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In This Issue CONTENTS • November/December 2014

SPECIAL FEATURES

32 Conditioning During Downtime Three simple rules to manage times of lesser activity, and use them to actually move your training forward.

42 Adopting a Rescue Horse Exploring the options, finding the right match, and four successful adoption stories

56 Celebration of Horses Photo Contest Album of winners from our 23rd annual photo contest.

HORSE HEALTH

18 Equine Dental Care Regular checkups are an investment in your horse’s health.

22 Understanding Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy The horse with this incurable muscle disease can be managed with proper diet and exercise.

26 How Does the Horse’s Liver Function? This complex organ plays a vital role in almost every bodily function.

28 Winterize Your Feeding Program Weather changes and reduced energy needs call for adjustments in your horse’s feeding regimen.

TRAINING

50 Horsemanship with Jonathan Field Understanding the Drive Line

Departments2 To Subscribe

6 Editorial

8-15, 68 The Hoofbeat

15 Sign Up & Win Contest

16 Horse Council BC News The BC Equine Education Summit

Returns in 2015

66 New & Noteworthy Kubota’s New M7-Series Tractor Line

67 Careers with Horsepower Hartpury College

69-70,Inside B/Cover Country Homes & Acreages

72 Canadian Therapeutic Riding Association News

EquiNetwork73 Hitchin’ Post

75 Horses for Sale & Classifieds

76 Roundup

page 18

page 28

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4 www.HORSEJournals.com • November/December 2014

8 www.HORSEJournals.com • November/December 2014

Horses Reduce Stress in ChildrenBY MARGARET EVANS

Do horses help children? More than you think, according to

researchers at Washington State University. Young people working with horses experience a substantial decrease in stress. And the evidence lies in their saliva.

“We were coming at this from a prevention perspective,” said Patricia Pendry, a

developmental psychologist at WSU studying stress and the effects of prevention programs on human development. “We are especially interested in optimizing healthy stress hormone production in young adolescents because we know from other research that healthy stress hormone patterns may protect against the development of physical and

mental health problems.”Her work is the first evidence-based

research within the field of human-equine interaction to measure a change in participants’ levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

“The beauty of studying stress hormones is that they can be sampled noninvasively and conveniently by sampling saliva in naturalistic settings as individuals go about their regular day,” said Pendry.

Three years ago, the National Institutes of Health asked researchers to take on the big questions about the effects of human-animal interactions on child development. Pendry led a research project with students from grades 5 to 8 in a 12-week equine facilitated learning program with Palouse Area Therapeutic Horsemanship (PATH).

Pendry said that stress hormone functioning is a result of how we perceive and cope with stress. Stress is not just what you experience, she said, but how a person interprets the size of the stress triggers.

Working with PATH director Sue Jacobson and Phyllis Erdman from the WSU College of Education, Pendry implemented an after-school program serving 130 typically developing children. The program provided 90 minutes per week teaching horse behaviour, care, grooming, handling, riding, and interaction.

Participants provided six samples of saliva over a two-day period both before and after the 12-week program. Pendry compared the levels and patterns of stress hormone functioning by measuring cortisol. The results were exciting, she said.

“We found that children who had participated in the 12-week program had significantly lower stress hormone levels throughout the day and in the afternoon, compared to children in the waitlisted group,” she said. “We know that higher base levels of cortisol – particularly in the afternoon – are considered a potential risk factor for the development of psychopathology.”

Pendry said the study gives scientific credit to the claims of professionals and parents in the equine therapeutic field who support the positive impacts of these programs.

THE HOOFBEAT

Children who participated in the after-school program with horses had significantly lower stress hormone levels, which supports claims of the positive effects of human-animal interactions on child development.P

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9November/December 2014 • Canadian Horse Journal

www.qms.bc.caT 250 746-4185 | admissions@qms.bc.ca

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Horses Help Children with ASDBY MARGARET EVANS

A recent post on the HORSEJournals.com website highlighted the value of horses as therapy for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Dr. Michael J. Cameron, Chief Clinical Officer for Pacific Child and Family Associates, wrote about the special challenges ASD children and their parents face in providing a stimulating and

enriched environ-ment. These chil-dren, who so easily become fixated on specific stimulants, can be in danger of being lost in an inter-active technological world. Providing them with balanced outdoor experiences can be especially challenging.

A recent study published in the Autism Research and Treatment Journal showed that children with autism are far less physically active than their non-spectrum peers, although just as physically capable. This finding suggests that children with ASD need more exposure to opportunities to engage in physical activity which all children need in order to set a foundation for a healthy life.

An imperative related to working with a child with ASD is to find a medium of motivation to ignite active engagement.

Enter the horse.Cameron wrote of a set of events in which

his friends had donated their aging horse Bucky to Gentle Strides Therapeutic Stables in Santa Paula, California. He immediately thought of a nine-year-old autistic boy named Ara with whom he had been working, and connected his parents with instructor Amanda Witherspoon.

