C A N A D Ab S
MY JOURNEY THROUGH A FOG BANK
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SPECIAL ANNUAL ISSUE OF CANADIAN HORSE JOURNAL
HORSE HEALTH
The Eyes Have It Looking at Equine Blindness
Taking Taffy’s Temperature MICROCHIPS Make it Easy
HONEY TO REDUCE SURGICAL INFECTIONS A Sweet Solution
HOLIDAYS on HORSEBACK
Riding Across
MOROCCO FROM THE SAHARA TO THE SEA
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2021 INDUSTRY & WELFARE
ENDURING HORSE INDUSTRY Mapping the path forward s ’ a d a n a C
Living by the Code
Improving horse welfare in Canada
Image Shaping & Storytelling Essentials of PR HORSEMANSHIP
Get-It-Done
Horsemanship
IS IT EFFECTIVE OR ABUSIVE?
“JUST”a
SCHOOL HORSE
WELFARE
Code of Practice The
for the Care & Handling of Equines
What does it mean for Canadian horse owners? By Shelagh Niblock, PAS
A
re you aware that a Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Equines (CPCHE) was published in Canada in 2013? Did you know that Equine Canada, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA), and the Canadian Feed Inspection Agency were among the many partners involved in the development of the CPCHE under the National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC), and that they remain part of the team that supports the industryrecognized recommendations and requirements established within the Code for good equine husbandry? Let’s look at what exactly this equine Code entails.
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What is the Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Equines? The CPCHE is a reference document that is intended to bring guidance to horse owners, and to provide regulatory strength to enforcement agencies working to ensure that horses in Canada are always treated humanely. The objective of the CPCHE is to ensure that horses, like all other livestock, are guaranteed the Five Freedoms: 1 Freedom from hunger and thirst — by ready access to fresh water and a diet to maintain full health and vigour; 2 Freedom from discomfort — by providing an appropriate environment including
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shelter and a comfortable resting area; 3 Freedom from pain, injury, and disease — by prevention or rapid diagnosis and treatment; 4 Freedom to express normal behaviour — by providing sufficient space, proper facilities, and company of the animal’s own kind; and, 5 Freedom from fear and distress — by ensuring conditions and treatment which avoid mental suffering. The Code was initiated under the umbrella of the NFACC, a group providing leadership at a national level for advancing farm animal welfare. NFACC includes farmers, regulators, scientists, and animal welfare groups collaborating to make science-based decisions on the
We must find a solution for Canada’s unwanted horses that ensures they never suffer. PHOTO: ISTOCK/PICCERELLA
The CPCHE was a work in progress for a number of years, and before it was submitted to the NFACC for publication, it was subjected to a 60-day public review process. All concerns and opinions raised through this process were considered in the revision of the draft version of the Code, and the finalized Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Equines was submitted to NFACC in 2011 and published in 2013. The last review of the CPCHE was in 2018 and the next is planned for 2023, as all Codes of Practice for each animal species are subject to review every five years.
PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK/OKSANA PERKINS
humane treatment of farmed animals. The CPCHE is just one of a number of codes of practice developed for multiple species of livestock including beef cattle, dairy cattle, swine, goats, and poultry.
Who developed the CPCHE? In 1980, an early code of practice for horses was developed by the Canadian Association of Humane Societies. This early code was an attempt at establishing recommendations for the care of horses, but it was comprised only of recommendations, and there was no means of enforcement to it. The current CPCHE was initiated in 2005 by a Code Development Committee (CDC), acting under the auspices of the NFACC,
What is the purpose of the CPCHE? comprising a range of stakeholders from the equine world including veterinarians, industry leaders, and representation from animal welfare organizations. The CDC for the current equine Code was assisted by the Science Council, a panel of equine veterinarians and equine research scientists tasked with ensuring that the recommendations and requirements eventually to be included in the guide were based on good peer-reviewed research and practical experience.
The CDC determined five key management areas that were thought to be the foundation for the humane treatment of all horses, including pleasure horses, performance horses, and horses which are destined for more commercial uses such as PMU mares (mares used for the production of hormones for pharmaceutical use). The five key management areas covered under the Equine Code of Practice include the following: • Facility design and housing; • Health and welfare, including pain management and health care protocols such as teeth, vaccination, and deworming;
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INDUSTRY
2020 Equine Industry Symposium Summary
Resilience
RETHINKING, RESTRUCTURING, REEVALUATING DUE TO COVID-19 Every year since 2016, University of Guelph equine faculty and students have organized the Equine Industry Symposium to bring together experts and horse enthusiasts from Canada’s equine community and discuss horse industry issues. In 2020, there was only one topic on everyone’s mind: how Canada’s equine industry would make it through the coronavirus
PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK/RITA KOCHMARJOVA
(COVID-19) pandemic and what the industry would look like in its aftermath.
