Horse Industry

How To Be a Better Barn Boarder

Updated:

May 19, 2022

Nikki Alvin-Smith horse trainer, jobs of a horse boarder, how to run a horse barn, finding the right horse barn, finding a home horse

Being a popular and appreciative boarder at your barn ultimately benefits both you and your horse — your word will be better regarded, your disgruntlements better addressed, and you and your horse will be valued members of the barn community.

Chain Use vs. Abuse Clarified by Horse Experts

Updated:

March 26, 2022

horse chain, horse abuse, hiaa, horse industry association of alberta, chaining a horse

There are gadgets and gismos used for countless applications when it comes to handling or training horses. Some are of the gentlest nature, others stem from a long history of proper horsemanship, and some still exist that maybe never served much purpose other than to inflict pain. Regardless of how we may personally feel about a certain training tool, there is one constant piece of equipment that is used in many different areas of the horse world: the chain.

BC’s Flooding and Heat Dome Among Most Devastating Climate Events of 2021

Updated:

March 24, 2022

bc flooding horses, rescuing horses disaster, helicopter horse rescue, climate change horse industry, lytton fire horses, merrit bc horses farms flooding

The Environment and Climate Change Canada website lists the top ten weather stories of 2021. Topping the list is the extreme heat (Record Heat Under the Dome) that hit the province of British Columbia in June and is described as the deadliest weather event in Canadian history. Second on the list is BC’s Flood of Floods in November. These two climate events were also ranked among the world’s most devastating this year.

The Magic of Sport Horse Syndicates

Updated:

March 24, 2022

horse sport syndicates, costs of horsekeeping, how to buy a horse, affordability horse riding, tania millen, dana cooke equestrian, diana crawford kingfisher park, carousel ridge

Sharing Costs, Spreading Risks - Racehorse syndicates have been around for a long time, but it’s only in the last 20 years that sport horse syndicates have become more common. In the horse world, a syndicate is generally a group of people who pool their funds to invest in a horse together and share the horse’s annual costs. Everyone who “buys in” is a shareholder and owns a portion of the horse for a set period of time, or until the horse is resyndicated or sold.

The Many Hats of a Horse Show Judge

Updated:

March 15, 2022

Lindsay Grice horse trainer, how to be a horse show judge, what does a horse judge do? ontario horse show judges canada

I smiled, walking past the airport hat kiosk, en route to a judging adventure at an exhibition in Eastern Canada. I’d be wearing several hats and judging a kaleidoscope of classes at the show — equitation, road hack, reining, Western riding, working hunter, pleasure driving, driven dressage, conformation, showmanship, miniature horses… and more!

Study Highlights Factors Influencing Risk of Equine Eventing Falls

Updated:

March 13, 2022

fei eventing, risk of falls in horse riding, how to not fall off a horse, risk of falling horse eventing, equine science update

A recent study has identified factors associated with an increased risk of falls during the cross-country phase of eventing and has suggested modifications that could reduce the risk of injury, making it safer for horse and rider. Higher-level events, longer courses, more starters in the cross-country phase, and less experienced horses and athletes all showed an increased risk. Identifying these risk factors allows riders and event organisers to assess the level of risk for individual horse, rider, and event combinations.

Burnout in the Horse Industry

Updated:

March 12, 2022

how to manage a horse and life, annika mcgivern, psychology of a horse rider, horse life balance

How to Bounce Back - As I sit down to write about burnout, I step back through time into memories of moments where I felt overwhelmed by frustration, exhaustion, and an agonizing feeling of not achieving. A feeling of not measuring up to expectations. When I was in this mental place, every unsuccessful show and difficult ride left me feeling stressed, anxious, and like a failure. The thoughts, Why do I do this? and I can’t do this any more! played on repeat in my head. I was spending so much time and money and I wanted success badly.

Sparky the Wonder (Senior) Horse

Updated:

February 4, 2022

relationship with horses, understanding horses, alexa linton, how old horses get, paddock paradise track system, natural environment horses

Vibrant Life Beyond 20 - Recently, I spent time with a horse named Sparky who is estimated to be over 40 years old. Understandably, you may be visualizing a tottering shell of a being, held together by medication and hay cubes, but this could not be further from the truth. Sparky is a sound, vital, cheeky, engaged fellow and the leader of the pack, although his teeth no longer work well for chewing hay. Out of curiosity, I studied his lifestyle, diet, way of being, and exercise routine with hopes of gleaning some insight to help me support my more “mature” equine clients as well as my own mare Diva, who turned 22 years old this past May.

How to Afford to Ride Horses

Updated:

February 3, 2022

a horse rider's budget, are horses expensive? I can't afford my horse, how to pay for a horse

Nearly everything to do with horses seems to be continually rising in cost. Yet cutting corners in any way that might compromise your horse’s health and welfare is never the solution to saving money. So how can we add higher costs to what is already a tight budget, and how much further will our finances stretch?

Horses with Jobs: Barge Horses

Updated:

February 1, 2022

working horses, barge horses, jobs with horses, horses with jobs, margaret evans horse

In England, the Romans were the first to build canals as irrigation or land drainage waterways. They used mules to haul boats loaded with cargo along those canals and it became a highly effective and economical way to transport goods. A horse towing a boat with a rope from a towpath could pull 50 times as much cargo as it could pull in a wagon on the road.