DECEMBER 2025 THE RIDER/ 9 INSIDE


Equine Symposium........................9 Our Friend Peter Van Eerd.............9 From the Trainer’s Eye ................10


OXC News...................................12 OFA News....................................12 Joanne Milton Received Award ...13 ORCHA News .............................14 Free Online Courses.....................15 OTRA News.................................16


Patching The Bucket: Experts Address Cultural Cracks In Equestrianism


Over 100 Industry Stakeholders Joined Conversations On Ethics, Culture, And Sustainability In The Equine Community


Guelph, ON - November 18th saw 155 attendees come together via Zoom for the 10th Annual Equine In- dustry Symposium, with presentations from Lisa Ashton, Crispin Parelius, and Dr. Inga Wolframm on how we can best serve our horses’ welfare. Night two, November 19th welcomed 131 attendees for insightful presentations from Eurico Rosa da Silva, and Gary Yaghdjian, highlighting how to foster young riders’ over- all wellbeing. Akaash Ma- haraj moderated open discussions on both evenings, where many par- ticipant questions centered on one theme: what can we do next?


“Culture is what we do


when no one is watching,” Lisa Ashton summarized, capturing the purpose of the Equine Industry Sympo- sium and emphasizing the importance of applying the knowledge shared to im- prove our daily behaviours


and contribute to a better equestrian culture moving forward. A look back at our two-


Our Friend Peter Van Eerd - The Flying Dutchman From


night event: Tuesday, November 18th presentations by: • Lisa Ashton, Equitation Science consultant, spoke about how we can leave horses in a better state of welfare than how we found them. • Crispin Parelius, equine artist, shared how the pur- suit of the “publication wor- thy” shot often overshadows meaningful visual docu- mentation. • Dr. Inga Wolfram, profes- sor of Sustainable Equestri- anism, discussed the value of asking “why not?” when we are not seeing desired behaviours. • Akaash Maharaj led the discussion on “What can we do to create industry change?” where Crispin Parelius encouraged view- ers to question authority, ask for details, and critically evaluate the answers we re- ceive. Wednesday, November 19th presentations by: • Eurico Rosa da Silva, re- tired jockey, spoke candidly about how detrimental nor-


what they do not get to see,” shared Crispin Parelius re- minding stakeholders that without improving our un- derstanding, we may never grasp the true impact of our actions. The Equine Indus- try Symposium encourages attendees to return next year, engage in further con- versation and continue seek- ing opportunities to have their voices heard. A strong community can evoke social change only when we share our ideas and value the per- spectives of others. Get in- volved with your local equestrian community, learn about their needs, and share


Facebook: BBRM Equine Industry Symposium TikTok: @bbrm.equestrian YouTube: @bbrmequinem- anagement238 Website: www.uoguelph.ca/oac/abou t/university-guelph-equine- industry-symposium


The Rider!


By Craig Black. Peter immigrated to Canada in the early


1950’s from the Netherlands with his family. His father was a farmer and horse dealer, thus Pete’s knowledge and everlasting interest in horses. He and his family had lived through the devastation and horrors of World War II. Fast forward many years to a horse sale in the


United States where a man was telling some people that he was the first American paratrooper to drop from the skies into Holland. Pete stepped forward and said to this man that he had seen him come down in a field on their farm. Peter had seen this man land! Small world, isn’t it? Originally, Pete had a talent for riding jumpers


as well as dressage. Not too long after being in Canada, he acquired a horse he called Popcorn. Now this horse could jump! He took Popcorn to a big show with sponsored prize money up for grabs. After his class was finished, Pete came in second. Somebody said that he could have won that class and Pete’s response was, “first place only had a big trophy but second and third had cash money and I needed the money!” Peter was working around the Galt area


(Cambridge) when he thought he would like to try western horse riding and the rodeos. He met up with a couple of cowboys, Archie McArthur and Leroy Kufske, and they became life-long friends. He was living at Archie’s place in Hespeler. One evening Arch got a call from Bill Glavin. Peter was at his place all busted up and Dusty was dead. Archie picked up Kufske and they quickly drove to Glavin’s house. They asked, “Who the heck is Dusty?” It was Pete’s horse. When arriving, the ambulance was heading to the hospital with Pete on board. Pete was loping across an open pasture and went over a downed fence line. Dusty flipped over and broke his neck and landed on Peter, smashing him to pieces. After a day or two in the hospital, the doctors didn’t give Peter much of a


