Skijoring is said to have originated in Scandinavia centuries ago as a practical method of winter travel. Originally reindeer were used, but soon dogs and horses were also involved. When equines are used there are two common methods. Here in North America most skijoring involves a single horse guided by a rider, and pulling a person on skis. The skier does not carry poles, but instead is pulled behind the horse as though water skiing. In Europe, skijoring involves a riderless horse, guided by the skier. This obviously complicates the skier’s job as he now must not only remain upright behind the horse, but also must control the animal’s speed and direction. A wide variety of breeds are used for recreational skijoring, with calmness and obedience being more essential than anything else.

Skijoring has also become an extreme winter sport, especially in the United States. Whitefish, Montana hosts an annual Whitefish Winter Carnival where the World Championship Skijoring Competitions are held for a purse of almost $20,000. Competitors use short skis and modified water skiing towing equipment, and are pulled by a horse in typical Western tack. Horses run at top speeds, which can exceed 60 km/h (40 m.p.h.) and the skier must navigate slalom gates and jumps ranging from three to nine feet in height on either side of the track

Whitefish also has a separate class called “Murdock’s Long Jump”, where a horse-pulled skier attempts to jump farther than anyone else over a 10 foot jump. This is not a class for the faint-of-heart; in 2011 the winning contestant flew 56 ft. before landing safely on his feet! The horses involved in skijoring are often Quarter Horses with the ability to sprint short distances, with some horses being experienced barrel horses or ropers. Some of the top skijorers are former U.S. Ski Team competitors, so you can expect to see some fantastic footwork, and in the more amateur classes you can also expect to see a few fantastic wipeouts!

For those who will give skijoring a shot this year, a slower, safer pace is advised. Skiers require a pair of downhill skis with safety bindings that will snap open during falls, good winter clothing, and an approved helmet. If skijoring with a rider your horse will need a well-fitting saddle in either English or western style, with western being slightly easier because you can dally around the horn. A breastcollar or breastplate is also essential to prevent the saddle from shifting backwards. If you skijor without a rider your horse can be equipped with either a proper driving harness, or you can fasten the tow rope to the Ds in your saddle. A proper water-skiing tow rope can be used, or you can make one yourself using lightweight plastic chain or a soft cotton rope. Skiers must be at least six to eight feet behind their horse’s heels, with the actual length of your tow rope depending upon the area you’re hitched to.

Pat Wolfe of Butternut Farm in Ottawa, ON, skijors with his Norwegian Fjord horses plus teaches clinics on the sport. Pat prefers to drive the horse himself when he skis instead of having it directed by a rider. “Skijoring when someone else rides the horse is fun, but it doesn’t feel like real horsemanship to me,” Pat laughs. Pat’s skijoring clinics are attended by people in a wide variety of ages, who bring their own skis, boots and helmets and then use Pat’s well trained Fjords. “We start by pulling each skier behind us while I ride the horse,” Pat says. “Once they have the hang of that I’ll lead the horse while they ski and handle the reins. By the end of the first day some of the students are skijoring at a walk without assistance.”

Pat feels the most essential part of skijoring is a safe, well-trained horse. “When you drive your horse in a cart you can brace on the floorboards and pull on the lines pretty firmly if necessary,” he says. “But when you are skijoring you don’t have nearly as much control. That’s why you shouldn’t lope when skijoring; you can snowplough to pull on the reins, but even that’s difficult if you’re in deep snow. So it’s essential you use horses that behave themselves, and respond promptly to the word ‘whoa.’”

Falling happens occasionally, Pat admits, but since he always keeps his horses to a walk or trot there isn’t a big risk of injury. “I never skijor without a helmet,” he says. “And I use long synthetic driving reins that trail at least four or five feet behind me. If I start to lose my balance I yell ‘whoa’ and I don’t let go of the reins. If my horses don’t stop immediately they end up with a jerk on the reins, but that’s better than leaving me behind to walk a mile or two in deep snow wearing ski boots!”

Last winter I read about skijoring on Pat’s website, and then taught my 10 hh Shetland Pony, Taffy, to pull me behind her. It was more complicated than I had imagined, mostly because my pony wasn’t trained to pull a cart, and I didn’t have the benefit of anyone’s assistance. I used a pony sized western saddle as our harness, and started by teaching Taffy to ground drive. Once she was steering and stopping reliably I introduced her to the sight and sounds of my skis on snow. By the end of the week we were walking and trotting up and down our lane, with one of my hands clutching the tow rope, the other on the reins, and a big grin on my face! It was fun, and even Taffy seemed to enjoy it.