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CANADA’S HORSE INDUSTRY AT YOUR FINGERTIPS
By Tania Millen
W
hen the World Health Organization officially declared COVID-19 a global pandemic in March 2020, the impact quickly spread across the country and around the world. The horse industry was caught off guard. Many horse owners found themselves without access to their horses, as barns were restricted to only those directly involved in horse care. Students were unable to attend lessons; facilities became financially stressed; and businesses struggled to survive. To that end, the 2020 Equine Industry Symposium was titled RESILIENCE: Rethinking, Restructuring, Reevaluating Due to COVID-19 and was designed to
facilitate dialogue about how to overcome the pandemic’s challenges and move forward. It was jointly hosted by University of Guelph students in the Bachelor of Bio-Resource Management program, Ontario Equestrian (OE), and Equestrian Canada (EC). Unlike previous events, which participants attended in person, the 2020 symposium consisted of free online webinars over five evenings. Live and pre-recorded speakers discussed the effects of the pandemic in their areas of expertise, and made recommendations on how to move forward. Topics included the economic, horse welfare, and social impacts of
COVID-19 on Canada’s horse industry; strategies to help businesses prepare for an uncertain future; horse welfare; managing and tracing Canada’s horse herd; and preparing for the future. The presenters donated their time, and symposium organizers made a $50 donation on behalf of each presenter to For the Herd, an emergency fundraiser administered by OE to assist riding schools struggling to provide for their horses during the pandemic. The symposium was attended virtually by almost 300 people from eight countries. In lieu of an attendance fee, participants were encouraged to make a donation to For the Herd, plus
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INDUSTRY
Image Shaping & Storytelling
IMAGE: HORSE COMMUNITY JOURNALS & PHOTO: ISTOCK/GLOBALP
THE ESSENTIALS OF PUBLIC RELATIONS By Tania Millen
I
n our busy world, it’s easy for exciting competition results and new equestrian products to get lost in 24/7 news cycles, and an internet slathered with social media posts and click-bait advertising. But connecting with supporters, introducing new products, and staying top-of-mind with potential sponsors, are integral to the success of professional riders and equine businesses. What can riders and horse industry businesses do to ensure their fans, owners, and potential clients, stay engaged? Hiring a public relations professional may be the answer.
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Jaclyn Duff is a Canadian Grand Prix show jumper based in Alberta who came up through the equitation ranks, winning the prestigious 2003 Canadian Equestrian Team (CET) Medal final. Four years ago, she started her professional riding career, and in 2020 she hired Starting Gate Communications Inc. to develop her website and write her riding biography. “When I was over in Europe competing on Nations Cup teams and riding with Eric Lamaze, it just wasn’t possible to have clients,” says Duff. “Then when I settled back down in Calgary, I decided to start a business. I was trying to decide the
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best way to reach out to people and tell them I was available and what services I offer. I decided to make a website.” I spoke with Duff by phone just after she finished eighth in a $40,000 Grand Prix class in California, and she was very clear about why she sought help from a professional firm. “During COVID-19 and quarantine I thought maybe I should just do it myself,” she explains. “Then I decided no. I was going to hire someone with experience in the business. I wanted it to look very professional and I wanted it to reach my target audience. I wanted someone who
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really knew the horse industry and knew how to lay out a web page that would reach out to my clients or potential clients.” Duff also felt that hiring a well-known firm would help her make connections with new clients and potential sponsors. “People want to know what you’re doing. Up-and-coming riders who maybe aren’t on the A circuit really want to know your results. And I feel that’s where PR comes in — where you can reach out to everybody, and there’s a place where they can read your bio, or look at your results, or [see] what horses you have for sale.” Duff says that when someone contacts her now, she can direct them to her website and send them a professionally written biography that summarizes what she’s done. According to Jennifer Ward, who founded Starting Gate Communications Inc. in Ottawa in 2001 and co-founded Jump Media based in Wellington, Florida in 2015, “Having a strong social media presence is imperative, as is having an upto-date website that gives visitors as much information as possible about the services you offer.” But there are a lot of other things public relations firms do, too. Ward says, “Public relations itself is the favourable promotion of a brand, organization, or person. It encompasses a wide range of promotional services ranging from media and sponsor relations to website development and social media management. “The majority of athletes who use our services are looking for press releases announcing news of note as well as