On June 21, 2006 Greg and Karen Michelson and family, along with fellow competitors Joe and Lonnie Brassard, travelled to Prince George, BC, for the annual Prince George Reining Horse Association Ride N’ Slide.

Greg racked up many wins to his credit over the three days of the show on the Michelson’s AQHA stallion Hickory Hello, including the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Open Champion, NRHA Limited Open Champion, Reserve NRHA Novice Horse, as well as placing third in the Open Working Cow Horse.
continue reading "Trainer Wins Big Despite Broken Arm"

by Roxanne Sapergia and Cindy Mark

As a year’s work of preparation by a dedicated committee of horsemen comes to its annual conclusion, the 2006 Goodyear Canadian Snaffle Bit Futurity and Championship was, once again, a huge success.

With the top three-year-olds, hackamore, and bridle horses from across the country converging on Claresholm, AB, for the weekend of September 1 to 3, the competition was as strong as ever.
continue reading "Another ‘Goodyear’ for Snaffle Bit Futurity"

Canada’s medal hopes fell squarely on the shoulders of the reiners, and they responded with a repeat of the 2002 World Equestrian Games and a silver medal performance.

Consistency was the keynote for the first three runs. Lance Griffin of DeWinton, AB, aboard Whiz N Tag Chex scored 219.0; Luke Gagnon, a Quebec-born, North Carolina resident aboard Lil Santana scored 219.0; and Francois Gauthier, a Quebec-born, Texas resident aboard Snow Gun scored 219.5.
continue reading "Canada Slides in for Silver (2006)"

by Nancy Critchley

Webster’s dictionary defines the word “supreme” as, “reaching the highest achievement of excellence,” and that is exactly what the Canadian Supreme has aspired to over these past 30 years.

The journey began in 1975 when a determined group of people came together to establish the Alberta Stakes and Futurity Association. The official mission of the association was, “To develop an association to promote and encourage the development and advancement of better quality snaffle bit and hackamore reined cow horses in Canada.”
continue reading "Happy 30th Birthday! Canadian Supreme Celebrates a Milestone"

by Karen Briggs

In this second article in our two-part series on first aid for the rider we take a look at common rider injuries and how to attend to them on site.

Probably the most common of all rider injuries is the classic concussion, which is the shaking around of the brain inside the skull.

It can vary in severity from the type that is accompanied by unconsciousness, to the very mild version of “seeing stars” for a few seconds. As a result, concussion can be difficult to detect with certainty, but it is usually diagnosed by memory loss (often of the incident that caused the concussion) and a feeling of being dazed.
continue reading "First Aid for the Rider: Part II - Common Rider Injuries"

by Cindy Mark

Have you ever noticed how the best riders – the ones who sit tall and straight in the saddle (be it Western or English) and seem to move effortlessly with their horse as if the two of them were one – also have the best posture when they’re off their horse?

That comes as no surprise to Kristoff Labrune, a personal trainer specializing in rider fitness and rehabilitation. Operating out of Nanton, AB, Labrune creates personalized exercise programs for those who are interested in understanding and improving their riding form, strength, flexibility and, ultimately, their skill on horseback.
continue reading "Keeping Fit for the Saddle"

The Canadian Para-Equestrian team kept the silver medal at home during the Pacific Rim CPDI 4* Para-Equestrian competition, held at Milner Downs, in Langley, BC, September 1 to 3, 2006.

The team, consisting of hometown girl Lauren Barwick; Karen Brain of Saanichton, BC; Eleonore Elstone, also of Langley; and Maple Ridge, BC, native Jennifer McKenzie, had a very close finish requiring several re-checks of the scores.
continue reading "Canada’s Para-Equestrians Take Silver"