My skijoring experiences have been very positive, and I’ll proudly admit I haven’t fallen yet. But I’ll also admit the job would be much more intimidating with a larger and more reactive horse. Before you start, I’d suggest you have a look at Pat’s website at www.patwolfefjords.com under the “articles” section. There you can get tips on preparing your horse for skijoring, how to create your own tow rope, and how to hold the reins in one hand.

There’s plenty for equine enthusiasts to see and do at this year’s show. Many exhibitors will feature products and services targeted specifically to horse owners. There are also clinics and presentations geared to the equine community to benefit not only owners but their horses as well.

The highlight of the Farm & Ranch Show continues to be the Northlands Performance Horse Sale. In its fifth year, the Northlands Performance Horse Sale will feature ranch horses, arena horses and prospects. Buyers and sellers come from across western Canada to participate in the sale, running Saturday, March 31 with a preview on Friday, March 30. The horses are on display throughout the event so prospective buyers have ample opportunity to meet one-on-one with the consignors and really get an understanding of the capability of the horse they are interested in buying.

The Northlands Performance Horse Sale is a prestigious event where the sale is limited to 20 horses, and as such, Northlands has a selection process to help ensure the best quality horses are offered by reputable breeders and trainers.

“As one of the first spring sales, traditionally this sale has been well attended and is considered a price setter for the industry,” said David Fiddler, the Farm & Ranch Show’s show manager. “Each year the quality of horses improves; we are very pleased with the support given to this event by the industry.”

In 2011, the sale average was $4,053 and the high selling horse, a five-year-old gelding consigned by Z Bar Performance Quarter Horses, sold for $6,800.

Consignors have the opportunity to demonstrate their horses with cattle. There are timed-event chutes in place for demonstrating competitive rope horses, and there are barrels and good ground for demonstrating speed horses. Since the event is held in conjunction with the Canadian National College Finals Rodeo, it is a great place for consignors to promote rodeo event horses as well as ranch horses.

If you’re an interested consignor or want more information on Northlands Farm & Ranch Show, please visit farmandranchshow.com. Advance tickets for Northlands Farm & Ranch Show and the Canadian National College Finals Rodeo presented by Martin Deerline are available at any Ticketmaster location, ticketmaster.ca, or by calling 1-855-780-3000.

Serving the western Canadian agricultural community for more than 40 years, the Farm & Ranch Show brings industry together to share ideas, conduct business and create educational opportunities.  t

As the oldest pure breed horse in the world, Arabian blood is found in nearly every light horse breed known today and has been crossed to upgrade other breeds. The genetic purity of Arabians make it able to transmit inherited characteristics to their offspring. Horsemen incorporate Arabian blood whenever they want to produce foals with heightened beauty, stamina and intelligence.

The Arabian is characterized by its refined and beautiful appearance; a concave, dished face, large, dark expressive eyes set wide apart, arched neck, high tail set and a light elegant way of moving. An extremely versatile horse, the Arabian participates and excels in endurance riding, working horse events, and they show successfully in a cross section of disciplines such as sport horse, jumping, dressage, driving, western, working western, as well as in hunter seat and saddle seat events.

Come see the Arabian horse at this year’s Farm & Ranch Show or visit the Aurora Arabian Horse Club website at auroraarabian.com.

Then a certain stallion, a Quarter Horse with the registered name Sirtainly Sierra, caught her attention. Sirtainly Sierra, or “Diesel” as he is known at home, was foaled on April 18, 2005 in Camrose, AB, and was bred by John and Gail Muirhead. He is sired by Sir Cool Skip, a two-time world champion halter sire. His dam is Ms Star Sierra, a reserve world champion producer.

Diesel started his career at an early age. During his first few years he was trained and shown by Cyril Desjarlais and then by Michelle Smith and Susan and Alvin VanDamme. Kim decided to purchase him because, as she puts it, “He had been show so much and was a pro at it!”

Kim decided to finish Diesel’s AQHA Superior, which meant attaining 50 Open Halter points, introducing her into the world of halter horses. “I had to learn how to fit and show and with the help of my friend, Harald Blishen, we added five open points in 2010 and only had eight to go,” she says.

It took Diesel coming into Kim’s life for her to realize her passion for halter horses. “I like the halter. They are so beautiful. They are the perfect Quarter Horse!” she says.

During the 2010 and 2011 show season, Diesel was busy in the breeding shed and Kim and her daughter Megan Campbell were busy with a brand new barn and new stallion. After a few months of hard work, they were ready for the 2011 show season.

