In recent years, a growing number of facilities specializing in rehabilitation and fitness for injured horses have emerged in Western Canada. These centres cater to horses in need of recovery or improved fitness, offering a range of treatments tailored to individual needs. Services vary depending on the business, with options like treadmills, swimming pools, exercise equipment, saltwater baths, and solariums commonly available. Many centres also provide additional offerings such as bodywork, nebulizer treatments, and retail products.

The 21st Century Rider - Many Canadian riders are throwing their leg over horses well beyond the age when others are pursuing more sedentary activities. For example, about 19 percent of Alberta Equestrian Federation members were over the age of 56 from 2015 to 2018. In British Columbia, approximately 19 percent of active Horse Council BC members were over age 60 in 2018. Meanwhile, in Quebec last year, about 12 percent of Cheval Quebec members were age 60 and over. Nationally, approximately 22 percent of Equestrian Canada sport licence holders were older than 50 in 2018, and 10 percent were older than 60.

Satisfying the horse-specific needs of stallions is imperative for their mental and physical health. However, it can be challenging to provide living arrangements where stallions aren’t just surviving — but thriving. Kelly Brook Allen is one stallion owner who is adamant about her horse’s welfare. “He gets to live a normal life,” she says. Allen owns Canoa Farms in Merritt, British Columbia with her husband, Ron Stolp.

Canada is a massive country, with large distances between equine competitions and a relatively small number of upper-level equestrians. Hence, Canadian riders who want to be competitive at upper levels struggle to find enough higher-level competitions to advance their riding careers. Canada also has winter weather that precludes many riders from training outside for half the year. This can limit advancement and horse fitness. For example, three-day event riders can’t school cross-country jumps or get their gallop training in when fields are drifted with snow, nor can endurance riders do long rides on varied terrain.

Breakaway roping is the fastest rodeo sport on the planet right now. Winning times are less than two seconds. Yes, you read that right — less than two seconds can garner professional breakaway ropers thousands of dollars in winnings.

6 Ways to Up Your Social Media Game

By Tania Millen, BSc, MJ

An online poll conducted by Horse Community Journals Inc. about the prevalence of horse riding accidents sheds light on the startling frequency of injuries among equestrians.

As we made our way up a searing gully of black boulders, I focused on pushing past the dryness in my throat and the sweat soaking my back. It was a late afternoon in February 2020, and I was leading Farouk, a spirited 18-year-old 14.1HH chestnut Arabian stallion, who was more inclined to gallop across the open desert than navigate the rocky ravines we now faced.

The cowboy was not born in a vacuum; he was molded by the fusion of Spanish, Mexican, Native American, and Anglo cultures, as Daniel Pruitt explains in his glossy, photo-rich book Cowboy: American Icon. A Short History of Wild West Culture.