The Alberta North Region hosted the 2007 edition of the Canadian Pony Club National Quiz at the Greenwood Inn in Edmonton on Thanksgiving weekend.

Quiz is different from other Pony Club competitions in that it does not require horses or ponies – just a great deal of equestrian knowledge. And since “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” fun activities are planned as well.

This year, competitors – from Nova Scotia to BC, plus the USA – tackled a corn maze, had a “harness-the-mini” race and a competition in which they had to “dress a dressage rider” using white and green plastic bags, twine and a roll of duct tape to create the dressage uniform. Here are the winners:
continue reading "Pony Club Brings Out Its Best"

Rare livestock breeds are becoming extinct at a rate of one per month, prompting 108 countries to agree on a global plan of action to save the animals, including horses.

The United Nations (UN) Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) called the extinction rate “alarming.”

“Wise management of the world’s animal genetic resources is of ever greater importance,” said FAO Assistant Director-General Alexander Muller, addressing participants at the first International Technical Conference on Animal Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture in Interlaken, Switzerland, in September.
continue reading "Global Plan to Save Endangered Breeds"

The Bar U Ranch National Historic Site of Canada, with the participation of the Friends of the Bar U Historic Ranch Association, staged its ninth annual Old Time Ranch Rodeo, an event that literally made history as the site’s most widely attended day ever.

Over 1,000 appreciative fans watched as the Rocking P Ranch team, of Nanton, AB, comprised of members Mac Blades, Justin Blades, Blake Schlosser and Logan Bird, took top prize, though the win was anything but easy.
continue reading "Bar U’s Old Time Ranch Rodeo Makes History"

The 5th annual Bar U Ranch Chore Horse Competition got underway on Sunday, September 9, before a crowd of over 400 spectators, who cheered to first place a team of mules driven by Ray VanTighem of Didsbury, AB.

A veteran mule skinner, VanTighem took the title over nine other teamsters driving heavy horses.
continue reading "Mule takes title at Bar U Chore Horse Competition"

To better understand human behaviour, tracking the social habits of zebras may be a good place to start.

Tracking zebras is part of a research plan by a multi-disciplinary group of researchers led by University of Illinois at Chicago assistant professor of computer science Tanya Berger-Wolf.
continue reading "Scientists to Study Zebra Interaction"

Luciano Pavarotti, the Italian singer whose pristine sound set a standard for operatic tenors of the postwar era, passed away on September 6 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer.

Opera and football were two of the maestro’s passions, but lesser known to the world was his love of horse sport, which began in 1960 when he was 25. That year, the Olympic Games had taken place in Rome and the D’Inzeo brothers had won the gold in jumping.

“My general love of the horse became a particular one: jumpers,” Pavarotti said. He bought his first horse in Ireland, started riding himself – “Donkeys, cats and dogs are small, but horses are big, even bigger than me. “Horses are a challenge,” – and enrolled his three daughters and other household members in the renowned Irish Kellet Riding School. His love of the animal and sport grew.
continue reading "Pavarotti’s love of horses saluted"

Participation in equine activities is increasing along with Alberta’s population. With so many new, urban participants, a need has been identified for a seminar to assist interested parties in getting involved with horses and getting started in the right direction.

The Horse Industry Association of Alberta is hosting six “Getting Started with Horses” educational events in six Alberta locations. These evening seminars will cover the topics: Myths, Mysteries, and Miseries; Choosing Your Path; What a Horse Needs; What a Rider Needs; Stable Selection/Keeping Horses at Home; and Professional Guidance/ Support.
continue reading "Getting started with horses? Horse Industry Association hosts educational seminars"