“We went to every show in Alberta and some in Saskatchewan and by September we finished with a total of 51 open points at the QHAA Fall Final in Olds, AB,” says Kim. “Diesel knew it was his last show and went out of the arena with a little show-off rear. The really amazing thing is that Diesel earned 98 per cent of all his points in Canada!”

Diesel’s performance record proves that he stands out from the rest. Out of the 92 shows he was entered in, he achieved 87 wins, 49 Grands and 17 Reserves.

He has the true personality of a show horse who enjoys the pampered life. “He is quite a show off,” says Kim. “He learned how to swing a rope in his stall and can get quite a loop going. He loves people, attention and loves to pull on zippers of jackets. (Often), he enjoys the company of people more than other horses.”

Although currently retired from the show ring, Diesel has a busy career ahead of him in the breeding shed. Fox Spring Farm is looking forward to many years of beautiful foals. His 2010 foals are already showing promise in the show ring with one winning the Alberta Paint Horse Club-Yearling Halter Mare Champion and the CCF Paint Futurity in Olds in June of 2011 for a total of $921.61.

For Kim, he has already proven his worth by getting her involved in the Halter class and becoming the feature stallion of her barn. “We look forward to Diesel having a long and profitable career, first in the show pen, which he has already succeeded in, and next in the breeding shed as a sire of beautiful winners. We are really proud of him earning his AQHA Superior Halter and extra proud we did it mostly in Canada and Alberta!”  t

If you have or know of an Alberta-bred horse that is an example of an “Horse Hero,” tell us why, send us a photo and each month we’ll feature one horse that stands out from the herd. Robyn Moore is the manager of Horse Industry Association of Alberta, email her at rmoore@albertahorseindustry.ca.

Horse, a molly mule, was simply the top of the herd. Throughout her career, she won more than 300 show ribbons. She could do it all, and raised the bar for many mule owners when she competed at the Tees Longears show in central Alberta. For 10 years, she also was the solid score to count on when she performed as a member of the Mule Team during the annual Battle of the Breeds contest held at Spruce Meadows in September.

Just two months after her farewell ride at the Tees show this August, Horse was killed when she escaped from her pasture in Washington state and was hit by a sport utility vehicle. Occupants of the vehicle were not injured, but Horse died instantly. Her pasture mate, a mule called Pony who originally came from Alberta, had also escaped but was uninjured.

Horse was 30 years old, but was still in fine form as mules can live well into their 40s. “It is so sad,” said Marlene Quiring of the Alberta Donkey and Mule Club. “We had just honoured Horse at Tees this summer. We presented her with a blanket, with her name embroidered on it.”

Horse first competed at Tees in 1997 with her owner Deloit Wolfe Sr. of Montana, winning every class they entered. In the years that followed, the two became well known in Alberta, participating at Spruce Meadows, Tees, and in the Calgary Stampede parade. Two years ago, Deloit died, just months after he and Horse were part of the champion Battle of the Breeds team. They had been partners for 20 years. Horse went to live with Deloit’s son, Deloit Jr., in Washington, where she continued to thrill crowds at fairs and in parades.

“They came back to Tees for one last ride,” said Quiring. “It was one of Deloit (Sr.’s) dying wishes, that Horse appear again at Tees. Deloit felt connected to the Alberta Donkey and Mule Club. He and Horse were members, and they had a positive influence on the club.”

At the end of August, Horse was officially retired and turned out to pasture.

“I’m thankful the mule was killed instantly and not maimed for life,” said Deloit Jr. “There will never be another mule like our Horse. We still can’t believe she’s not in the pasture with her friend Pony. After she died, we called a mutual mule friend to take her to a place where all good mules go and bury her.”

Walking into the stall and seeing her toys is still tough, he said. “We have a barn and tack room full of treasures we will cherish forever. For now her big rainbow ball sits deflated over a stall door. But we will continue to try and convince Pony that it won’t eat her if she gets close.”

Horse began her path to fame as a cantankerous beast, unwilling to do anything asked of her, and if pushed, she would bite and kick. “It took me hours just to get her into the trailer,” Deloit Sr., who purchased her for $700, told me several years ago. But that all changed once he began to work her everyday, sun or storm, on his Rattlesnake Valley Ranch near Missoula.

“I did a lot of talking, and she did a lot of listening,” he said. He transformed the caramel-coloured mule, then seven years old, into a show animal, parading through drive-in coffee shops and appearing on calendars and in television commercials.

