12/ OCTOBER 2022 THE RIDER


2022 Ontario Trail Riders Association Board of Directors


President Sonja Wyss 705-434-7947 info@barefoot-saddlecanada.ca


Secretary/ Promotions/Advertisement Tina Kerst 416-907-6051 tiamiadart@gmail.coma


Area Representative Treasurer/Membership Elaine Wiesner 519-940-1710 elaine.a.wiesner@gmail.com


Directors at Large Cathy Togeretz, cathytogeretz@sympatico.ca Yvonne Taylor, yvonnet@live.ca Sandy Salazar


Directors at Large Lynn Robershaw Gord Wiesner Catherine Dziedziejko


9045 20 Sideroad, Tosorontio, Lisle, ON L0M 1M0 • www.ontariotrailriders.ca


Ontario Trail Rider Association Submission for ‘The Rider’ – OCTOBER 2022 Issue


The Ontario Trail Riders Association Inc, established in 1970, is an equestrian organization which promotes recreational trail riding and the creation, development, preservation and safe use of trails.OTRA and its mem- bers represent the equestrian trail user with Ontario Eques- trian and Equestrian Canada. We welcome your membership to help support the voice of OTRA on your behalf. Visit our Facebook Page.


Our last scheduled camping event


in the Dufferin County Forest Main Tract is quickly approaching, and the late summer weather is still on our side with beautiful warm daytime tempera- tures and cooler nights for sleeping.


There is just a hint of end-of-summer smell in the air, but OTRA and its mem- bers are still going strong! We are ex- pecting 40+ riders to participate in this ride with most staying over for all three days. A big Thank You to all Executive members for organizing and preparing to make this a success – Yes, we have made sure there will be plenty of fun (it IS called Fun-D for a reason!), that the


catered dinner is delicious and plenty, and that we include some interesting educational sessions as well. Stay tuned for an update and photos in the next Rider issue... Sonja Wyss, OTRA President As ‘Pasture’ season is also


slowly coming to an end, the an- nual question ‘What’s for (Dinner) Forage’ is also entering our minds. I have invited one of our OTRA Executive members,


Lynn


Robertshaw, to give us an expert’s view on the option and benefits of feeding haylage to horses. Thank you, Lynn, for sharing your knowl- edgeable and giving us the facts! BTW, I have been feeding haylage exclusively and successfully to all my horses from weanling to 26 years of age for the last seven years, year-round! ... Enjoy the read!


Haylage - An Alternative To Feeding Dusty Hay With


the ever-changing


weather patterns, the haymaking season has become such a chal- lenge. With 3 days of sun, then 1 day of rain, it’s not easy to make good hay when you really require 4-5 straight days of sunshine. Those who try and rush their hay may find that later, when feeding, their bales have heated up and pro- duced mould spores which then makes it dusty. We emigrated from the UK


where these weather conditions are ‘the norm’ and hay making had to change! No one wants to feed dusty hay, so haylage has evolved. Haylage is one day short of


1-877-TRYAVIA (519) 264-2354


RR #1, 8782 Longwoods Road, Mt. Brydges, ON N0L 1W0


www.viatrailers.ca


making ‘regular’ hay. Example: Hay is bailed at <14% moisture, where haylage is bailed at >25% moisture which is then immediately compressed and wrapped in several layers of plastic to keep the air out, therefore protecting and ‘preserv- ing’ it – think of pickling or making jam. This process ensures that hay- lage stays higher in feed value and nutrients than hay. It retains 90% of the feed value of fresh grass and you may not need to feed as much haylage as you did hay and/or may even be able to cut down on any ad-


ditional hard feed. Haylage can be a life changer


for both horses and humans who suffer from dust allergies! Some people must soak their hay to pre- vent heaves or other respiratory dis- orders in their horses. This process is completely eliminated when feeding haylage because haylage is slightly damp - not wet like cattle silage which would be >50% mois- ture - and therefore there is no dust in haylage. We have been feeding haylage


for the last 20 years. From ponies that are prone to foundering and on a restricted intake, to a young Clyde X who needed high amounts of nutrient rich food to grow, to all regular horses in-between. They are all fed the same haylage – simply different amounts just as you would with regular hay. All our haylage is analyzed and we know exactly what is in it. Unfortunately, funding for re-


search is limited in Canada and any available information is quite out- dated. Haylage has been feed suc- cessfully in the UK, Europe, and New Zealand for the last 3 decades and it is important to note, not only to recreational horses like ours but to top class show horse as well. In summary, here are some of


the advantages and benefits to feed- ing haylage: - It’s dust free - No need for soaking - Haylage has a higher nutritional value and is more palatable to horses than hay - It can be stored outside as it is wrapped in plastic - Unopened it keeps for up to 18 months without any loss of feed value


Still want to feed dusty hay?


Written by Lynn Robertshaw David and Lynn Robertshaw


of David’s Fencing Service and Haylage Sales, are originally from the UK and have farmed all their lives. They have lived near Arthur, Ontario for the past 20 years.


Submitted by Sonja Wyss, OTRA President


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