58/ APRIL 2020 THE RIDER


Suspension Extended For Equestrian Canada Sanctioned Competition


Ottawa, ON, March 30, 2020 – The suspension of Equestrian Canada (EC) sanctioned competition has been extended to June 1, 2020, due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The initial return to


competition was set for April 12, 2020, but has been extended due to federal gov- ernment and public health authority directives to limit COVID-19 transmission. 84 EC sanctioned competitions were scheduled during the timeline of March 16 to June 1, 2020. No competitions will


be sanctioned by either EC or the Provincial/Territorial Sport Organizations (PTSOs) for the period of suspension. All matters per- taining to the accumulation of points, scores, qualifica- tion or rankings towards any EC awards program or team selection will be addressed once a return to competition framework has been devel-


oped. Competition hosts will be able to receive a full refund of their sanctioning fees or have the funds held as a credit for future compe- titions. All in-person meet-


ings, clinics, events, Rookie Rider and Learn to Ride/Drive activities will continue to be suspended until further notice. Virtual participation in these pro- grams and events is encour- aged where available; options are being explored for programs that do not have virtual options at this time.


EC will continue to


monitor the state of the pan- demic and asses the need for further extensions to the suspension timeline. A working group of EC staff and veterinarians has been established to develop a graduated framework that will protect the health and welfare of horses upon com- petition reinstatement. The


recommendations of this working group will be part of joint initiatives with the PTSOs, select competition organizers


and


coaches/technical advisors. The working group is


comprised of:


James Hood – EC High Performance Director Kristy House – EC Man- ager, Welfare and Identifica- tion & Coordinator, Industry and Equine Development Rachel Huebert – EC Man- ager, Technical Develop- ment Dr. Alan Manning MSc, DVM – FEI Official Veteri- narian for Dressage, Event- ing and Jumping; Canadian Dressage Team Veterinarian for the Lima 2019 Pan American Games; Canadian Para-Dressage Team Veteri- narian for the Tryon 2018 World Equestrian Games; private practice veterinarian Dr. Hilary Clayton BVMS, PhD, DACVSMR,


MRCVS – FEI Permitted Treating & Testing Veteri- narian; author; researcher and clinician, Michigan State University Dr. Jan Henriksen DVM – FEI Permitted Treating Vet- erinarian; Canadian Event- ing Team Veterinarian for the Lima 2019 Pan Ameri- can Games; private practice veterinarian Dr. Yves Rossier DVM, IPSAV, Dipl. ACVIM – FEI Official Veterinarian for Dressage, Driving, Event- ing, Jumping and Reining; National Head FEI Veteri- narian for Canada; Member of the FEI Veterinary Com- mittee; EC Equine Medica- tion Control Committee Chair; Professor, Université de Montréal Dayton Gorsline – EC Jumping Youth Develop- ment Program Advisor, for- mer member of the Canadian Equestrian Team EC is making every ef-


fort to ensure continuous,


Protect your Herd – Equine Guelph announces a FREE offering of Online Sickness Prevention Course!


Calculating Biosecurity Risks & Creating Action Plans


Spread the Word


Guelph, ON Mar. 30, 2020 - Equine Guelph has opened a FREE offering of their on- line Sickness Prevention in Horses course ($85 value - free with coupon code) in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. TheHorsePor tal .ca


course is based on the Cana- dian standard for equine biosecurity. While many are at home for the next few weeks, this is an ideal time to learn online and develop your own action plan and backup arrangements. Maintaining health is


everyone’s responsibility. Biosecurity is a word and practice not well understood by an unsettling number of public riding facilities. How many people wipe down the chains and snaps on cross-ties with disinfec- tant because they under- stand this is one of many practices that can reduce the risk of disease spread? This is just one of the simple take-aways from Equine Guelph’s free Biosecurity Calculator online healthcare tool


-


https://www.equineguelph.c a/Tools/biosecurity.php Other agricultural in-


dustries such as poultry and dairy follow strict protocols to ensure the health of their animals. Every person en- tering a facility has to log in and out. They follow the rules of National Codes of Practice and Biosecurity. The horse industry also has a National Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Equines and a National Farm and Facility Level


Biosecurity standard for the Equine Sector. Those who have read


and follow those guidelines may well lament over the number of facilities that im- mediately introduce an un- known horse into it’s herd with complete optimism that nothing will go wrong. In this time of heightened alert, all reliable sources of education to prevent sick- ness are our salvation. We all can and must take steps to safeguard health of both humans and animals. Just what do you say to


someone who comes back from their boarding barn search with the complaint, “Oh, it’s a lovely facility but


strangles swab. Horses are social, herd animals and being with their herd mates is an important component of their welfare but there is also an important balance to strike in safeguarding herd health. If a horse enters a sta-


ble (perhaps travelling from a ‘hot spot’ – e.g. auction or yearling sale to name but two) asymptomatic upon ar- rival but they happen to be carrying a transmittable dis- ease – what then? They can pass the disease on to the entire herd. That is incon- venient, costly and in the worst-case scenarios deadly. It is also a preventable wel- fare issue for the horses that


ence the level of community transmission that the model estimates — just as it’s also possible that the province is on the cusp of a wider out- break. From a public health perspective, that’s always the challenge,” said Greer, “If we do a really good job, people say, ‘Well you were overreacting, because noth- ing happened.’” Well-run equestrian fa-


cilities and well informed horse owners closely moni- tor horses that have recently traveled. Temperatures are taken daily along with a thorough horse health check. Feed buckets, water buckets, tack, stall-cleaning equipment are not shared.


