16/ JULY 2012 THE RIDER


President/ Newsletter Kari Kelly


Elmvale, ON L0L 1P0 (705) 322-6338,


Email: kkrkelly@xplornet.com


2012 Ontario Trail Riders Association Board of Directors Director


Vice President / Membership/ Website Wendy Downer Elmvale, ON L0L 1P0 Home: 705-322-0287 Email:


wnewdawn@xplornet.com


Secretary/ Event Calendat Janice Clegg


Everett, ON L0M 1J0 Home: 705-434-0816 Cell: 519-940-1445, Work: 800-360-5821,


Email: pineriverranch@gmail.com


Treasurer Jan Belanger


OTRA: Box 3038, Elmvale, ON L0L 1P0 • www.otra.ca


Elmvale, ON L0L 1P0 Home: 705-322-2027 Email: janbel@csolve.net


Public Relations/Promotions Kevin Kelly Elmvale, ON


Home: (519) 322-6338 Email: kkrkelly@xplornet.com


Grants


Marjory Morden Proton Station, ON ochrerider@live.ca


Fundraising/ Special Projects Morris Radomskey Everett, ON L0M 1J0 Email: morris@sprayhts.com


Administration Shirley Bodnarchuk Elmvale, ON L0L 1P0 Home: (705) 322-7858 Email:


shirley.bodnarchuk@gmail.com


Trail Development/Regional Reps Coordinator Karen Plume Harriston, ON


Home: (519) 323-4653 Email: kp59ca@gmail.com


Linda Stillson


Penetanguishene, ON Email:


thestillsons@rogers.com


The Ontario Trail Riders Association Inc, established in 1970, is an equestrian organization which promotes recreational trail riding and the creation, development, preservation and safe use of trails.


OTRA and its members represent the equestrian trail user with the Ontario Trails Council, Ontario Equestrian Federation and Equine Canada. We welcome your membership to help sup- port the voice of OTRA on your behalf. For more information please visit our website at www.otra.ca


Adventures With A “New to Me” Trailer At Sandaraska


It was the trail ride at San- daraska, hosted by Dolly and Jessica Puccia. I had tried everything on my “new to me trailer” to make sure it worked. Well, everything I touched, backfired. I got on the road at rush hour and arrived at San- daraska at dusk.


place.


By the time I arrived I was tired and my nerves were shot. As I drove in I saw a gentleman I knew, an OTRA ICON really. This person has been around for more than 7 decades, still shows up at the trail rides, has bound- less energy and is hard to keep up with… When I learned OTRA didn’t have a designated area, I requested a campsite next to this kind, helpful OTRA friend.


The weekend was great, the trails were beautiful. Dolly and her family were excellent hosts! Sunday came too fast and it was time to pack. First the canopy wouldn’t come down. I envisioned me going down the highway with the canopy open, just like in the movie RV… I called upon my OTRA neighbour (who is a patriotic Canadian with a bit of a German accent) for help. In true Canadian and OTRA style he came to my aid and got the canopy up and locked into


not to load. The rear tack area was invading her space, and she was sure something was waiting to eat her behind the wall. My trusty OTRA neighbour again offered to help. My horse was kicking up quite a fuss and I explained that it was probably best to stay clear. Well he watched and then asked if he could take the lead rope. I told him to be very careful, because if it was me and my horse that took him out, I would just have to point the truck and trailer toward the sunset and keep driving… FOREVER. He mused at this, patted the horse and asked if I had treats and a bowl… My horse followed him quietly into the trailer. He emerged from the trailer point- ing to his head and said “Some- times you have to use this instead of your muscles.” (Les- son learned, once again). When we left he stopped to empty his trailer tanks and I watched. It looked so easy! My turn was next, but of course the drainage system was different than his… He gallantly got done on all fours, and together we wrestled the cap off the drainage pipe. We then started looking for the handles to open


