FEBRUARY 2024 THE RIDER /41


Exclusive to the Digital Edition of The Rider


FEBRUARY 2024 Vol. 5, Issue No. 5


CELEBRATING 53 YEARS


Grey Bruce Farmers’ Week Horse Day A Success Once Again


Grey Bruce Farmers’


Week Horse Day has wrapped up for another year! Held on Sunday Janu- ary 7th at the Elmwood Community Centre, it was a strong gathering of horse enthusiasts and industry per- sonnel with live presenta- tions throughout the day, an active tradeshow and recorded content on-going for the next month. What a wonderful opportunity for learning, and a great way to kick off the new year! The morning started


with a presentation by Dr. Katrina Merkies of the Uni- versity of Guelph. She spoke about the science of relationships


between


horses and humans, encour- aging her audience to re-


the audience with a matter of fact presentation about hoof health and care, touch- ing on many aspects but piquing interest especially on the subject of hoof map- ping. Steve said this is something that any horse person could and should learn for better understand- ing and care of their horse’s feet.


Noontime brought the


fabled hot roast beef dinner - always a highlight of each GBFW day. Once again the caterers did not disappoint! If you’ve ever been to Farm- ers’ Week then you’ll under- stand why no one seems to mention attending without talking about the amazing meal, and the pies that fol- low for dessert!


brought many props – par- tially built saddles and their components to demonstrate steps to the saddle making process, and shared stories of equipment repairs made over more than 30 years of business. In the lower level of


evaluate the signals that their horse is sending them and be aware of how that in- terpretation affects their re- sponses. Following Dr.


Merkies, Steve McConnell took the stage. He wowed


Lindsey Partridge of


Harmony Horsemanship in- spired the audience in the afternoon with tips for train- ing horses at Liberty. She shared various steps, games, and secrets to help the audi- ence get started with their


own horses at home and told stories of her own experi- ences in learning liberty work.


Following Lindsey,


the audience got a little more involved with the pro- gram content – split into two groups, they rotated through


an upstairs station with Ernie and Jodi Wilson ex- plaining saddle making and repairs, and a downstairs station led by Heidi Martin talking about Fall Safety. Ernie and Jodi are the


owners of Wilson’s Tack & Saddle Repairs. They


the building, Heidi Martin of Maple Roack Stables drew on training from a trick riding a vaulting back- ground to share information about various types of falls, explaining how riders can keep themselves safe. Her presentation was complete with dummy horses and gym mats, allowing intrepid audience members to try their hand at different types of falls and rolls, which were first demonstrated by two of Heidi’s vaulting stu- dents.


The day rounded out


with a panel discussion on Equine Metabolic Syn- drome. Dr. Tee Fox of Markdale Veterinary Serv- ices, Steve McConnell and


Have an interesting photo from your farm, event or show? Send it to us with a caption and we might put it in our next issue! Email to barry@therider.com


Scott Cieslar of Mad Barn Inc. took the stage with a take away message that reg- ulating equine diets to pre- vent the syndrome ever happening is always the best cure.


Event organizers


would like to extend a spe- cial thank you to Britt’s Cor- ner Tack for sponsoring the day, Midwest Co-op & Mas- terfeeds for sponsoring the meal, and Jeff Gilkinson of Bayshore Country Feeds for chairing the day’s program. They would also like to thank everyone who took part as an audience member, weeklong sponsor, or tradeshow exhibitor. Horse Day 2024 was another ex- cellent event, and they look forward to 2025!


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