FEBRUARY 2024 THE RIDER/ 9 INSIDE


Body Conditioning Score..............9 Large Animal Vet Program............9 WHAO ........................................10 Pro and Non-Pro Reining Series ......10


Equine Guelph makes a New Year’s Resolution!


To help you optimize your horse’s nutrition. What’s yours?


Equine Guelph has made a New Year’s Resolution to


empower horse owners to learn more about their horse’s nutrition and needs. January, dubbed by Equine Guelph as Nutrition Education Month, will be dedicated to increasing awareness of what caregivers can do to take control of their horse’s nutrition and health now and through years to come. “We are delighted to be fulfilling our resolution by


delivering Nutrition Education Month over the next four weeks”, says Gayle Ecker, Director of Equine Guelph. “Remember, good health depends on ideal body weight. So, make your resolution on behalf of your horse and let’s get started!” Optimizing your horse’s nutrition starts with evalu-


ating the horse’s current condition. This includes the horse’s Body Condition Score (BCS) which evaluates the amount of fat on a horse’s body. The Henneke body con- dition scoring system is commonly used in horses. It is a nine-point system where 1 represents an emaciated horse, and 9 represents an obese horse. You visually assess AND palpate the horse to determine the amount of fat present at six areas of the body. BCS can be used to determine whether your feeding plan is providing enough energy for the horse, or whether you are under- or over-feeding. Equine Guelph has developed a new Body Condition


Scoring Tool to help caregivers learn how to body condi- tion score. The online tool, is available for free to the pub- lic. It can be found at www.TheHorsePortal.ca/BCSTool.


6 Key areas in Equine Body Condition Scoring Users who visit the tool can start with the interactive


BCS, where they’ll be able to body condition score the dif- ferent areas of a virtual horse, find out the result, and learn what that means for the horse. They can reinforce their learning with how-to videos on body condition scoring, and opportunities to learn about other equine assessment methods, such as topline scoring and cresty neck scoring. Then, users can check out the new BCS posters available for sale or print. Finally, we encourage users to head out to the barn with their posters and start practicing on real horses!


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Learn how to Body Condition Score your horse. The body condition score is the start of your horse’s


nutrition story. What you do with that score next will make the difference for your horse and their health. Equine Guelph’s new on-demand BCS course, Introduction to Body Condition Scoring, on TheHorsePortal.ca will help with that next step and give caregivers the tools to help determine whether a body condition score is appropriate for their horse, understand what actions should be taken next, and create an action plan for their horse’s weight and health goals. Equine Nutrition Month, the new BCS tool, short on-


line course and barn poster are all possible thanks to the generous support of Equine Guelph’s sponsor, Master- feeds.


“We are thrilled to partner with Equine Guelph for


Equine Nutrition Month”, says Jenna Beach, Masterfeeds Equine Media Sales Associate. “Masterfeeds prioritizes education on optimal nutrition and support for horse own- ers. Regular body condition scoring empowers owners for proactive, long-term equine health management.” What is your New Year’s Resolution for your horse’s


nutrition? What actions will you take to improve your horse’s nutrition and health this January? Visit the Body Condition Score tool now to determine your horse’s body condition score and then sign up for the on-demand Intro- duction to Body Condition Scoring course to start planning for the year ahead. Registration for the course will open Jan 3 with student access available on Jan 15, 2024.


Brady calls for large animal vet program to include Haldimand-Norfolk


SIMCOE – Haldimand-Norfolk MPP Bobbi Ann Brady is echoing the voices of local livestock groups in calling for the area to be part of the government’s recently announced Vet- erinary Incentive Program. First announced in this spring’s


budget, details of the Veterinary In- centive Program were released in late October when the intake opened. The program will provide grants of up to $50,000 over five years to veterinari- ans who care for livestock and poultry in-northern and under serviced com- munities. Brady heard of the shortage of


large animal veterinarians locally dur- ing farm meetings this spring and dur- ing tours over the summer. “This program is one step to-


wards steering some of the Ontario


Veterinary College graduates to large animal medicine instead of small ani- mals,” Brady said, adding there is also a need for it in Haldimand-Norfolk. She plans on communicating


with the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs to rally for the inclu- sion in the program. The program could include incentives for up to 100 future vets. Larry Chanda, a director with


Norfolk Cattlemen’s Association, said it was good the program was launched for farmers in the north, but ques- tioned why Haldimand-Norfolk wasn’t included. “We in Norfolk are in the same


situation,” he said. “We no longer have a large animal vet in Norfolk. Some raising cattle don’t have a vet (at all). We are as desperate here in Nor-


folk as those in some other areas.” He said positions aren’t being


filled as veterinarians are retiring. Many of those attending OVC special- ize in small animal medicine. Henk Lise, who raises broiler


chickens near Hagersville, said the poultry veterinarian is nearing retire- ment.


“We need vets here in H-N 100


per cent. You throw in the breeders, the broilers, there’s a lot of poultry,” said Henk Lise, chair of Chicken Farmers of Ontario Haldimand-Nor- folk. “They want to farm the north but why not support the farmers farming right now.” For more information, contact


MPP Brady at 519-428-0446 or babrady-co@ola.org


Ayr, Ontario


Britt’s Corner Tack ......................10 We Can Hustle Column...............12 Holly Barnett Column .................12 OFA News ...................................13 Obit: Donald Robertson ..............13 RMK Trailer Sales.......................14 ORCHA News .............................15


OTRA News ................................15 4H News......................................15 ORHA News................................16 OCHA News ...............................18 CRHRA News .............................19 Calgary Stampede .......................19 KCD Donation.............................19


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