EQUINE
APRIL 30, 2020 | THE WELLINGTON ADVERTISER | 17
Equine industry feeling fallout of pandemic By JAIME MYSLIK CENTRE WELLINGTON – Horses still need to be fed, stalls mucked and barns maintained. But with the COVID-19 pandemic leading to nonessential business closures, the equine industry throughout Canada is feeling ripple effects. And Wellington County has more equine farms than any other county in Ontario. “It gets so lonely out there,” said Travis Hall Equestrian Centre owner and riding coach Cindy Johnson. “You’re walking around and everything’s different. It’s just so surreal … it’s really depressing.” She hasn’t had boarders or lesson riders out to the Centre Wellington facility since nonessential businesses were shut down in March. Johnson said the farm lost 60 per cent of its income due to a cancellation of riding lessons, but still has some boarding revenue. Lesson barns However, she said some facilities don’t have any income other than lessons. “There’s instructors and schools out there, they don’t own their own place,” she explained. “They’ll rent a place and then they’ll bring in a tractor trailer once a month with hay and then at the end of the month they get another tractor trailer, the guy just rotates the trailers for them. “So that’s a monthly expense for them.” Farms and horses need help because they’re slipping through the cracks with no income from regularly scheduled lessons.
“The cost of feeding these things is a lot more than people think and their daily maintenance,” Johnson explained. When the province shut down all non-essential businesses, riding instructors still had to look after their horses. “Everything else that closed they can shut the door and go away,” Johnson said. “We just have such added expense all the time.” On April 24 Ontario Equestrian launched a fundraiser called “Helping the Schoolies.” “Ontario’s riding lesson horses are at risk, as public riding stables have been classified as non-essential services due to the COVID19 pandemic,” the Ontario Equestrian website states. “Lesson horses, or ‘schoolies’ as they’re referred to, are used to teach people how to ride in a safe and progressive way. “These incredible animals are the feeder system for our sport and the pillars to our industry. Without the revenue from lessons and camps, riding facilities are unable to provide the basic care for their beloved lesson horses.” Ontario Equestrian is asking for donations in the form of supplies, services and/or fostering a lesson horse. For more information or to register a riding facility to receive benefits visit ontarioequestrian.ca. Boarders The relationship between barn owner and boarder could also become strained as boarders are asked to stay home and stop visiting their horse. “A lot of the barns that board horses, initially they
“These incredible animals are the feeder system for our sport and the pillars to our industry. Without the revenue from lessons and camps, riding facilities are unable to provide the basic care for their beloved lesson horses” CINDY JOHNSON
Cindy Johnson - submitted photo
weren’t deemed essential,” said Wellington Federation of Agriculture president Janet Harrop. That meant horse owners couldn’t go to the farm and help with the horses, putting a lot more work on the stable owners. “Now that has changed, but we still have a lot of owners that are not going onfarm,” said Harrop. “They’re self-isolating out of fear - and that’s what they’ve been told and that’s what they should do - but some of them have lost their income and now those (stable) owners are doing sometimes three, four, five times the amount of work because a lot of those (horse) owners
would help look after those animals. “So the equine industry is getting hit particularly rough.” Johnson said her boarders have been understanding. She is caring for 50 horses, 20 of them she owns and uses for lessons. The remaining 30 are boarded and their owners can’t come out to the barn. “We’re taking care of the boarders,” Johnson said. “So those horses are looking for their owners and they don’t understand what’s going on.” But she hasn’t experienced any pushback from boarders who aren’t able to see their horses. “Everybody knows. Everybody understands,” she
said. “We get calls from them, ‘Is there anything we can do to help? Can I drop anything off?’” “We’ve had porch drop offs and I send them pictures. You just keep sending them pictures and letting them know how their babies are and try to do the best you can.” She also ensures the horses get their dose of carrots and apples. That’s not the case everywhere. Equine Guelph director Gayle Ecker said boarders are struggling with not being able to see their horses. “There are people who can afford to board,” Ecker said. “May still have their job or may not be able to afford it as
easily as they could, but they can still pay it. “But the problem is that now they’re not allowed to go see their horse and some places that’s absolutely fine, in other places not so good.” She said that if boarders have concerns about their horses they have to try to work with the facility owners to deal with it from afar. “So legally, what can they do is something that they have to find out because if they’re concerned about their horse can they go on the property?” Ecker asked. “I can’t answer that; that has to be answered by somebody else.” Ecker and Harrop also SEE EXERCISE » 18
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18 | THE WELLINGTON ADVERTISER | APRIL 30, 2020
Exercise, welfare among concerns with COVID-19 » FROM PAGE 17
said it’s a reality that some horse owners won’t be able to pay their board. “There’s still a horse there that you’re supposed to care for,” Ecker said. Johnson has actually taken in horses that could not be cared for during the pandemic. “I do have two horses that were brought in here because the people couldn’t afford them anymore,” she said. “We’re trying to help those that we can, but we can’t help anymore.
