Is it hot enough for you? If you feel suppressed by repeated days of hot and humid weather, you can be sure that your horse feels worse.

Rider Down! It’s a trail rider’s worst nightmare: getting hurt and requiring evacuation from a remote area. Whether out on the trails for a few hours or on an overnight trip, the reality that every recreational rider must face is that emergencies can occur. Preparation is key and the success of emergency evacuations has a lot to do with planning for their possibility. It can also determine whether a rider survives.

The Lac La Croix Indigenous pony, named after the Lac La Croix First Nation, now the Gakijiwanong Anishinaabe Nation, primarily existed in northwestern Ontario and across the United States border into Minnesota. This unique pony breed, considered to be developed by the Indigenous Peoples, was used for winter transportation, running trap lines, hauling logs and ice, and pulling sleighs. As forest dwellers, the breed boasts strong hooves to endure the rocky terrain of the Canadian Shield; fuzzy ears to protect them from insects; and often a dorsal stripe down its back and zebra stripes on its legs.

Those who primarily work in riding arenas or round pens with sand footing, such as equestrian riding coaches, riding instructors, and horse trainers, are at an higher risk of respiratory issues.

Holidays on Horseback - Sven, the Haflinger pack pony, jerked his head up and snorted. I looked uphill towards our camp and caught a humpy flash of beige ducking behind a stunted fir tree. Grizzly, I thought. I was hand-grazing Sven and my paint mare, Jewel, on a frosty July morning in Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park, British Columbia during a solo pack trip. When Sven jerked his head up again, a beige grizzly bear shambled downhill towards us. Just 20 metres uphill from the first bear, a second bear rose up on its hind legs out of the brush before dropping down onto all fours and following the frontrunner. As the two bears lumbered towards us, Sven danced around on his lead line while Jewel kept grazing, and my heart beat a little quicker. As I considered what to do, a third bear trundled out of the trees and followed the first two. They were all grizzlies, all full size, and all coming straight at us. I started to sweat.

“Event Cancelled. Quarantine in Effect.” No equine event manager or exhibitor wants to hear these words. However, the growing number of equestrian events, increased interprovincial and international equine movement, and the rising concentration of horses at individual events have all heightened the risk of infectious disease outbreaks and transmission.

At CF Fence in southern Okanagan, BC, owner Alan Cossentine recognizes the value and importance of safe, reliable fencing for livestock on farms and ranches.

As a horse owner, you may be curious about the potential benefits of adding omega-3s to your horse’s diet. Do all horses need them? Should you be adding them to your horse’s diet? Are there well-reported benefits? Understanding the requirement for fatty acids in the equine diet, like omega-3s (O3s) and omega-6s (O6s), and the well-reported health benefits of them is important when considering supplementation.

Did you know that a stunning working horse ranch, backed by the Canadian government and open to trail riders, sits on the doorstep of the Rocky Mountains? Yes, it’s true. Ya Ha Tinda Ranch — owned and operated by Parks Canada — is the only federally run horse ranch in the country and marked its 100th anniversary in 2017.