The Equestrian Canada (EC) Coach Licensing Program is preparing for its official launch in early 2020 and represents a great step forward for equestrian sport in Canada: the opportunity to make our sport safer for children, athletes and coaches alike.

Hoofbeats Across the Silver Screen - As anyone who has spent real time with horses knows, they are so often the teachers in this journey through life. “As we strive to learn the best ways to motivate our horses, they motivate us to be the best that we can be,” says retired movie stunt rider and double, Martha Crawford-Cantarini.

Folk tales of the legendary water horses have abounded for centuries. The name “Kelpie” may have come from the Gaelic word “cailpeach” or “colpach,” meaning heifer or colt. The legends are thought to have served the practical purpose of keeping children away from dangerous rushing waters, or warning adolescent girls to be wary of attractive strangers. And maybe the stories arose from the long-ago time when horse sacrifices were practiced in ancient Scandinavia. In historical times, when superstition was at the centre of many pagan cultures, demons and water spirits were a possible way of rationalizing the drowning of young children who had accidentally slipped on dangerous riverbanks.

Contributed by Soul of Canada - Today the gentle giant draft horses are seldom seen, almost lost in a world of high-speed, noisy machines that require industrial fuel to perform. Yet we are occasionally reminded of their impressive strength, substance, and style when we see a team perform in a parade, a show ring, a movie, or a heritage park.