“I can’t bring any more horses in. I have to make sure I’m okay with the ones I have.” She also has about three horses whose owners have lost their jobs and cannot afford to pay board. But Travis Hall is being lenient and working with those boarders. “So as that happens … the belt’s going to get tighter again,” said Johnson. She’s already found ways to decrease costs. She extended the time between ferrier visits, with horses’ hooves going from six to 10 weeks
between trimmings. “Their feet are getting a little longer but we’re making sure everyone is kept decent, they’re just a little bit longer,” she explained. “If a horse needs to be done in six weeks, if we look at it and it’s causing any issues or problems we look after that right away but we’ve pulled all the shoes off the horses, nobody has shoes on. We can’t ride, so why have shoes on?” The facility also has its own supply of hay, but this year it will be short and will
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need to purchase hay to get through to the first cut, usually sometime in June. At the beginning of the pandemic Johnson held a buy-a-bale program for the barn and received 315 bales that will help get the horses through these tough times. Exercise Exercise is another concern. With owners and lesson riders unable to attend the facility, barn owners don’t have the time to exercise every individual horse. In fact, many have been advised not to ride. “What if you’re riding and you come off, and you have to go to the hospital? You’re taking a spot that could be used for somebody else,” Johnson said. However, all horses at Travis Hall are either turned out into their paddocks or have time in the arena to get their own exercise. Ecker agreed turnout was enough. “If you can get those horses outside they’ll keep themselves active as they need to,” she said. She also agreed riders should weigh the impact on the health system every time they get on a horse. “One, there’s enough pressure on the health workers right now because there’s just so many needs of people, and two, you have to think about yourself,” Ecker said. “If you end up going into
Gayle Ecker
the emergency wing, is that not increasing your risk of infectious disease? And the answer to that is yes.” Not being able to ride, get to the barn where their horse is boarded or bring their coach in will also have an impact on riders who are training for the upcoming show season. Many shows have already been cancelled, but it gets complicated when riders are trying to earn points for qualification in future shows. “That all has impact on your ability to move up in the sports levels; it may have an impact on the breeding potential of your horses because you’re going to breed to winning horses and if you lose a season of winning on your horse that affects stud price and the broodmare, etcetera,” Ecker said. She added the welfare of horses becomes a concern when boarding facilities need to cut back on staff because
they either can’t come to the facility or the barn can’t afford to pay them. However, for Johnston, her son and daughter came to stay with her on the farm and are helping her out with barn tasks. They also have a few people coming onto the property to help care for the horses at various scheduled times throughout the day. However, in order to do that, the entire barn is disinfected after each group leaves. This is why Ecker said it’s so difficult for boarders to get out to see their horses. While visits could be staggered to maintain physical distancing, it would be impossible to fully disinfect the whole barn. Coming out the other side of this pandemic, Johnson said she will wait to open until it is clear and safe. “We’re not quite sure exactly how we’re going to do things yet, but as soon as we get the go ahead the first thing we’ll do is bring in riders and get our horses back in condition. “The welfare of the animal comes first.” Johnson is looking forward to the time when her lesson riders can come back out to the barn. “Just getting some of my kids back would just be utopia for me,” she said. “I’m very much missing my kids.” - With files from Patrick Raftis
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APRIL 30, 2020 | THE WELLINGTON ADVERTISER | 19
