16/ FEBRUARY 2022 THE RIDER


Equine Supplement Research Explores Potential Gastric Health Benefits


Ontario Cutting Horse Association Visit us at: www.ontariocuttinghorseassociation.com


Executive Directors: President


Vice-President Secretary/Treasurer


Katherine Van Boekel 519-983-0156 kelarouche@gmail.com Amanda Law Greg Gallagher Tyler Scott Joe Hudon


Directors: Shawn Minshall


Scott Reed


Eric Van Boekel Laurie Reed


905-864-5312 scott_reed_farm@hotmail.com 519-879-6699 thehappyhoggers@execulink.com 416-420-9147 laurie_reed_farm@hotmail.com


519-855-6602 minshall@minshallholdings.com 613-200-1235 amandalaw@live.com


905-648-2242 greg@gallagherstables.net 613-264-7250 519-835-0841


Media & The Rider Submissions Amanda Law, Laurie Reed & Lexie Reed - amabdalaw@live.com OCHA Website:


Newsletter: Laurie Reed


Don Crawford dwc@dc2graphics.com


OCHA New Member Spotlight - Kim Vandersluis!


1- What is your occupation? I’m a Commercial Re- lationship Manager for Scotiabank in Ottawa 2-When did you become an OCHA member? I started attending the OCHA shows in 2020 2- What prompted you to join the OCHA? My trainer, Chet Martin suggested we bring my mare so I could learn the ba- sics of cutting. I enjoyed my first year and decided I would like to support the organization and continue to learn about cutting 3- What other equine disciplines (if any) do you compete in? I was an ac- tive Ranch Sorter/Team Penner up until 2020. 4- What do you enjoy the most about OCHA and the sport of cutting so far? I really enjoy the precision and techni- cal aspects of horsemanship that make cutting seem so flawless. I also love the feeling of my horse cowing up and doing what she was bred to do! The people at OCHA were super supportive and friendly and it was just a great overall atmosphere which really made me come back! 5- Tell us a bit about the horse you are showing now. I was showing my 2009 Mare “Play N For Spots” aka Hottie. She came from a cutting program and is direct daughter of Spots Hot, how- ever has been team penning and ranch sorting in Ontario for the last 9 years. Hottie easily stepped back into the Ranch Cutting class and ended up 2nd overall, and I was so proud of what she


could do. 6- Do you have any specific goals for yourself in this sport? I would like to progress to the 1 handed classes in 2022 with my new mare “Almosta Styl- ish Cat” as well as the new boxing class


Eric Van Boekel


NCHA Area 21 Director Scott Reed


Please direct mail to our treasurer: Laurie Reed


1642 Concession 5, Waterford, Ontario N0E 1Y0


905-864-5312 scott_reed_farm@hotmail.com 519-879-6699 thehappyhoggers@execulink.com


416-420-9147 laurie_reed_farm@hotmail.com


Guelph, ON Jan. 26, 2022 - Col- laborating on three recent re- search papers on a nutraceutical called ‘Gs Formula’, Dr. Wendy Pearson, PhD Associate Profes- sor, at the University of Guelph has been very busy. Approached by GS Organic solutions out in BC, Pearson has been investigat- ing the potential for Gs Formula to improve gastric health, partic- ularly for horses with a history of lower severity colic episodes. “In the first study, we found


that there was actually a signifi- cant increase in contractility of gastric smooth muscle when the smooth muscle was exposed to the GS Formula,” said Pearson of the first in vitro study. “The smooth muscle strips became more sensitive to a contractile stimulus (acetylcholine), which may indicate an application of the product to increasing con- tractility of the GI tract.” A feed additive that can accelerate tran- sit time of food through the horse’s digestive tract could prove hugely beneficial to horses at risk for developing impaction colic.


The second in vitro study


also pointed to a role in acceler- ating gastric transit time, noting


that small pieces of gastric mu- cosa cultured in the presence of Gs Formula produced an in- creased amount of a hormone (gastrin), which promotes con- tractility of the stomach. Watch this video interview


to find out what happened in the third study involving Standard- bred racehorses. Equine Gastric Supplements - Dr. Wendy Pear- son


-


https://youtu.be/35m_SFhZzPo Dr. Pearson has been in-


volved in Nutraceutical studies since 1997 and can attest to the progress in the field as far as reg- ulations go, including there is now oversight from Health Canada. When asked the hall- marks of a supplement backed by research, Pearson says “a horse person’s best protection is to buy products from companies that invest in objective third party research.” Pearson goes on to explain efficacy research is still a big problem. A lot of the research that’s used to scientifi- cally back products is not on the actual product; it’s on research that other companies have done on similar products, or from re- search on individual ingredients. But there are a few equine sup-


plement companies making sub- stantial investments in their product line by conducting evi- dence-based product research. “The future of nutraceuti-


cals is very exciting, and the sky is the limit,” says Pearson. “The interest and the availability of re- search funding for this type of research is growing and that’s re- ally coming from the manufac- turers, so they deserve a big shout out.”