Together the two were ambassadors for the much-maligned and misunderstood mule, their keen sense of self preservation often mistakenly interpreted as stubbornness. She danced on command, did tricks, bunted an inflated ball through goal posts, retrieved items, and could be ridden bridleless.

When Deloit Sr. passed away in 2010 of Lou Gehrig’s disease, Team Mule competed one last time at Spruce Meadow in his honour. In 2008, the team won the championship, beating 12 horse breeds to take the championship. In 1999, Deloit was a founding member of the team.

Just before his death, Deloit Sr. had helped carve an anatomically correct carousel of Horse, now part of the Holt Heritage Museum at Lolo, Montana.

Now, his beloved Horse has gone on to join him. Her death made headlines on the NBC Montana news and in the Missoulian newspaper which had many times reported on her accomplishments.

“Horse and dad were an amazing pair,” said Deloit Jr. “They educated and entertained a lot of folks over the years. I have no doubt that they are still at it, just some place greener.”

While working at Queenswood Linda met Staff Sergeant Gerry Ogilvie, who was the RCMP stable’s riding master. Gerry eventually took Linda on as a client, and soon the girl was competing in dressage under his supervision. At age 18 Linda began work experience at the RCMP stables. “Working at the RCMP stables taught me how to do things right, how to do things perfectly,” Linda says. “I kept competing in dressage, too, but eventually I got a ‘real’ job in retail at Eaton’s, and had to scale back my horse activities.”

While in Ottawa Linda met Paul Hicks, and eventually learned that Paul also had a connection to the RCMP stables. Paul had been introduced to horses by his uncle, Ben Ewing, when he was 10 years old. And at that time Ben was the RCMP stable’s riding master, and Sergeant Gerry’s mentor. Isn’t the horse industry a small world?

In 1999 Eaton’s began to downsize, and Linda moved to Calgary with Paul. Paul began working in home construction and Linda quickly immersed herself in teaching and training dressage and other riding horses. “I was working with a chestnut Quarter Horse gelding named Whiskey N Town (nicknamed Oak), and the owner kept telling me I should buy the horse,” Linda says. “She thought Oak and I were a match, but at first I wasn’t so certain. I had never planned to own a Quarter Horse — they aren’t really popular in dressage — and I didn’t even like chestnut coloured horses!” But eventually Linda purchased the gelding.

Linda began to compete in dressage on Oak, and while his individual movement was fine, she kept getting negative comments from judges, who weren’t used to seeing Quarter Horses in the ring. Linda finally decided that competing in dressage wasn’t her only passion, and she began to explore the countryside on horseback. “That was the main reason Paul and I had moved to Alberta, anyhow.” Linda says. “We wanted to ride in the mountains.” Oak flourished with the variety in work, one day being ridden under western tack, the next bareback, and then back to dressage. “I could see that a mentally well-rounded horse is like a mentally well-rounded child,” Linda says. “Work and competition is good, but having fun is good, too.”

Linda and Paul eventually moved to Priddis, AB, where they set up Reverence Stables. Their mission statement reflects their experiences in Ottawa, and their relationship with Oak. “Our dream for horses is to let them relax and be secure in themselves,” the statement reads. “Our hope for people is to enjoy the transformation.” Reverence Stables has a heated barn with 19 stalls, indoor arena, wash racks, lounge and viewing room, plus two outdoor sand rings and an outdoor riding field.

“Many of our clients are mature women who want to learn to ride,” Linda says. “But more than that, they want to understand their horses, and they want to have fun in the process. One of our clients was injured by her mare in a fluke accident before she came here. My job has been to keep her safe while teaching her how to understand her horse. I say ‘What is your horse’s state of mind?’ and ‘How are your thoughts and energy influencing your horse?’ She can now ride safely, and she can send the mare over a jump at liberty, or have her jog beside her without a lead rope. They trust and enjoy each other, and when the woman is finished her lesson she’s always beaming. That’s what we want in our barn – joy!”

Kay McLean Memorial Supreme Canadian Pinto Halter Horse: Blazing Cinnamon Bar owned by Sandra Miller. Trophy donated by the Alberta Pinto Horse Association.

Grand Champion Halter Horse: Blazing Cinnamon Bar owned by Sandra Miller. Winner of the Wilbur Hogg Memorial Trophy donated by Keith Construction, sponsored by the CPHA.

Champion Stallion: Blazing Cinnamon Bar owned by Sandra Miller. Trophy donated by the Jack Pruden family, sponsored by John and Jennifer Mills.