Welcome New Members


Mary Misek - Deer River Clare Mullen - Barrie


Vicki & Don Eagles - Minesing Jennifer Carl - New Liskeard Marlene Tucker - Burlington Cherly Clews & Jake Fehr - Queensville


Report on Research Genomic Road Map to Rhodococcus Opens New Expressway to Vaccine Development By Jackie Bellamy, Equine Guelph


Imagine a 3 decade journey - a quest for an insidious bacterium pos- sessing elusive qualities equivalent to that of the Holy Grail. Dr. John Prescott, University of Guelph Profes- sor and Chair of the OVC Department of Pathobiology, has been unwavering in staying the course on his quest to find a vaccine able to combat the dead- ly Rhodococcus bacterium. Rhodococ- cus (R. equi) is no bug on the wind- shield that can be easily wiped off. Once this air-borne organism leaves Point A (soil and manure) to travel to Point B (the lungs of a young foal) it hides in the very macrophages that


should normally seek out and destroy invading bacteria. The advent of genomic research has opened up a super highway full of new information. Since the recent mapping of the R.- equi genome (published 2010), the des- tination for a vaccine is not far away. The need for a vaccine is great. R. equi can stow away inside a young foal undetected for months. By the time symptoms of panting and coughing first appear, (usually at the same time horse owners are busily bringing in their hay) the only course of action is the expensive and time-consuming administration of antibiotics.


Dr. Prescott and his team are col- laborating internationally to tackle this


global disease. Prescott’s former MSc student, Iain MacArthur, is also com- mitted to seeing this epic journey through and works closely with Prescott online using Skype. MacArthur is currently working on his doctorate at the University of Edin- burgh and runs tests using micro- arrays. This entails printing every Rhodococcus gene onto a slide and looking at their expressions under dif- ferent conditions. MacArthur explains the advantages of having the blueprint for the R.-equi genome:”instead of hunting around a cave with a tiny flashlight - we can now switch the lights on, view all contents and see how the genetic material relates.”


“This level of understanding would have been considered almost science fiction just a few years ago - It is incredible what we can do with this new genomic technology,” exclaims Prescott. The advances in research, since 2003 when the human genome project mapped out all the sequence of DNA in the body have been truly incredible. When looking at all 5,000 genes in the R. equi sequence they are now able to assign a function to each - a task which simply was not possible before mapping the R. equi genome. The level of understanding has been increased exponentially due to advances allowing researchers to look at the whole genomic picture. Prescott


explains, “It’s a very complex process, although it gets easier as more and more people work in the area of genomics.” The high beams are on and researchers are able see all the genes that are switched on - the complete blueprint. They now know what makes this organism a pathogen, what it needs to live and how it works. Prescott and MacArthur are isolating and targeting the most switched on and linked genes to develop a weakened form of the live virulent which could then be orally administered as a vaccine.


So the million dollar question breeders want to know regarding the road to a Rhodococcus vaccine - Are we there yet? Not far now!


Next, my horse decided the valves…


Pleased that I had found a handle, not realizing it was to the “poop tank,” I excitedly asked “Helmut, do I pull or push to open the valve?” I did not realize that he was directly in front with his nose about 6 inches from the pipe’s end, and the hose was not yet attached.


Perhaps it was that his voice got an octave higher, or perhaps it was the curse word, or the urgency in his voice that made me freeze as I heard #%#* KAREN DO NEITHER, I REPEAT DO NEITHER!!!” I stopped and looked. I was impressed, given his age, at just how fast he backed up on all


fours and moved out of the potential line of fire! Again, I thought, if I had pulled that handle, I would have had to drive into the sunset, never to return…


Well that night I dreamed of the next OTRA ride but in my dream Helmut saw me and my “new to me trailer” and


said, “That woman that pulled in ahead of me, I want to be AS FAR AWAY FROM HER AS POSSIBLE!” What can I say Helmut, thank you, and I wouldn’t blame you a bit!!! That was a narrow escape. I can’t wait for my next OTRA adventure!


Karen Plume


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