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THE ACTUAL BENEFITS OF AEF MEMBERSHIP

BY MIKE KING, PARTNER, CAPRICMW INSURANCE

While the tangible benefits of membership in your provincial equine association are clear and provide great value, in this article, I would like to discuss the less tangible benefits that add even greater value to the association membership and support to the wider equine community.

Every working day, the equine team at CapriCMW and I get asked to weigh in on that very broad question of membership value and in response, we talk about insurance. After all, that is what we do in our professional work and there is no question that the insurance benefits are terrific (the questions never get old and we never tire of answering them). But after many years in partnership with AEF, we know the value of membership cannot be measured by only one benefit like insurance.

The less tangible, but highly valuable benefit of membership comes from being a proactive participant of the broader horse community in Alberta to share common interests, common challenges and common successes. The AEF provides a central and credible source of current industry information, a framework for growth as an athlete, education to understand the complex management needs of the horse, opportunity after opportunity to participate at any level with horses, and more.

I want to say that over the last year and a half, I have never been so proud as to have been associated with the Alberta Equestrian Federation. Every staff member, every volunteer, every board member at AEF has worked tirelessly on behalf of you, the horse owner, the rider, the barn owner, the equine business operator, and the horse enthusiast, to ensure that accurate and timely information has been available to help you navigate as safely as possible through the COVID-19 pandemic.

The challenges we faced together were in many ways, the same in every corner of the industry but were responded to in very different ways based on local health authority and government policies. It is abundantly clear to me that without the work and advocacy of AEF, government information would never have been clarified for our unique lifestyle with horses, and assistance programs would not have had the positive and stabilizing impact they did.

Hopefully, the pandemic will be in the rear-view mirror soon. As we move forward into 2022, your membership is critical to keep the collective voice of the horse industry loud and clear. Thank you for joining AEF, your membership adds to the collective strength of Alberta’s equine community.

Take care and stay safe!

Sincerely, Michael A. (Mike) King, Partner

Michael (Mike) King, CAIB, R.I.B.

Mike King is a partner at CapriCMW Insurance and the program lead for the PTSO programs across Canada. For more information, please call the Agri department at CapriCMW Insurance, 1-800-670-1877 or agri@capricmw.ca