsulate® lining for warmth without bulk. Key area rein reinforcement for longer wear.

Spandex™ gusset for comfortable fit. Knitted

cuff for added warmth.Color: Black withBlack Knitted CuffUnisex Sizes:

5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

COLDER WEATHERWinter Riding MittensStyle 4700Genuine Leather with thinsulate®

lining for cold weather comfort.Knitted cuff for extra warmth. Little

finger is separated from palm forrein control.

Color: BlackUnisex Sizes: 5,6, 7, 8, 9, 10

SSG Ad for WHOA!:SSG Ad for WHOA 12-12-06 7:35 PM Page 1