About Equine Guelph: Equine Guelph is the horse


owners’ and care givers’ Centre at the University of Guelph in Canada. It is a unique partner- ship dedicated to the health and well-being of horses, supported and overseen by equine industry groups. Equine Guelph is the epicentre for academia, industry and government - for the good of the equine industry as a whole. For further information, visit www.equineguelph.ca.


Story by: Jackie Bellamy-Zions, Equine Guelph


Photo Credit: Diagram Artist Ruth Benns


Grand River Agricultural Society Supports


Equine Guelph Programs with Generous Gift A gift of $150,000 over


three years from the Grand River Agricultural Society (GRAS) to Equine Guelph will initiate the partnership of a multi-year initia- tive to continue building and de- veloping programs of value to the horse industry. The generous donation


from the Grand River Agricul- tural Society will support impor- tant Equine Guelph programs in job training and educational pathways to careers. Initiatives undergoing further development and expansion will include: Equine JobTrack, the Large An- imal Emergency Rescue pro- gram (LAER)


and the


EquiMania! youth program. “Grand River has already


been instrumental in the re-de- velopment of Equine Guelph’s widely used job board,” says Equine Guelph director Gayle Ecker. “The 20-year-old Job- Track was relaunched in the summer of 2021 as EquineJob- Track.ca, a more powerful plat- form for connecting job seekers and employers with expanded search and sort functions. The goal of Equine Job Track has al- ways been to link jobs with training to support growth of the equine industry and rural devel- opment in Ontario and now thanks to ongoing generous sup- port from GRAS, continued ex- pansion nation-wide is planned!” The Large Animal Emer-


gency Rescue program will also see expansion of the current pro- gram, which has provided train-


ing for hundreds of first respon- ders in Ontario, into a hybrid micro-credential model. The new models will feature a series of short online Awareness Level courses as well as offerings of a hands-on workshop for Opera- tional Level. “The first foray into webi-


nars for Equine Guelph’s Large Animal Emergency Rescue awareness


level workshop


proved hugely successful with all four webinars launched in 2021 selling out quickly!” says program co-ordinator, Dr Susan Raymond. There is a huge de- mand for this important knowl- edge in the equine community and among first responders who want to provide the best out- comes when called out to rural emergencies. The 90-minute on- line sessions introduced best practices for mitigating both handler and animal risk for suc- cessful rescues and provided a foundation for future hands-on practical training. The development of the


hybrid model will allow a high number of participants to access introductory training material online, while providing critical hands-on training at an advanced level to first responders. Finally, with our youth


representing the future of the equine industry, the highly inter- active EquiMania! program has been responsible for introducing a whole slew of kids to the in- credible world of horses. Whether seeing the exhibit at a


activities


fair or trade show or visiting the online


at


EquiMania.ca, learning about caring for horses and how to be an integral part of their world has always been fun! The support from GRAS will help ensure the addition of new programs to en- gage the passionate, next gener- ation of our future equine industry. “We at Grand River Agri-


culture Society are thrilled to once again partner with Equine Guelph in the launch of these lat- est initiatives,” shares Garth Green, President of GRAS. “There is such a natural fit be- tween our organizations through Grand River Raceway, but it goes further with our commit- ment to youth and education. Equine JobTrack, the Large An- imal Emergency Rescue pro- gram (LAER)


and the


EquiMania! youth program, are all such vital programs, support- ing the development of these aligns with our desire as an or- ganization to improve accessibil- ity, and inspire innovation and leadership in the industry.” Stay


tuned to


EquineGuelph.ca and TheHorse- Portal.ca for exciting new devel- opments! Initiatives undergoing fur-


ther development and expansion thanks to the support of Grand River Agricultural Society in- clude: Equine JobTrack, the Large Animal Emergency Res- cue program (LAER) and the EquiMania! youth program


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