With winter fading and longer, warmer days ahead, now is the ideal time to plan for a standout trail riding season. Whether you’re a seasoned rider or new to the trail, these steps will help you make the most of your summer trail riding season and build a strong partnership with your horse.

As winter subsides and a new season approaches, mare owners eagerly anticipate selecting the perfect stallion. However, before making breeding decisions, several crucial factors must be considered to ensure a successful and responsible outcome.

A good grooming session is a lovely way to connect with your horse, and most horses appreciate the pampering. However, often avoided is the important task of cleaning the sheath of a male horse. Whether it's the fear of being kicked, uncertainty of how to do it properly, or simply feeling squeamish, many with geldings and stallions tend to avoid the chore. Despite the reluctance, veterinarians recommend regular cleaning and inspection of a horse's sheath as vital to the health of the male horse.

Each equestrian discipline has its own specialized movements, requiring distinct training, balance and footwork. While some of these maneuvers may look similar, they serve unique purposes within their respective sports. For instance, in dressage, riders guide their horse’s front end around the hindquarters in elegant pirouettes; ranch riders execute quick 180-degree turns to track cattle; and reining horses perform fast, precise 360-degree spins. Although all involve turning, the reasons and techniques behind these movements are different. To understand their purpose, timing, and differences, we consulted a dressage rider, a ranch horseman, and a reining judge for insight.

Day one of our three-week pack journey was off to a rough start. All seven horses in the line were jumpy—especially Chocolate, my Spanish Mustang. Unfamiliar with the horses around him and unhappy about leading one he didn’t like, he was clearly unsettled.

Horses sold at Canadian auctions range from high-end racehorses to weanlings of unknown origins. There are auctions for specific breeds or levels of performance, and those that are open to anyone who has a horse to sell. There are online auctions, in-person auctions, and a combination of both. Canadian horse auctions cater to every budget, too.

Climate change is increasingly affecting horses, horse properties, and their owners across Canada. In recent surveys, nearly 90 percent of Canadians reported noticing the impacts of climate change in their communities. Horses are facing rising health risks, including respiratory diseases from wildfire smoke and dust, skin conditions and hoof damage caused by unpredictable weather, and new parasites and diseases. Horse owners are also dealing with higher hay costs, unexpected veterinary expenses, and challenges related to weather disruptions, such as riding limitations. Meanwhile, owners of horse properties are working to repair damage from severe storms, flooding, droughts, and high winds.

In Canada, professionals who offer equine massage, equine chiropractic, farriery, and equine homeopathy who are not veterinarians may unintentionally be practicing veterinary medicine, which could be against provincial laws. There is a lack of oversight due to few regulations governing the training, certification, and qualifications of these types of service providers. Moreover, provincial veterinary associations typically only intervene when a complaint is filed by a horse owner. As a result, individuals can easily market themselves as qualified to offer these services, even without the necessary expertise, leaving vulnerable horse owners to "learn the hard way" when choosing a provider.

In October 1873, after Canada’s Prime Minister John A. Macdonald approved the formation of a North West Mounted Police (NWMP) force, adverts like this one in the Halifax Chronicle appeared in newspapers across what is now Eastern Canada. They encouraged recruits to sign on to what Tony Rees writes would become “one of the greatest chapters in Canada’s national mythology; as rich in absurdity as glory, every bit as foolhardy and reckless as it was colourful and proud.”