Champion Mare: Scootin Richbit, owned by Jim Stupniski. R. Davidson Family Memorial Trophy, sponsored by John and Judy Kerr.

Champion Gelding: Oh Zippossibilities, owned by Lori DeBruijn. Trophy donated by the CPHA.

Champion Western Pleasure Horse: PRR Time for Scotch, owned by Bruce and Laura Martin. Trophy donated by Dennis and Debbie McCullough, sponsored by the CPHA.

Champion English Pleasure Horse: PRR Time for Scotch owned by Bruce and Laura Martin.  Trophy donated by Grant Knight Training Centre, sponsored by the CPHA.

Youth Pleasure Champion: Shelby Mikolajczyk. Trophy donated by John and Rilla Willis, sponsored by the CPHA.

High Point Horse of the National How: Tied — PRR Time for Scotch owned by Bruce and Laura Martin and RDK Allredebehindbars owned by Rafter Diamond K Livestock. Trophy donated by R and R Paints, sponsored by R and R Paints.

High Point Youth of the National Show: Shelby Mikolajczyk. Trophy donated by Rafter Diamond K Livestock, sponsored by Rafter Diamond K Livestock.

High Point Western Performance Horse of the National Show: Kolour Kode owned by Joyce Enders. Trophy donated by Camrac Meadows, Les and Georgina Campbell, sponsored by the CPHA.

High Point English Performance Horse of the National Show: Tied — Kolour Kode owned by Joyce Enders and RDK Allredebehindbars owned by Rafter Diamond K Livestock. Trophy donated by Cheylee Farms, Bruce and Marilynn McGhan.

High Point Performance Horse of the National Show: Kolour Kode owned by Joyce Enders.  Trophy donated by William and Maria Buttee, sponsored by the CPHA.

High Point Junior Horse of the National Show: Scootin Richbit owned by Jim Stupniski. Trophy donated by Western Leather, sponsored by the CPHA.

High Point Gymkhana Horse of the National Show: Kolour Kode owned by Joyce Enders. Trophy donated by Will-O-Mar Acres, Bill and Anita May.

High Point Horse of the Year: RDK Allredebehindbars owned by Rafter Diamond K Livestock.  Trophy donated by Deans Terra Gai Ranch, sponsored by the CPHA.

High Point Horse of the Year in Open Shows: RDK Allredebehindbars owned by Rafter Diamond K Livestock. Trophy donated by The J. Dundas Family, sponsored by the CPHA.

High Point Youth of the Year: Shelby Mikolajczyk. Bobbette Hillrose Memorial trophy donated by the CPHA.

With close to $6,000 awarded in 2011 to Bronze level competition organizers to assist them in securing licensed officials for their events, this is a program that has quickly made a significant difference to organizing clubs across the country. Overall over $12,000 has been awarded. By providing financial support evenly across this country and across all discipline and breed competitions, competitors have been assured of competing under the jurisdiction of highly trained and accredited judges and course designers at licensed competitions.

In 2011, 20 Bronze competitions representing the disciplines of hunter/jumper, endurance, driving, dressage, breed sports, reining, eventing, general performance and Pony Club in seven provinces received funding after undergoing an application process adjudicated by members of the Officials and Competitions committees.

After successful completion of the two-year pilot, the program will be reviewed prior to its continuation in 2013. “Much has been learned about the needs of our lower level organizers,” said Anne Welch, chair of the Equine Canada Competitions Committee. “It is now time to determine how best to bring this program forward in a sustainable way.”

“We have learned a lot from this program and future planning will include incentives for using ‘r’ officials and ‘B’ officials for dressage and eventing so that the opportunities Bronze competitions offer under the Subsidy program will help accelerate the hands-on officiating required to gain promotion in their field of endeavour,” said the chair of the Officials Committee, Jill Barton, who has been responsible for the program since 2010.

In addition Barton praised her subcommittee, “The program would not have happened without Cec Watson, Ruth Carlson, Isabel Reinerston and Mary Ruth Moore, who have contributed their expertise to this program as well as to the staff in the Equine Canada Competitions Department.”

For a full list of recipients of the Pilot Program as well as program details for 2013 can be found at http://equinecanada.ca/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_view&gid=5496&Itemid=88&lang=en.

His working string at Burns included a Standardbred that he made into a good cow horse. Don spoke fondly of riding the pace and how comfortable and fast it was. He also praised the stamina and versatility of that horse. Don’s stories of being up and on the trail by 3 a.m. and working cows all day in the freezing cold confirm what we know about tough and capable Standardbreds (not to mention the tough and capable cowboys!).

