DECEMBER 2018 THE RIDER/ 9 INSIDE


Equine Industry Symposium. . 9 CRHRA News . . . . . . . . . . 11 Grey Bruce Horse Day. . . . 11 Artist Jack Sorenson. . . . . . 12 NERCHA News . . . . . . . . . 13


The importance of standards and professionalism in the equine industry


Written by BBRM student Jamie Meilach and Prof Katrina Merkies


“We can succeed together or fail


apart.” These were the words stated by former CEO of Equine Canada, Akaash Maharaj, who facilitated the third annual Equine Industry Sympo- sium on October 27th, 2018 hosted by Equine Management students in the Bachelor of Bio-Resource Manage- ment (BBRM) degree at the Univer- sity of Guelph. Horse enthusiasts from all backgrounds participated in engag- ing discussions on prevalent industry issues centered on standards and pro- fessionalism led by invited speakers. Catherine Geci, Business Develop- ment Manager at the University of Ot- tawa spoke about the importance of professionalism in building connec- tions and lasting partnerships. Dr Kendra Coulter, Professor of Labour Studies at Brock University, reported on her recently released study on horse farm employers and employees in On- tario, showing that 50% of stable workers reported earning minimum wage or less and almost half of the workers are improperly classified as independent contractors, and are thus are not protected by the Employee Standards Act. Pam Coburn from Ontario


Equestrian explained four main gaps she has seen in the industry: 1) horse- manship and the need to better under- stand horses’ needs, 2) athlete and coach development, 3) competition programing where riders should have to prove performance at lower levels before being allowed to show at higher levels, and 4) the fragmentation of the sport and the fact that all aspects of the industry need to come together. Diane Creech, elite dressage rider, compared coaching certification be- tween Germany and Canada, with the German process being much more rig- orous and standardised. Len Kahn, Kahntact Marketing, talked about the importance of branding and how brands were like bank accounts – per- sonal


experiences with the


company/industry either add to or take away from the account. Cally Merritt, Ontario Association of Veterinary Technicians, stressed the importance of standards as proof of providing the best services possible, particularly in an industry where certification is not mandatory. Maharaj stressed the fact that our


Canadian equine industry is huge – bigger


than the


dairy sector – and yet all industry at- tendees agreed that the equine industry lacks unity, regula- tion and standardi- zation,


thus


limiting its impact. These issues make it difficult to find the best trainers, coaches and best care practices for the most important member of our community – the horse! While it is clear that the indus- try has a long way to go to align the practices of all


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those involved, the symposium stimu- lated the participants to think about standardization and professionalism. Co-facilitator Tim Nelson, CEO of Livestock Research Innovation Cor- poration and Executive Director of PigGen Canada, challenged us to col- laborate on action items as a way to promote our industry: 1. Create standardized job descriptions for people working at horse facilities across all sectors 2. Collaborate and consolidate horse organizations and associations – pool strength for a unified voice 3. Identify champions to lead the fu- ture vision of our industry 4. Identify exemplary employers as role models 5. Identify funding opportunities 6. With a unified voice, meet with government representatives to raise awareness of the size and scope of the equine industry in Canada (which is larger than the dairy industry). If you weren’t able to attend this


years’ symposium, don’t worry. To catch up on the discussion you missed and to participate in new and ongoing discussions


head over to


horseportal.com and look for the Equine Industry Symposium under the


Conferences tab. You can register for free using the coupon code EISfo- rum2018. We hope to see even more horse people from all sectors of the equine industry at next year’s sympo- sium.


Find us on Facebook at Equine


Industry Symposium 2018, and Insta- gram @equineindustrysymposium to keep up with event postings for future symposiums and see photos from this year’s event. Contact: EQevents@uoguelph.ca for more information


About the BBRM program: The Bach- elor of Bio-Resource Management de- gree in Equine Management provided by the University of Guelph focuses on equid well-being, management, bi- ology and business to provide knowl- edge applicable to all aspects of the equine industry. The program provides both practical hands-on and theoretical experience, with lectures and labs tak- ing place across classroom, fieldtrip and in-barn settings. To gain useful ex- perience in the area of event manage- ment, the second year BBRM students are responsible for planning and host- ing the annual Equine Industry Sym- posium.


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OCHA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 OTRA News. . . . . . . . . . . . 14 ORHA News . . . . . . . . . . . 15 OPHC News. . . . . . . . . . . . 16 ORCHA News . . . . . . . . . . 17


Mary’s Wedding . . . . . . . . 17 Protest in Norfolk. . . . . . . . 18 Proud to Farm. . . . . . . . . . . 19 Christmas Reading . . . . . . . 19


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