By: Bob Goddard

If you’ve ever had a child participate in the horse part of a 4-H youth fair, you probably know that the organizers expect parents to help out. Not only do they want parents to work, a Secret Gestapo Committee is set up to see that no parent is ever left with nothing to do.

I know this is true because whenever I’m on the fairgrounds and I sit down, somebody – a 4-H leader, another parent, one of the kids – suddenly appears with some task for me to perform. That’s right, these monsters recruit children.
continue reading "Sleepless at the Fair"

by Roxanne Sapergia

Last month we discussed the first 30 days of training with Jesse Thomson of 7P Ranch Horses in High River, Alberta. This month Thomson will give us an idea of what surprises the next 30 days will hold and what we should expect from our young horses as they progress through their training.

Thomson begins by explaining that by 30 rides the colt is starting to get fairly comfortable with the training program and having a rider on its back. With a quiet chuckle he explains, “This can be a very good thing or a very bad thing!
continue reading "Colt Starting with Jesse Thomson: Part II"

by Angela Pipe

While at the 2006 National Penning Finals in Calgary, Angela Pipe (a member of the SpokesSisters, an all women’s fundraising motorcycle group) was asked what the group did in the off-season.

“Nothing yet,” she replied. “But we’re looking for an event or two to tie in with.”

The National penning action below continued with the entrance of three local gals. Then the person beside Pipe said, “What might be fun would be for your group to tie in with a ladies team penning? When do those take place?”

There was a long pause as Pipe replied, “I don’t know of one.” That was short lived.
continue reading "All Things PINK: Ladies ‘Pen in the Proceeds’ for Positively Horsepower 2007"

By: Teresa van Bryce, Manager, Horse Industry Association of Alberta

In recent months, we have been asked questions such as: “Who is the Horse Industry Association of Alberta? What do you do? Are you government? Are you affiliated with the Alberta Equestrian Federation?”

I thought that this month’s column would be a good opportunity to answer some of these questions.
continue reading "Eye on the Industry July- Horse Industry Association of Alberta"

The Western conference of Canada’s only national, coast-to-coast show jumping series heated up when 36-year-old Gary Brewster of West Vancouver, riding Hurricane, won the $40,000 Kubota Cup Grand Prix on the infield of Edmonton Northlands race track.

Brewster snatched the Western conference lead from Calgary’s Albert Kley, who finished out of the money and dropped to third in qualifying.

In June 2’s event, 28 Western Canadians fended off a challenge from four American entries. Foreign competitors can compete for prize money in the individual series events, but are not eligible to qualify for the Kubota Cup National Final. “Fun and fast, great sport,” said Brewster. “I asked Hurricane to step up and he, obviously, did.”
continue reading "Western Canadians fend off Americans at Kubota Cup"

It’s big, it’s bronze, and it’s beautiful. The Texas town of El Paso, a bustling city with a colourful history, is now home to the world’s largest equestrian bronze figure.

The massive statue, which stands nearly 12m tall, is made up of 400 pieces. It consumed nearly 10 tonnes of bronze and requires more than 4.5 tonnes of supporting steel.

The artwork, called “The Equestrian,” portrays Mexican conquistador Don Juan de Onate riding a rearing Andalusian stallion. It was installed at El Paso’s international airport, and is the work of artist John Houser.
continue reading "World’s Largest Equestrian Bronze Installed"

by Marcia King

Do you know why a Thoroughbred can deliver that great burst of speed to eat up a mile in 1+1/2 minutes, or how an endurance horse can maintain the strength and stamina to cover long distances at steady speeds? Of course you do: conditioning.

Conditioning builds sturdy bones, develops strong muscles, and maximizes efficiency in the cardiovascular system. Although all these components are needed to deliver peak performance, like a “souped-up” engine that drives the sports car, it’s the “tuned-up” heart that drives the athlete, and makes everything else happen.
continue reading "Is His Heart in it?"