JULY 2023 THE RIDER/ 9 INSIDE


The Way We Were .........................9 WHAO ........................................10 Steel City Slide ..............................10 Fitness for Riders ........................12


The Way We Were


By Lynda Harrison Sisson. It’s hard to believe that just 20


short years ago you could buy a Tex Tan saddle with bridle and breast col- lar for $226.00; nylon halters could be had for $5.00; while western boots might set you back $23.00 and the price of a Crown horse trailer (double) was $1,095.00.


in July 1970, published Canada’s only newspaper for western horses, “The Canadian Western Rider”. “Response was excellent,” Finn


recalls, “the horse people really liked being able to read about the other clubs and the advertisers liked the op- portunity to show their wares to the whole industry, not just one or two segments.’’ In 1973 they began publishing


the Canadian Quarter Horse Journal using a magazine formal and shortly after switched the “Rider” to the same style.


Eventually the two were merged


and in the early 80’s the decision was made to revert to the original newspa- per format. Aidan Finn remembers “some people felt that publishing as a newspaper was a step backwards, but we had been finding that we were being inundated with all sorts of infor- mation of interest to horse owners that we couldn’t fit in to a magazine. As


customers. And in this anniversary year for


the “Western Rider” they also (in June) began publishing an “English Rider.” This sister newspaper will con-


tinue the “Rider’’ tradition of offering its readers a source of timely informa- tion and a forum to address their con- cerns.


As is the case with its older sib-


ling, the “English Rider” will be of In- terest to ordinary horse owners and competitors at every level, in a wide variety of both disciplines and horse breeds. For the future of the “Rider”,


Aidan Finn notes, “the federal govern- ment is reducing postal subsidies and that will hurt, not just us, but all Cana- dian publications. The G.S.T. will also hurt us and I believe it will have a neg- ative effect on the whole horse world.’” “On the positive side, I feel


Just $19,500 (or offer) would


purchase a “neat, clean, 2 bedroom cottage, on two acres, with a corral, in Mount Hope, Ontario But these were just a few of the


items and their prices, offered for sale during the first editions of The Cana- dian Western Rider (which itself cost 35 cents). By the time he chose horses as a


way of enjoying some of his leisure time, Aidan Finn was already an expe- rienced newspaperman. He started in the ad department


of the Oakville Journal and, by age 22, had become the ad manager of the Oakville Beaver. He then went to work as a shift


production control manager at Web Offset in Toronto for Bob Chittick, and it was in partnership with Chittick, that he made his first venture in to publishing, when the pair established the Burlington Post. After several years of success


The Post attracted the interest of In- land Publishing and they added the publication to their growing list of community newspapers. Finn re- mained as publisher for several years before leaving to test other areas. Other publications started by


Aidan Finn have included The East Ender, Mountain Shopping News, and County Farm, all in the Hamilton area. He also started the Mountain News for the Brabant chain., in Hamilton. Things were very different in the


horse industry in 1970 when com- pared to present times, Quarterama had only just begun; the Ontario Quar- ter Horse Association was just starting to flourish, as was the Western Horse Association of Ontario. There were numerous active


western saddle clubs and riding groups. As a fairly novice horseman, Aidan Finn became involved with sev- eral horse clubs in his home area of Ancaster. As an experienced newspaper-


man, he was struck by the lack of communication between these groups. He asked questions, talked to


various groups and individuals, and approached potential advertisers, and


well, as a newspaper we were able to keep the costs to our advertisers down.” The decision proved to be a


sound one as the “Rider” has contin- ued its slow but steady growth over the past decade. There have certainly been down-


sides over the 20 years. Aidan recalls, “there were a few postal strikes and they always seemed to come at times crucial to our business. On at least two occasions they almost out us out of business. And certainly the ups and downs of the horse industry have also had their effects”. The up sides? “The biggest one


was definitely in 1984 when we were invited to a reception on board the Royal Yacht Britannia to meet the Queen. We were the only horse publi- cation so honoured.” Aidan is particularly pleased that