editorial placements; someone to handle their social media accounts and take care of sponsor relations; and [someone to] create and maintain their websites. A lot of riders also have us prepare athlete biographies that track all of their results.” Ward says that these promotional activities help athletes strengthen their brand, interest new clients, and attract and retain sponsors. Horse industry businesses and competitions often hire firms, too. “For horse industry businesses, we do a lot of editorial placements; ad design; regular e-newsletters; and sponsorship liaison,” says Ward. “Due to our contacts within the industry, we can recommend athletes for sponsorship that pair well with a particular product or service. We also arrange speaking engagements for some of our clients, exposing them to new markets and new business opportunities, and handle any
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Get-It-Done Horsemanship IS IT EFFECTIVE OR ABUSIVE? By Alexa Linton, Equine Sports Therapist
I remember the feeling like it was yesterday. I’m about 15 years old, and I’m riding a lesson horse in a ring. We’re jumping, or we’re trying to. It’s not going well. My instructor is screaming at me. Screaming. In hindsight, my horse is terrified. He has refused a jump, more than likely because he’s scared of it. My instructor is screaming at me over and over: “Get it done!” and “Don’t let him get away with it.” Eventually, with much kicking and whipping, my horse carries his terrified self and me over the jump. Our hearts are racing. We are both scared, bordering on traumatized, in a place where we are unable to think or be effective in any way. 40
Canada’s Equine Guide 2021
CANADA’S HORSE INDUSTRY AT YOUR FINGERTIPS
Most of my early riding memories are just like this. Screaming instructor; knot of anxiety in my belly; fear of failing or making a mistake; riding unnerved or shut down horses and forcing them into all manner of potentially unsafe scenarios; all interspersed and colliding with my passion and the reason I was there in the first place — my deep and unending love of horses. Sprinkled every now and again into the mix was that necessary ingredient to keep the train on the tracks: praise. It kept my head above water when I felt like I was an abject failure.
Fast forward six years to the start of my relationship with Diva, my 16-hand Percheron-Morgan mare. She was my first horse and is my longest committed relationship at 17 years. Thankfully, my instructor by this time was lovely and some of the unwinding of my earlier conditioning in the get-it-done style of horsemanship had already begun. However, it wasn’t even close to complete, which I found out when I started employing parts of it in my work with Diva. This was a bad idea, so said the broken finger, the road rash, the leg that was almost torn off by a tree (yes, two inches is not enough space
PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK/PIOTR ZAJDA
PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK/TAIGA PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK/TAIGA
Horses that express their opinions about unfair treatment are often described as hard to handle, or outright dangerous.
Horsesare aresentient sentientbeings beings Horses capableof oftrue trueconnection connection capable withthe thehumans humansthey theytrust trust with andfeel feelsafe safewith. with. and CONNECT TO THE HORSE INDUSTRY
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41
Horseback Holiday Outfits
RISE to the
Challenge
How guest ranches and riding resorts have survived and thrived during the pandemic. By Shawn Hamilton It’s been almost a year now since we began dealing with the repercussions of the global pandemic, and we’re not yet anywhere near “business as usual.” No aspect of the horse industry remains untouched. Although some businesses were agile enough to adapt fairly quickly, the livelihood of a guest ranch owner or an outfitter depends on vacationers coming to their location to experience a day or a week in the saddle. Horses cannot simply be parked; they need to be cared for, and wages need to be paid. How has the horseback riding vacation industry fared during the pandemic? I talked with a number of guest ranch owners and 56
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horseback riding destination companies to see how they are managing during these trying times. I was surprised to discover that those who rose to the challenge, adjusted their protocols, and quickly altered their marketing strategies coped much better than expected. John Lovelace, CEO and operating manager of The Flying U Ranch in 70 Mile House, British Columbia hit the ground running, recognizing early that changes had to be made. Flying U spent two months reorganizing. Working through the recommended information from the Federal Government, the regional health authorities, the Liquor Control and Licensing
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PHOTO: ANCHOR D GUIDING & OUTFITTING LTD. FACEBOOK
HOLIDAYS ON HORSEBACK
The Bar W Guest Ranch worked with the State of Montana to have the ranch declared an approved quarantine facility, which allowed guests to travel from out-of-state.
PHOTOS: CLIX PHOTOGRAPHY
The Bar W Guest Ranch in Montana welcomed many visitors who were seeking a domestic vacation with outdoor activities and had not previously considered coming to a guest ranch. Many of them found it to be more fun than a cruise, and plan to return.
