JUNE 2018 THE RIDER /41
Equine Guelph Donates Courses for Youth Literary Derby Winners, and John Campbell weighs in on the Derby
Educators For Equines Story by: Bill Galvin
Guelph, ON, May 1, 2018 - Equine Guelph, a leader in equine research and sports medi- cine, headlines a group of On- tario educators extolling the merits of the Youth Literary Derby. “The Derby is a wonderful
initiative encouraging youth of Ontario to express themselves, engage and celebrate in the won- derful world of horses,” said Gayle Ecker, director of Equine Guelph. “As an enthusiastic part- ner in the promotion of the Youth Literary Derby and a strong sup- porter of education for budding horse enthusiasts, Equine Guelph is pleased to provide online Horse Behaviour and Safety courses for the winners of the Youth Literary Derby.” Equine Guelph, well known
for their support of the grass roots of the horse industry with their award-winning travelling display, EquiMania!, recently added the short course for youth 14 – 17 years old: Horse Behaviour and Safety. “We hope the Derby win- ners will enjoy furthering their interest in horses and learning the language of the horse during this highly interactive course,” Ecker continued. Harness racing legend and
Hambletonian Society president, John Campbell weighs in on the Literary Derby: “I read with great interest
about the Youth Literary initia-
tive being implemented in Ontario. I believe that ex- posing children to horses and the excitement of see- ing and being around newborn foals will result in some incredible stories from these children. Some of these kids might not know it now but after being around and interact- ing with these horses their lives will be changed. It will be the beginning of a lifetime love affair as horses are addictive; they make an impression on you and are good for the soul. The project really hit home
for me as I have always been an avid reader and feel that even though technology and the way we learn has changed, we should encourage children to read, write and express themselves through literature as much as possible. I have seen firsthand the anticipa- tion and excitement that you see on a child’s face when they re- ceive a new book. In addition, my daughter Michelle is involved with KPMG’S Family Literacy program whose mission is to pro- vide new books and educational resources to children in need. As you can see, giving back is a fam- ily affair.”
Standardbreds in the class- room
“As an elementary teacher
at a rural school I have found the Youth Literary Derby to be a great way to connect students with the Standardbred industry,”
is a horse-themed contest for Ontario student’s grades 5 – 8. It offers $2,000 in prize money and is de- signed to encourage writing and literacy skills and of- fers students the opportu- nity to visit Ontario Standardbred
breeding
said Trena Lebedz of the Aldbor- ough Public School in Rodney Ontario. “I look forward to allowing
more students the opportunity to share their knowledge and love for horses by including the pro- gram in my classes as part of the curriculum,” she said. “We are currently learning about the dif- ferent types of poems, which will be used to create a poetic piece for the contest.” Trena Lebedz comes by her
love of horses quite honestly. Her great grandfather, J. Russell Miller, was an astute, successful horseman who owned, trained and bred many outstanding Stan- dardbreds for more than four decades.
From the St. John French Immer- sion Catholic Elementary School in London, Ont., “It’s (The Youth Literary Derby) a good idea and can work well with our curricu- lum.”
“Foals are a fantastic sub- ject for any story. Whether its
penmanship or horsemanship, we wish all of the contestants the best of luck and look forward to reading the winning poems and short stories,” said Ontario Equestrian, Director, Tracey McCague-McElrea. Ontario Equestrian, is a partner in the promotion and support of the Youth Literary Derby, and is Ontario’s provincial support organization for equestrians. It is committed to the highest standards of horse welfare ad- vocacy and pursuits and repre- sents 22,000 members from all sectors of the horse industry. “Having students write
poems and short stories about Standardbreds is fantastic. We should follow your lead and do something like this in the States,” says Kimberly Rinker, Vice President of the United States Harness Writers Associ- ation. “What a great program and incentive to get youngsters involved or interested in har- ness racing.” The Youth Literary Derby
farms during foaling season in April, through June and challenges them to create inspiring prose, or poetry about their close up encoun- ters with Standardbred foals.
Entries close June 15th. For complete contest details
and a list of Ontario farms avail- able for visiting before writing
their entry, students are advised to visit:
www.YouthLiterary-
Derby.ca For additional information: Galvin:
Bill
billgalvin2000@rogers.com
About Equine Guelph: Equine Guelph is the horse
owners’ and care givers’ Centre at the University of Guelph in Canada. It is a unique partnership dedicated to the health and well- being of horses, supported and overseen by equine industry groups. Equine Guelph is the epi- centre for academia, industry and government - for the good of the equine industry as a whole. For further
information,
www.equineguelph.ca. visit
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