his son, Barry, has followed him into the business and has taken over much of the responsibility for the “Rider”, leaving Aidan more time to deal with other areas of their publishing firm. Golden Are Publishing & Type-


setting Ltd., also publish the Ontario Quarter Horse News and Wing Drift (an Air Force newsletter). They offer a wide ‘’variety of printing services and have produced such items as the Quarterama program as well as news releases (and their proper distribution) for several horse shows. They have recently purchased a


state of the art Galaxie 126 press to better serve the needs of their many


the horse industry have changed over the past twenty years. From, in 1970, a locally based


(in Southern Ontario) newspaper, to a truly national publication, the “Rider” is, now in 1990, the official news organ or some of Canada’s major horse groups. It is well known internationally


and is widely read in such states as New York. The prices of horses and equip-


ment have changed drastically over the past years, but one thing hasn’t changed. And so as the Western Rider begins its third decade, it continues its original commitment to serve and to advance the interests of all of Canada “western” horsepoeple and their cho- sen sport.


Editors note: This story originally appeared in the July 1990 edition of The Rider, 33 years ago. We are now 53 years old and starting our 54th year of publishing. The Western Rider and English Rider publications were merged in September 1994 to produce The Rider, with Western and English news in one package.


horse ownership is increasing, with a lot more people getting involved at the ‘hobby’ level. They are purchasing horses and equipment and they may only show occasionally or just trail ride, but from the people I talk to, they are really enjoying horse ownership and this is a trend that I feel will con- tinue well on into the ‘90’s.” Certainly both the “Rider” and


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Provincial Foundations Officials Course Continued from Page 1


Judges at the grass-root lev- els, in order to officiate for multi-disciplined or general performance


shows. As role models, Foun-


dation Judges create a safe environment


for equine


sport at local shows, up- holding rules, ensuring fair play, and equine welfare. Whether judging objective or subjective classes, entry level judges can help build sport and long-term ath- letes.


Foundation judges will


encounter multiple breeds and athletes from various walks of life including: the novice, those preparing to move up the levels and the more mature athlete that is active for life. The online program will help future


provincial


judges or current discipline- specific judges in focusing on the essence of each class and introduce the tools to judge a variety of classes with consistency. Topics include West-


ern Performance, Western Speed Division, Showman- ship, Flat, Hunter, Jumper, Equitation over Fences, Dressage and Pleasure Driv- ing.


“Equine Guelph rec-


ognizes Equestrian Nova Scotia for being leaders in spearheading online training programs to its officials,” says Gayle Ecker, director of Equine Guelph. “We are thrilled to be working to- gether with five provinces to offer this accessible model of training to as many budding grassroots officials as possible.” If you are interested in


taking this first step in train- ing to become a Provincial Foundation Official in Al- berta, Manitoba, New- foundland and Labrador,


Nova Scotia or Prince Ed- ward Island, you can regis- ter


at


https://thehorseportal.ca/co urse/provincial-founda- tions-officials-course/


About Equine Guelph; Equine Guelph is the


horse owners’ and care givers’ Centre at the Univer- sity of Guelph in Canada. It is a unique partnership ded- icated to the health and well-being of horses, sup- ported and overseen by equine industry groups. Equine Guelph is the epi- centre for academia, indus- try and government - for the good of the equine industry as a whole. For further in- formation,


visit www.equineguelph.ca.


Story by: Jackie Bellamy- Zions, Equine Guelph


Photo Caption: New Provincial Foundations Of- ficials Course on offer at TheHorsePortal.ca


Canterin’ on Thru Column ..........12 We Can Hustle Column...............13 Artist Crystal Beshara .................14 ORCHA News .............................15 OTRA News................................15 Book: Unnatural Ability..............15


ORHA News................................16 Between the Ears.........................17 Book Review: Fatal Envy ..........18 OCHA News ...............................18 CRHRA News .............................19


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