Branch, and WorkSafeBC, they instilled a set of operating protocols and physical layout changes to the facilities. “We called our program the ‘Ranch COVID-19 Safety Plan, covering all aspects of the ranch including hospitality, kitchen procedures, food handling operations, barn and riding protocols, waterfront operations, and restaurant and pub procedures,” explains Lovelace. “In June we were ready to open with 218 operational changes encompassing every operation of the ranch”. Among those changes were five stand-alone residences that had been renovated to include their own private bathrooms and eating facilities, for families who wanted to self isolate. “These became very popular with families, especially those with elderly grandparents,” commented Lovelace. The lodge seating was reduced to 50 percent capacity to allow for the recommended two-metre social distancing, and an additional “under the cover” patio was set up for inclement weather. Breakfasts and dinners were individually plated and served by masked servers, and optional meals were available to take back to private rooms. The most popular change was a new eating area in the front of the lodge, renamed the Century Room, allowing 36 guests to maintain social distancing. The Flying U was granted a temporary liquor license, and guests could sit
>
outside, and sip wine or enjoy a cold beer after a ride. One of the forward-thinking changes was the installation of electrical vehicle charging stations. “We changed [the focus of] our marketing strategy from international to more local, targeting the BC Lower Mainland through Facebook advertising,” says Lovelace. “Electrical vehicles have become very popular in this area of BC. By installing the charging stations guests could get into their car, drive up to the ranch without having to stop anywhere, and plug their vehicle in while enjoying their stay at Flying U. This proved to be an excellent addition to the ranch.” CONNECT TO THE HORSE INDUSTRY
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HOLIDAYS ON HORSEBACK
ACROSS
MOROCCO From the Sahara to the Sea
PHOTO: AMANDA CHAMPERT PHOTOGRAPHY
By Tania Millen
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CANADA’S HORSE INDUSTRY AT YOUR FINGERTIPS
As we trudged up a scorching gully of black boulders, I tried to ignore my parched throat and the sweat dripping down my back. It was a late afternoon in February, 2020, and I was hand-walking Farouk, a spicy, 14.1 hand, 18-year-old chestnut Arabian stallion who preferred galloping across the desert to fancy footwork in rocky ravines. There were 13 of us — ten riders plus a guide, assistant guide, and photographer — on an 875-kilometre expedition riding across Morocco from the Sahara Desert in the east to the Atlantic Ocean in the west. Our guide was familiar with the first portion of our journey, but crossing the Anti-Atlas mountain range was new to him. So, when the barely-used goat track we were following ended on a cliffy escarpment with jaw-dropping panoramic views of the valley far below, I thought, “Uh oh, this looks tricky.”
R
iding across Morocco had never been on my bucket list. However, the previous mid-September, antsy that the Canadian trail riding season was winding down, I started looking for a long trip with faster riding in a warm climate. Ideally, the trip would be a relaxing holiday on a quiet horse that was happy covering substantial distance without too much rider input. When a four-week ride traversing Morocco came to my attention, I immediately contacted the organizer. After brief discussions, I was permitted to join the invitation-only trip. It was through an Islamic country I knew nothing about, whose language I didn’t speak, with a group of people I’d never met — a bit outside my comfort zone.
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67
PHOTO: ROLF DANNENBERG
RESEARCH
MICROCHIPS
for Easy and Accurate Equine TEMPERATURE MONITORING
PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK/CHERYL ANN QUIGLEY
BY MARK ANDREWS
Researchers found that the pectoral muscles were the most reliable site for implantation of the PTSM chip to accurately measure tissue temperature. 8
Canada’s Equine Guide 2021
CANADA’S HORSE INDUSTRY AT YOUR FINGERTIPS
Horses undertaking strenuous or prolonged exercise in hot and humid environments may produce heat more quickly than they can lose it, putting them at risk of postexercise exertional heat illness. Early detection of the clinical signs of exertional heat illness and adequate treatments are important to prevent severe hyperthermia and irreversible thermal damage. Investigations into heat production and cooling require a way to accurately monitor body temperature. Ideally, this should be easy and safe to do in an excitable horse after exercise. In practice, reading the rectal temperature with a thermometer is a common starting point — but may not be ideal, particularly if repeated readings in excited horses are required. The gold standard for monitoring is to record the central venous temperature (CVT) using a thermocouple introduced into the jugular vein. Temperature sensitive microchips — percutaneous thermal sensing microchip (PTSM) — can be used to measure tissue temperature in a non-invasive manner. But how does the site of implantation affect the accuracy? Researchers at the School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, and the School of Veterinary Science, at the University of Queensland, Australia investigated the use of PTSMs for monitoring temperature in horses after strenuous exercise.