Raceway hopes to resume racing by July By JAIME MYSLIK ELORA – With horseracing shut down in Ontario due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Grand River Raceway has no choice but to wait for government go-ahead before starting up for the season. Jamie Martin, director of operations at the raceway, is hopeful racing can start in late spring or early summer but it won’t look the same as it has in the past. “We’re expecting to be open on June 3, but I think we’re probably a couple weeks away from hearing something more definitive,” he said in a phone interview on April 23. He is hopeful racing will resume sometime in June - if not, July. However, that doesn’t mean everyone will be able to flood the raceway to enjoy live horse racing. “We know it would be without spectators so we would just be providing … essential staff on site to conduct the races,” he said. What those changes look like are not yet clear, as raceways in Ontario wait for guidance from the province. “It could be a range from
taking everybody’s temperature as they enter the restricted area,” Martin indicated, saying the race paddock is “a pretty hectic place on a race night. “You’ve got 80 horses in there and then people with each horse, so we’re going to have to implement some procedures.”
up again, Ontario Racing has made $1,000 a month available in April and May for each eligible horse aged three and up that was in training. “That’s taking the prize money that would have been paid out in those months and it’s sort of diverting it to all the horse owners and trainers to help them,” Martin
“First and foremost we need to protect the safety for the people that are working in there ...”
- JAMIE MARTIN, GRAND RIVER RACEWAY He added, “We may have to drag the races out so there’s more time between races,” allowing the horses and caregivers time to move in and out of the paddock area while maintaining separation. The stringent requirements will need to be in place before racing begins, because, “first and foremost we need to protect the safety for the people that are working in there and we will do that,” Martin said. While the harness racing industry is waiting to start
explained. “It doesn’t cover the cost, but to help them maintain their horses in training and help look after them.” (For more information about eligibility requirements and submitting an application visit ontarioracing.com.) Though spectators will not be permitted when racing initially starts, betting will still take place. Many racetracks, like the Grand River Raceway, televise races and bettors will be able to do so remotely.
“And actually, in our case, probably about 50% of the betting on our races actually occurs from the United States,” said Martin. Racing needs to start up again and get wagering going to help support the prize money and the stables and horses competing, he added. Another challenge for the Grand River Raceway is a halt in its construction process. The raceway had begun a $6-million renovation to add a 17,000-square-foot addition to the Lighthouse Restaurant building, doubling the banquet and kitchen space at the raceway and offering additional office space and boardrooms. The addition was scheduled for completion in June, prior to the start of the racing season, but now Martin is hoping for a an early summer completion. As for annual traditions like the Weiner Dog races in July and Industry Day in August, Martin said the raceway is waiting to make a decision until more is known. “We’re just sort of waiting to hear what we’re going to be permitted to do and not permitted to do,” he said.
No foreseeable equine feed shortages: Erin store owner By JAIME MYSLIK ERIN – Horse owners should rest assured that COVID-19 isn’t causing feed shortages right now. Alf Budweth of Budson’s Farm and Feed in Erin said he doesn’t foresee any shortages in the feed supply chain in relation to the pandemic. However, he says those managing equine diets will likely need to adjust feed based on the horse’s new exercise routine or lack thereof. For example, if horses were exercised daily pre-pandemic and are fed the same amount of food now when they’re not being ridden, Budweth said it could be detrimental. “If you fed the same amount of feed you’d hurt
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