FEBRUARY 2023 THE RIDER /17 ^Between The Ears^ Is it Too Cold To Ride? Another common misunderstanding ,with re-


By Ellie Ross One of winter riding’s biggest benefit would


have to be that there are no bugs! Winter gives us all a nice break from the swarms of deer flies and pesky mosquitoes but we pay the price of enduring the cold. Indoor riding can be just as cold as out- door riding as most arenas are not heated (at least at the ones I ride in). Training over the winter months has its benefits and its shortfalls but one of the most overlooked considerations and often mis- understood topics is - How cold is too cold to ride? Often people make these unrealistic comparisons to wild horses and state that wild horses live out in the cold 24/7 and there are wild horses that live in much colder places than Ontario, yet they are fine. While this is true about wild horses, they are fine but no one is on their backs making them exercise in cold weather. Sure they might canter in the snow or go for a trot but they can choose to stop when uncomfortable and they spend very little time at a gait that makes them breathe hard.


gards to riding horses, is that winter coughing is just from allergens as people blame the hay, the stall and so on. While a horse could certainly be experi- encing asthma like symptoms due to allergens in the winter, there are distinct differences in how al- lergens affect the lungs vs cold air. Winter air is dry and when a horse that is not in exercise, breathes in, they’re body has time to create some moisture and warmth with each breath, so by the time it reaches the lungs, it’s not irritating. During exercise where the horse must breathe harder and faster, the body does not have the time to moisten that air or properly warm it up so the air hits the lungs cold and dry. That is very irritating as a result, the air- ways dry out and that leads to inflammation and constriction. Now the horse’s body responds with increased mucous production, but that increase leads to even more restriction of the airways. A horse that begins exercise and coughs at


first is a horse exhibiting airway inflammation and this needs to be treated but is often written off by the rider as normal. Horses being exercised in cold temperatures


that do not exhibit signs of coughing or nasal dis- charge are more cold tolerant, but are still enduring the same cold, dry air that leads to damage. There has been enough studies completed that demon- strate this. In horse racing there is a common prob- lem labelled as ‘bleeders’ which is basically blood in the airway as a result of exercise. This has been studied here in North America and there was a de- fined increase in bleeder cases in the colder weather. People often consider what they experience as


deciding factors. Here in Ontario, we don’t view 5 Celsius as being really cold. I think about my friends in Saskatchewan where temperatures have reached -50c and our +5c seems pretty warm does- n’t it? The issue is not if we feel cold, it’s the air


and the body’s ability to moisten it while warming it up in inhalation. According to the


Kentucky Equine Re- search Center, a horse’s normal respiration rate is about 12-15 breaths per minute with a volume of 12 litres of air. During ex- ercise that increases to 40-60 breaths per minute with a volume of 100 litres of air. Depending on the level of exercise, this could even be as high as around 180 breaths per minute. The longer the horse is being exercised, the more difficult it becomes to deliver oxygen to the body. Furthermore we have yet another mis- understanding - People say they are just cantering and not galloping. Galloping requires a longer stride so it might actually be slightly easier on the lungs than a canter, but both will bring cold dry air to the lungs. Trotting also inevitably increased the respiratory rate. In a study done by Oklahoma State University they found that horses continued to have airway constriction for two days following exercise in cold weather. Two days! While most won’t want to hear this, exercis-


ing horses in temperatures of +5c or colder can lead to equine asthma (used as a general term) and even become a chronic health problem. A leisurely trail ride at the walk should be okay but most rid- ers, riding indoors in the winter, spend the major- ity of their mounted time riding at the trot and/or canter. For those who must ride at more than the walk in cold weather, in the best interest of the horse, it is advisable to spend far more time warming up. A scarf over your horse’s face is not going to help the horse the same way it would help the rider. Personally, I spend much more of my time on the ground with my horses in the winter time. Teaching them how to expertly line them- selves up to the mounting block has been a most useful skill! There is no shortage of


very beneficial things we can Classic Fire + Life Safety launches Field Placement Program with Fanshawe College


London, Ont., January 30, 2023 – Clas- sic Fire + Life Safety, an industry leader in the fire protection and life safety in- dustries, announces the launch of a new mentorship program in partnership with Fanshawe College in London, Ont. The program allows Fanshawe students en- rolled in Fire Safety Systems to join a Classic Fire + Life Safety CFAA certi- fied technician on site, one day per week, to experience first-hand the prac- tical application of what they are learn- ing in their fire safety course. “We are happy to kick off the new


year with this type of hands-on educa- tion and industry-specific program,” says Dave Widdis, Regional Fire Alarm Manger at Classic Fire + Life Safety. “It also allows our technicians to pay-it-for- ward to the next generation of fire pro- tection professionals.” “Mentorship programs with estab-


lished and successful organizations like Classic Fire +Life Safety make a huge difference when preparing students for work,” says Frank Donati, Program Co- ordinator from Fanshawe College. “This is the perfect partnership for our Fire Safety Systems program and for our stu-


Babsy Alosious, left, Deven Bare, and Anjana Subhash Nair – first Fanshawe College students to take part in a new mentorship program in partnership with Classic Fire + Life Safety, launched in winter 2023.


dents.” The relationship between Classic


Fire + Life Safety and Fanshawe Col- lage goes back many years, helping place graduates with employment op- portunities, a collaboration that is mutu- ally beneficial for all parties.


About Classic Fire + Life Safety Classic Fire + Life Safety is a total fire and life safety company servicing


the needs of organizations and institu- tions – large and small, private and pub- lic. The company is staffed by more than 600 professionals based out of its serv- ice centres in London, Toronto and Win- nipeg. The entire Classic FLS team is committed to helping organizations enjoy a safe environment from which they can deliver their products and serv- ices to their own customers and partners, and grow. The company also owns and


operates Apex, a fire sprinkler fabrica- tion and supply company, and Northern Sprinkler Design, a fire sprinkler design and engineering services company. For


information on this announcement or to learn more about the company, please visit classicfls.com and follow the com- pany on LinkedIn and Facebook.


Send us All Your Upcoming Events. We list them for FREE!


do from the ground with our horses and there is nothing wrong with trail riding at the walk. I know that my own horses have become much more re- laxed and better behaved as the result of all the winter ‘work’.


Author Bio: BSc Equine Science - Virginia Tech. Diploma in Doma Vaquero - Royal Stables / Spain. Former Pet Expert CTV - for 10 years. Pro- fessional Animal Trainer - Large Exotics and Do- mestic Pet. 2x Provincial Champion Extreme Cowboy, Trillium Provincial Dressage champion, Three Day Event Young Rider Champion. Behav- iour Assessment Specialist - Humane Society. Former SPCA Agent. Former FEMA Disaster Re- sponse Team. Owner/operator Circle 8 Ranch. Quarter Horse Breeder


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48