HEALTH
What is
E
quine recurrent uveitis (ERU), also known as moon blindness, is the most common cause of blindness in horses worldwide. It affects 2 to 25 percent of horses globally, with 56 percent of affected horses eventually becoming blind. More than 60 percent of affected horses are unable to return to previous levels of work. ERU is most often characterized by repeated episodes of inflammation of the uveal tract of the eye (the middle layer), involving one or both eyes. A subclinical manifestation, known as insidious uveitis, does not present as outwardly painful episodes, and instead is consistent low grade inflammation (not episodic) that causes cumulative damage to the eye. Cumulative damage caused by ERU can lead to cataracts, glaucoma, and eventually blindness. Although not all horses that experience a single episode of uveitis will develop ERU, they are at risk for disease. Equine recurrent uveitis is hypothesized to be a complex autoimmune disease influenced by
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Canada’s Equine Guide 2021
both genetic and environmental factors. Appaloosa horses are particularly susceptible to ERU, and in particular to bilateral disease, which suggests that genetics plays a significant role in ERU risk in this breed. Appaloosas are eight times more likely to develop ERU than other breeds and significantly more likely to become blind in one or both eyes. Genetic studies have identified LP, the allele causing the white spotting pattern, as an ERU risk factor in the breed, with homozygotes being at highest risk (LP/LP, or an organism with identical pairs of genes/alleles). However, not all homozygotes are affected, and work is ongoing to unravel other risk factors (both genetic and nongenetic). Other breeds with a high occurrence of ERU in the United States include American Quarter Horse, Thoroughbred, Warmblood, Hanoverian, and American Paint Horse. Genetic studies also identified a genomic location associated with disease in Warmbloods, but no genetic test is
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PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK/ORAZIOPUCCIO
Equine Recurrent Uveitis? available for Warmblood breeds. Infectious organisms, particularly Leptospira spp, have also been associated with ERU. Increased incidences of complications and vision loss have been reported in leptospirosis-associated ERU affected horses, especially Appaloosas. The exact mechanisms by which Leptospira spp cause ERU are unknown. Higher prevalence rates of ERU are reported in tropical, temperate climates than in dry, arid climates. This may be due to differences in Leptospira spp in the environment. There is currently no cure for ERU.
Clinical signs Episodes of redness, tearing, and squinting may be early indicators of eye issues. Equine recurrent uveitis can affect one eye or both eyes, and may cause more severe signs in one eye than the other. The disease tends to increase in severity with repeated episodes. However, the insidious form often does not present with any outwardly painful episodes.
PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK/PICSOFTHEDAY
HEALTH
Horses with two copies of the leopard complex white spotting pattern allele have congenital stationary night blindness. This coat pattern is common among several breeds including the Danish Knabstrupper (shown).
What is
Congenital Stationary Night Blindness? Congenital stationary night blindness (CSNB) is the inability to see in low to nolight conditions (essentially dusk to dawn). It is found in horses with two copies of a specific white spotting pattern mutation known as leopard complex spotting (LP), which is characterized by a symmetrical white pattern centered over the rump with few or no spots of pigment in this white patterned area. This coat pattern is common in Appaloosas, Miniature Horses, Knabstruppers, Norikers, and some other breeds. The disease is the result of abnormal cell signaling from the rods, or low light detecting cells of the retina, to the next cell in the visual pathway, known as the ON bipolar cells. In affected horses, the 14
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rods do not properly transmit their signal to the ON bipolar cell, resulting in blindness at night. A genetic mutation has been identified that causes this condition in the Appaloosa and related breeds. The mutation is in a calcium ion channel gene known as transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily M member 1 (TRPM1) gene, and a DNA test is available. Additionally, a different genetic variant in the metabotropic glutamate receptor 6 (GRM6) gene was recently identified in a CSNB affected Tennessee Walking Horse. Although this was a single case, the frequency of the causative allele was determined to be ten percent in this breed, suggesting that genetic testing,
CANADA’S HORSE INDUSTRY AT YOUR FINGERTIPS
followed by clinical examination, is warranted. This has been termed CSNB2 as it is the second variant thought to cause CSNB in horses (LP is the first). There are other breeds affected by this condition and research is ongoing to identify the genetic mechanism in breeds such as the Paso Fino and Thoroughbred.
Clinical Signs Congenital stationary night blindness is present at birth and is nonprogressive, meaning that it does not worsen with age. Affected horses likely have normal vision during daylight, unless also affected with other eye problems, such as cataracts or equine recurrent uveitis. Horses with CSNB may exhibit anxiety, apprehension, and confusion in low light conditions. They may be reluctant to move, bump into things, or be prone to injury at night. They may also exhibit resistance to entering dark stalls, trailers, barns, and other dimly lit spaces.
PHOTO: ISTOCK/JOHNNY GREIG