All-Around Championships he won with that horse. They were the team to beat and if and when you beat him, you knew you worked hard to earn it. A lot of riders and horses got a lot better on the road to beat Peter. In that same time, the WHAO were the


biggest shows going – way bigger than the Quarter Horse shows then. Pete had a rough looking, grade buckskin he called Buckshot. That horse could run hard and slide far with just a ring snaffle. Of course, Bimbo’s specialty was reining, and the reining class had become so popular that it was the highlight at every show. There were such great reiners like Leroy Kufske, Joe Farren, Don Waugh, Claire Smith, Larry McDougall, Dale Wakefield, Dale Purdy, Peter Van Eerd and even me. The rein- ing got tough! Peter bought a really nice Quarter Horse stal-


chance to make it. Then with both Archie and Leroy in the room, the priest came in to give him his last rights. But then the “grit and wit” that we all came to know, surfaced. Peter said to the priest, “wait, I want Archie on one side and Leroy on the other side. If I am going to die, I want to die like Jesus with a thief on each side of me.” P e t e r competed in a lot of rodeos in his early days along with Archie and Leroy and long-time friend, George Hewitt. Pete won the All-Around Cham- pion Cowboy buckle in the early 1960’s. Of all the championship buckles that he won, that was the only one I ever saw him wear. He was proud of it. He was the All-Around Champion Cowboy. In the early 1970’s, the Appaloosa shows were


big shows and Pete just happened to have a real good one, Bimbo’s Velvet. I don’t know how many


lion named Baldy Chub and again, he made this one a top All Around performance horse. By this time, the fall fairs, WHAO and Mid Western Horseman’s Society were all big events and paid good prize money. Pete had 3 really good show horses and as always – Pete needed the money. The only problem was that he only had a 2-horse trailer. What problem? I remember seeing Pete pull into the show with Baldy Chub and Buckshot side by side and Bimbo crossways in the front. Only Pete could do that! In the 1980’s the horse business was booming


again with a new market in Europe. I needed an in- door for the winter, but one with enough stalls to take 10 or 12 horses. Guess what? Pete needed the money! I moved down to Bothwell and lived in the apartment above the barn. And nothing doing, that beautiful Ronnie fed me twice a day. That’s just the way she was. I remember sitting in front of that wood stove, drinking tea and soaking in all that knowledge that he had acquired over the years of training and owning so many horses. Peter could think like a horse, but he could also make his horses think like him.


Skip ahead a few more years and Pete bought


a young Quarter Horse stallion named Impressive Rey. The Impressives were not too popular for rid- ing horses, but guess what? Peter made Rey into one of the best All Around performance horses in the country, winning several All-Around champi- onships. As well, Rey could easily do a Dressage pattern and had a whole routine of tricks that Pete had taught him. One of my most memorable mo- ments of Peter was him showing in the Freestyle Reining at Quarterama with Rey. Dressed as a Royal Canadian Mountie on his black horse, he performed to Tiny Tim’s “Tip toe through the Tulips.” He not only won the class, but he brought the house down to a long, standing ovation. This guy is a horse trainer. For several years, Peter had been living in a


retirement home. My good friend and Peter’s too, Jess Cofell and I would go to visit as often as we could and I know our old friend, Alan Pickard also visited often. One year, just before Christmas, Jess, George Hewitt and myself took some old stories and photos from the Rider and left them for Peter. You should have seen the sparkle in his eyes. But then after Covid, Peter fell deeper into his Alzheimer’s disease and it was hard to visit. On September 18, 2025, Peter succumbed to this hor- rible disease. What I remember about Peter is how he influ-


enced and inspired riders and trainers alike to be- come better. If you were in the same class as Pete, you knew you had to bring your A-game to the show ring. It didn’t matter whether it was trail, reining, or any other event — his horses were so broke, he always had the edge. Like many others, I’d go home and work that much harder, refining my skills, and that drive is what helped so many of us become better riders. One of Pete’s greatest talents was his ability to communicate with his horses. He studied them


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malized mental health chal- lenges are within the eques- trian community. • Gary Yaghdjian presented his findings from his years of co-owning a riding pro- gram, focusing on building confidence in first time rid- ers, and strengthening the trust of lesson horses. • Akaash Maharaj led a dis- cussion on “How can we as- sist riders and horses?” where Eurico Rosa da Silva inspired listeners to reflect personally on how we treat one another. “Viewers do not know


your knowledge as we work together to patch the holes in our bucket. The Equine Industry


Symposium under the lead- ership of the University of Guelph and Dr. Katrina Merkies, is organized annu- ally by second year students in the Bachelor of Bio-Re- source Management (BBRM) Equine Manage- ment major. Students gain experience in biology, phys- iology, and horse behaviour, preparing them for leader- ship and managerial posi- tions within the equine industry. This one-of-a-kind Canadian program is known not only for the hands-on learning, but also for the meaningful connections Students form with peers and industry leaders. For more information:


Email:


EQevents@uoguelph.ca Instagram: @equinesympo- sium


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Industry Ambassadors..................16 ORHA News ................................18 OQHA News................................21 QROOI News...............................23 Alex Picov Futurity......................23 Ralph Pearson ..............................23


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