of late, providing advice for the FAQ’s coming in from animal owners. Weese was recently interviewed by TVO What we know — and don’t know — about how COVID-19 affects animals. Weese is also featured in many resources in Equine Guelph’s biosecurity re- sources. Maintaining health is


the responsibility of every- one. Arm yourself with sci- entifically


proven


information. Ensure you have a written plan in case you get sick or injured to en- sure ongoing care for your horses. Stay safe everyone


during this COVID-19 pan- demic. When it is all over may we all emerge strong, informed and vigilant in biosecurity best practices.


they want to quarantine my horse for the first month - that will be inconvenient and I want my horse to have group turn-out.”? The COVID-19 outbreak has made us all keenly aware of the importance of physical distancing as a crucial way to prevent the spread of dis- ease. Asymptomatic (no ev- idence of symptoms) does not equate to no health risk to others. Our minds should in-


stantly become more at ease when a facility has a quaran- tine protocol, wants to see vaccination records or even wants to see results from a


suffer from the disease. In this unprecedented


time of social distancing, people are becoming acutely aware of the importance of carefully monitoring health and following quarantine protocols. Monitoring for fever, cough and signs of sickness is daily news at the moment. In a recent article run


by the Toronto Star regard- ing the COVID-19 pan- demic, Amy Greer, Canada research chair in population disease modelling at the University of Guelph was quoted “It’s possible that Ontario will never experi-


Hoses are never allowed to touch down into the buckets when they are refilled. New arrivals may be able to see but not touch other horses. Ideally, a separate quaran- tine barn is utilized. For existing residents,


such as horses returning home from being on the show circuit (higher risk lo- cation) best practices are to turn them out together but separate from the herd that does not travel. Dr. Scott Weese, infec-


tion control expert at the University of Guelph has been very busy with his Worms and Germs blog as


Equine Guelph’s Re- sources for Equine Health & Biosecurity: Equine Guelph’s Biosecu- rity Calculator - free online healthcare tool Equine Guelph’s Sickness Prevention online short course - Special FREE of- fering! Equine Guelph’s Health & Disease 12-week online course


Equine Guelph HEALTH- flash Alert – COVID-19 - Caring for your horse during a pandemic


COVID-19 resources help- ful for horse owners and caretakers


Editor’s Note - Visit https://www.therider.com/sit e/blog/2020/03/30/equine- guelph-protect-your-herd to access all the links in this story.


thorough and up-to-date communication concerning the COVID-19 pandemic. EC’s complete statement on COVID-19, including regu- lar updates, can be found on our website - www.eques- trian.ca/news. For the run- ning


list of


cancelled/postponed clinics and events, also visit the EC website. Thank you for your co-


operation and engagement as we work diligently to keep our community safe and informed. We are count- ing on each and every mem- ber of the Canadian equestrian community to make responsible decisions based on the information available, the conditions in your geographic area and di- rectives from your local government and public health authorities.


Equestrian Canada News Release


Ontario Racing announces COVID- 19 aid package for horsepeople


NOTICE TO INDUSTRY


TORONTO, March 27, 2020 - Ontario Racing today an- nounced financial support in line with existing race can- cellation practices aimed at the province’s Standardbred horsepeople in light of the COVID-19 virus pandemic which has resulted in the cancellation of live Standardbred horse racing in Ontario. Financial relief, a total of $300 per horse, is being


offered to those involved with Standardbred racehorses who were in-to-race at operational racetracks from March 19 to March 24. “These funds are to assist owners in efforts to pay


horse racing bills, specifically their trainer expenses, who must in turn pay their staff, including grooms and others,” said John Hayes, Independent Chair, Ontario Racing. “Via our task force, we will continue to discuss with govern- ment the further financial support that might be available to Ontario horsepeople.” In order to facilitate payments that may be available


to Standardbred horsepeople through this program and be- yond, Ontario Racing is reminding Standardbred horsepeople to submit the names of all Ontario-based stan- dardbred horses, 3-year-olds and up, in your care, cur- rently in training to race in April 2020. Trainer name, horse name, owner(s) name, and training centre name, must also be included. Details can be emailed or faxed to the Central On-


tario Standardbred Association (COSA): cathy@cosaon- line or 905-854-2644. For transparency, the names of all standardbred


horses and trainers will be posted on the Ontario Racing (ontarioracing.com) website and its affiliated social media channels. The industry task force is made up of a cross section


of participants in the industry well-versed in the intricacies and ramifications of the sport’s shutdown in Ontario. Ontario Racing board members John Hayes (Inde-


pendent Chair), Sue Leslie (Thoroughbred horsepeople), Bill O’Donnell (Standardbred horsepeople), Jessica Buck- ley (Premier Standardbred tracks), Ian Fleming (Grass- roots Standardbred tracks), Bob Broadstock (Quarter Horse horsepeople and breeders), plus Ontario Racing management members Jonathan Zammit and Katherine Curry, comprise the group. The task force is committed to keeping the industry


informed of developments with respect to financial relief as they take place. Visit ontarioracing.com for further updates from the


Ontario Racing task force, and comprehensive coverage of horse racing in Ontario.


The AQH Youth World Cup is Cancelled


Dear Youth World Cup Teams, Lovers, Supporters and Helpers, Due to the current situation, which will probably


bring us to a standstill for some more months, we have to cancel the 2020 Youth World Cup. It breaks my heart to make this decision. All the preparations, the ideas and all the support. The DQHA cannot accept a postponement to next


year. There are too many positions open at the moment, so that a regular planning cannot take place. We will see


what the possibility of a form of recov- ery looks like. Here we should definitely stay in contact and look after the corona chaos in direction of 2021! The sponsor money received so far will of course be refunded immedi- ately.


your commitment and wish you much strength for the time ahead. Stay safe and healthy!


Steffi Becker YWC Coordinator


I thank you for


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