DECEMBER 2017 THE RIDER /27 Ontario Equestrian Advocates for Equestrian Access to Trails


By Pam Cobourn In the early summer of 2017, On-


tario Equestrian (formerly the Ontario Equestrian Federation) was asked to support a large group of equestrians who were passionately concerned that they were on the verge of losing access to large portions of the Dufferin Forest Trail System - a trail that has been use by equestrians for many years and has become a destination for equestrian trail riders across south western Ontario. Throughout the summer season,


this community met and discussed their interest and commitment to the forest in the hopes of restoring access to single track trails that had been restricted to Cyclists only through the Dufferin County’s Recreational Use Policy passed on May 17, 2017.


After a rocky start, this committed


group of equestrians is working together and with Dufferin County Forest staff to create a new plan that will balance everyone’s needs and interests. I participated in many discussions


over this past summer working to not only understand the specific interests of this group and what we could do to pro- vide support to them, but also to create a meaningful role for Ontario Equestrian in supporting trail users across Ontario. Through years of surveys, we


know that approximately 50% of our 22,000 members are regular trail users, with varying frequency. Trail riding is not only a wonderful


recreational experience but it’s a way for even the more competitive riders to enjoy a wonderful relaxing day out-


doors, while letting their horse just be a horse.


One of the challenges for the


equestrian community is that, for many of us, trails are a destination - we bring our friends, plan the day, and may travel a significant distance to get to our trail of choice, while trails are often under the jurisdiction of local or regional munici- palities who are used to consulting on matters like this within their local area. If it’s a “numbers game” of how many locals use the trails for cycling, hiking or horse back riding, equestrians will al- ways represent a very small interest. The opportunity for Ontario


Equestrian is to help keep our broader equestrian community advised of these important local discussions. Municipalities face the challenge


of communicating with their con- stituency through local media, town hall meetings, etc., to manage their trail as- sets - they have a tough job of balancing all of those potentially competing inter- ests so it’s important that we find a con- structive way of working within that fabric.


After a difficult but productive


summer, we have firmly re-established our commitment to supporting our recre- ational members, many of whom are trail riders, through the following initia- tives: • We are completing a Trail Riding Safety Guide that will be available to our members on our website early in the new year; • We will be organizing a series of Trail Safety Workshops to be run out of our


office to start, and potentially brought to communities where the interest and op- portunity exists; and most importantly • We will continue to advocate for ac- cess to trails by our members across On- tario


We’re pleased to have been invited


to meetings by Simcoe County staff who are currently reviewing their Recre- ational Policy. Our best advice to equestrian trail


groups is to encourage you to stay in touch with each other. Establish a role or point person to stay in touch with the municipal and regional staff that are re- sponsible for your local trails; you want to be able to get involved early in the discussion, understand the issues and call on us for support where you believe we can be of help.


Pathobiology professor focuses research on equine health


Guelph - ON Dr. Janet Beeler Marfisi has always had an interest in equine health, as her father owned Standardbred racehorses giving her plenty of expo- sure to horses from a young age. Her particular interest in equine lung health was piqued while working for mobile equine vet, Dr. John Hennessey, in the summers prior admission to the Uni- versity of Guelph’s Ontario Veterinary College as a DVM student. After graduation in


Tina Irwin Continued from Page 26


win its first-ever gold medal at the CDIO 3* Stillpoint Farm FEI Nations Cup in Wellington, FL in March 2017.


Tina helped the Cana-


dian Dressage Team earn the silver medal at the 2011 Pan American Games, and broke the 2017 record for the world’s highest small tour score (78.708%), achieved in the Intermediate 1 Freestyle at the 2017 AGDF with her 10-year-old Oldenburg geld- ing, Laurencio (Larentio x Donnerhall). Tina and Lau- rencio were also members of Canada’s gold medal team at the CDIO 3* Stillpoint Farm FEI Nations Cup, where they also took first place individ- ually in the CDIO 3* Inter- mediate I Freestyle. Tina and Jaimey cur-


rently operate Team Irwin out of Stoney Lake Equestrian in Stouffville, ON, where they have a large and loyal client base. Many of their clientele compete internationally, and the Irwins routinely bring 18 or more horses with them to the prestigious AGDF circuit each winter. Their next-gen- eration students


include


Alexandra Meghji, who has competed at NAJYRC multi- ple times, including 2017 and 2016, when she brought home the team silver medal and finished fourth individu- ally.


When it comes to


preparing to teach rising star students like Meghji, Tina feels that the demanding re- quirements for HP1 eligibil-


Jacqueline Brooks


American College of Veterinary Patholo- gists in Clinical Pathology, joined OVC’s Pathobiology department in early 2017, and teaches DVM and graduate courses. Her current research is focused on finding better ways of diagnosing lung disease in cats, dogs, and horses using cell markers and


2007, she won a scholarship as an Ameri- can College of Veterinary Pathologists - So- ciety of Toxicologic Pathology Coalition Fellow which allowed her to pursue a DVSc at OVC. Mentored by Dorothee Bi- enzle, Pathobiology, and Laurent Viel, Clinical Studies, her thesis work focussed on the development of heaves, or severe asthma, in horses. Beeler-Marfisi, a Diplomate of the


agnostics and teaching to her role at OVC. Beeler-Marfisi was an Assistant Professor of Clinical Pathology and Clinical Pathol- ogist at Ross University School of Veteri- nary Medicine, and more recently worked as a Diagnostic Clinical Pathologist in New Zealand. Being a teacher is helping to guide


ity are a true test of the skills and knowl- edge developed in the ring. Jaimey agreed, elaborating on how his own competition experience helped him prepare to coach at the highest level of dressage. “I think by having advanced compe-


tition experience, I understand what it takes to get to this level of competition,” explained Jaimey. “It also allows me to get inside my students’ minds. When I know what they are feeling and thinking, I can better aid them in providing solutions to attaining their goals.” While the three coaches’ teaching


philosophies may differ slightly from one another on the surface (for example, Jaimey focuses on goal-setting, while Tina promotes developing confidence and inde- pendence in the arena), they all believe strongly in the merits of coaching certifi- cation as proof of the intrinsic knowledge, experience and talent required to help stu- dents achieve high performance dreams. “I feel it is important for coaches to


be certified to ensure that our sport in Canada can continue to grow by evaluat- ing how coaches are educating their rid- ers,” said Tina. “We carry a great amount of responsibility to our students, the sport and ourselves, and by becoming certified we uphold this standard and educate others in the right way.” Echoing the Irwins’ sentiments,


Brooks explained, “I think that our sport in general has had less focus on fully cer- tified coaches than others I have been in- volved with. I am very happy to support this program and encourage other coaches to pursue education, skill training and ul- timately certification. I think it is impor- tant that students begin to be able to find certified coaches in their area and know they are properly trained and qualified to teach them.” For more information on the EC


Certified Coaching Program, visit www.canadaequestre.ca/programs-ser- vices/coaches.


flow cytometry. An additional area of focus is studying asthma in young horses to see if, similar to people in Ontario, there is a cause and effect relationship between air pollution and asthma in horses. Ultimately the research may help trainers and horse owners to modify how and when they train the horses. She brings extensive experience in di-


students, says Beeler-Marfisi, not only teaching them what the laboratory data they will be encountering on a daily basis


means, but also “what to do when you don’t know the answer.”


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