by Audrey Pavia

While many adult riders were fortunate enough as kids to have a wonderful pony who took care of them as they were learning, there are plenty of other former-children out there who have less-than-fond memories of that first mount.

Many of these kids from a few decades ago are not even involved with horses anymore –that’s how unhappy their pony recollections are.

You may have run across these people in your travels. They have no shortage of pony horror stories to share. Tales of being bitten, kicked and stepped on by their ponies are common. And they have even more details of being dumped from the saddle at a young age than you can even imagine.
continue reading "Your Child’s First Pony: Making the Experience a Good One"

The generosity of western Canadian horse owners has helped the Western College of Veterinary Medicine raise an additional $200,000 for equine health research during the first year of a unique matching gift incentive program.

Half of the funding — $100,000 — came from more than 100 individuals, organizations and companies whose contributions “triggered” a successful match from the fundraising incentive during its first 12 months of operation.
continue reading "WCVM raises $200,000 for equine research"

By April Clay, Chartered Psychologist & Consultant in Equine Sports Psychology

If you are like many riders, there are times when you wish you could relax on command. Like those times when your nerves are making your head spin and your stomach impersonate a tsunami. Or when your horse is so tense and fresh it feels like he is practically vibrating.

Of course, it’s very difficult to will yourself into a pleasant lull when you most need to.

Fortunately, you can learn how to truly relax your body so you can “push the relax button” in times of stress. It just takes a little, um, work.
continue reading "Learning ‘Chill Skills’"

Researchers in Iran have put equine colour vision to the test and found that ponies can indeed see colour, and can discriminate between colours and grey.

In the paper Color Discrimination in the Caspian Pony, the researchers said that, “although an early and influential review led to the often-cited conclusion that colour vision is rare among mammals, more recent findings suggest that it is actually widespread.
continue reading "Horse colour vision tested on Caspian ponies"

by Cyndi Rowat

When Russian immigrant Morris Shumiatcher pioneered the Smithbilt Hat Company in Calgary in 1919 little could he have known what the world would be like in 2007.

In those early days, hats were something people needed to keep the sun off their brow and the rain off their head. Today, the cowboy hat is a symbol that affirms a tradition, a style, and a way of life.
continue reading "Smithbilt; Hat of the New West"

The Horses and Humans Research Foundation (HHRF) invites proposals to investigate the therapeutic effects of horses on humans.

The Foundation’s broad research agenda includes basic research as well as clinical studies that will ultimately impact physical and mental health and the quality of life for people with disabilities who are involved with equine assisted activities and/or therapies.

Grants are awarded on a competitive basis, taking into account scientific merit, scientific and clinical significance and relevance to areas designated by the Foundation.
continue reading "Equine Research Foundation calls for proposals $100,000 in funding available"

For the past 25 years or so, the round pen has become a very effective tool for training horses. First we need to determine the size we need. Here’s what I prefer: approximately 55 ft (anywhere from 40 to 60 ft will do).

A hotter horse needs a bigger pen, a lazy horse a smaller pen. Some folks like their pen 8 ft high with solid walls. I don’t. I like open walls and like it to be only 5 ft high.
continue reading "The Round Pen: by Bernie Nikkel"