Don’s current project is a team of matched, dark brown Standardbreds. In his words, it takes miles to make a horse and Standardbreds come off the track with lots of miles on them. They’re easy to handle and eager to work. As I said, Don knows horses. The fact that an expert horseman with Don’s credentials went looking for Standardbreds for pleasure driving says a lot about the breed.

A few weeks ago I met a neighbour who has a Thoroughbred racing facility. Of course there was a bit of good-natured banter about harness vs flat racing. He made one remark that bears repeating here. It seems a Standardbred trainer billeted a few horses at the Thoroughbred facility and the Thoroughbred man said that when the Standardbreds came off the trailer he couldn’t believe how calm they were and how easily they settled in for competing race horses. Didn’t surprise me in the least.

As the provincial federation, the AEF provides services and programs to all sectors of the horse industry, which is an important distinction. Yes, the insurance benefits are exceptional; Alberta Bits, a must-read magazine; and our many programs designed for all equestrians.

In the background, the board of directors and staff work hard to develop policy and be strong advocates for the diverse nature of our important community of people and horses. The AEF listens and can bring the big issues forward for discussion and resolution. As an organization that has the ear and attention of the provincial government, respects and supports educational institutions, and assists Albertans in developing high quality recreational activities, members can be proud of a growing and lengthy record of good service.

However, the AEF can do more. But, only through your participation and passion. What more can the AEF do for its members, and consequently, for all Alberta equine initiatives? Who can we partner with, what new programs do you see needed, what other awards should the AEF be developing?

There’s still time for notices of motion. Review the AEF bylaws and/or come to the AGM with your concerns or issues, or contact the office for more information.

Sign up today as a member, apply for a board position or put your hand up for some committee work. You’ll have the ride of your life volunteering with the AEF!

The Alberta Equestrian Federation needs you!

We are seeking individuals wishing to actively serve on the executive board and as individual directors of the AEF.

The AEF has grown significantly over the past few years and covers a wide range of equestrian interests in Alberta. In 2011, the AEF embarked on dozens of initiatives that have connected more people to the AEF.

The website was updated to assist members to connect with one another in the equine world and provide valuable resources for members and non-members. We liaise with universities and agricultural societies and we are proud to foster those relationships.

With active participation in the Horse Welfare Alliance of Canada, we again have been able to grow our communications, educational resources and sharing of ideas across the country. Biosecurity continues to be a very important issue that we continue to promote and educate to all equines.

Some of the initiatives for 2012 will again provide growth for
our organization:

•  The AEF has set a goal to raise $10,000 in individual donations; these funds are used for educational purposes including, but not limited to, AEF Scholarship fund, Live Outside the Box youth Program, Trail Supporter program, Wild Rose Ride (September 22, 2012) and the 35th AEF anniversary celebration (2013). Donations can be made at our website or on your membership form.
•  September 22, 2012 will be our first annual fundraising trail ride! Join us for the Wild Rose Ride where you can ride it or drive it at West Bragg Creek, Kananaskis Country. Visit with old friends and meet new ones! This day will be full of adventure and fun for the whole family. The proceeds from the Wild Rose Ride will go to support programs for under-represented groups.
•  A NEW annual conference, November 16-18, 2012, will provide more educational resources for members and non-members as well as opportunities for equestrian related businesses to connect with potential customers of the AEF. Be sure to join us at the Delta Calgary South for this exciting weekend!
•  Continued partnership projects with AFAC, AVMA and the University of Calgary.
•  Promote and educate our members on Trail Riding in Alberta and trail projects.
•  Include equestrian education related courses and information from our website.

The Executive Board meets approximately six times each year and the entire Board meets approximately 4 times a year. Most in-person meetings are held at the AEF office in Calgary or at the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in Red Deer, AB, many meetings are schedule via conference calling to save on travel, budget and precious time.

If you or someone you know, wants to make a difference and assist in the progressive growth of our vibrant organization, please contact Sonia Dantu, executive director at execdir@albertaequestrian.com. Nomination forms can be obtained by visiting our website and clicking on business and bylaws. All nominations must be accepted no later than March 9, 2012.

2012 Scholarship Applications Available

The AEF is pleased to announce that scholarships to AEF members will be available in 2012! In 2011, seven worthy individuals received $1,000 and $750 grants. Are you planning on attending a college or university to get a degree in an equine or equine related program? If so, apply today, visit our website and download the 2012 application.