Ara’s reactions to his experience riding Bucky were amazing. He became responsive, curious, willing to engage in conversation, willing to learn and remember key directions and information, able to repeat instructions given by Witherspoon, and express original thought processes about Bucky such as what the horse’s perspective was on the taste of hay.

The many positive results provided by Ara’s exposure beg for much greater research into the value of horses working with ASD children.

“As I watched Ara’s transformation

throughout his interaction with Bucky, all I could think about was how I wish someone with research curiosity and capability would study the impact of equine-related activities on children with ASD,” Cameron wrote.

For more on this story visit:

www.horsejournals.com/popular/ horse-industry/exposing-kids-asd-horses.

Dr. Michael J. Cameron

18 www.HORSEJournals.com • November/December 2014

WINTERIZE yourFeeding Program

BY DR. TANIA CUBITT

Most horses have some “downtime” in winter, when adverse weather will not permit much riding or showing activity. A reduction in your horse’s activity level usually means a reduced need for calories, and requirements for grain or concentrate feeding can be lowered. During the winter season, temperatures typically fall below that necessary for pasture grass to grow. Pastures become rapidly depleted of natural forage, and horses must increasingly rely on their owners to provide them with a nutritionally adequate diet. To properly feed a horse during the winter months the key factors of water, fibre, and essential nutrients must be addressed.

Water should always be the first consideration in the diet for any horse. An adult horse (1000 lbs.) that is not working or lactating, in a cool and comfortable environment, requires a minimum of seven to ten gallons of fresh, clean water per day. Impaction colic during the winter months is a major concern. This form of colic is mainly due to a horse becoming dehydrated because it consumes less water due to cooler temperatures (no sweating), less water availability (frozen ponds, cold water, etc.) and a diet of hay at 10 percent water content instead of pasture at 80 percent water content. When horses drink

below: As pastures become depleted and winter takes hold, horses increasingly rely on their owners to provide them with a

nutritionally sound diet of water, fibre, and essential nutrients.

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HORSE HEALTH

19November/December 2014 • Canadian Horse Journal

cold water during the winter, their bodies must expend additional calories to warm their tissues; as a result, they instinctively drink less. Warming water or using insulated or heated buckets that keep water temperature above freezing will allow horses to consume more water.

Research has shown that horses drink the most water when the water temperature is between 45 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit (7 to 18 degrees Celcius), or close to room temperature.

Optimum water consumption will keep the fibre in the horse’s digestive system hydrated, allowing it to be broken down efficiently by intestinal bacteria and to be pliable, and less likely to “ball up” and cause a blockage in the large intestine. The water requirement is higher if the horse is in training, nursing a foal, growing, or pregnant.

Adequate fibre intake is the next consideration in feeding horses during the winter season. It is recommended that horses receive a minimum of 1.5 percent of their body weight in hay (fibre) per day. For a 1000 lb. horse, this equates to 15 lbs. of hay per day. Horses can consume up to three percent of their body weight per day in hay (30 lbs. for a 1000 lb horse) if the hay is of good quality. The fibre obtained from hay is necessary to keep the digestive system of the horse functioning properly. Without this hay fibre, horses will seek out other sources of fibre including bedding and wood fences or trees to satisfy their needs.

Adequate fibre from hay is even more critical during the winter months since it is the feed ingredient that keeps horses warm during cold weather. Digestion and

below: Youngsters and pregnant mares need a feed program designed to provide the critical nutrients they require for proper growth and development during the winter months.

left: Adequate water intake is essential in the winter months to prevent impaction colic.

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22 www.HORSEJournals.com • November/December 2014

BY DR. TANIA CUBITT AND DR. STEPHEN DUREN

Polysaccharide storage myopathy or PSSM is a muscle disease that occurs primarily in horses with Quarter Horse bloodlines such as Quarter Horses, Paint Horses, and Appaloosas. Polysaccharide storage myopathy also occurs in other breeds including Drafts, Draft crossbreeds, and Warmbloods. The primary clinical sign of this disease is muscle cramping or tying-up; however, clinical signs may vary with different breeds and severity. There are several different abbreviations used to describe polysaccharide storage myopathy including PSSM, EPSM and EPSSM. Tying-up also occurs in other breeds of horses such as Thoroughbreds and Standardbreds, but this form of tying-up has a different cause.

In normal tissue, insulin drives glucose from the blood into muscle and liver cells to be stored as glycogen and later used as energy. Polysaccharide storage myopathy is a glycogen storage disorder and is characterized by the abnormal accumulation of the normal form of sugar stored in muscle (glycogen), as well as an abnormal form of sugar (polysaccharide) in muscle tissue. Muscle glycogen concentrations in affected horses are up to four times greater than in normal horses.

SymptomsHorses with PSSM typically have calm dispositions and

are in good body condition. The clinical signs of a PSSM episode are typically associated with tying-up. These signs are most commonly muscle stiffness, sweating, and reluctance to move. The signs are most often seen in horses when they are put into initial training, or after a lay-up period when they receive little active exercise. Episodes usually begin after very light exercise such as ten to twenty minutes of walking and trotting. Horses with PSSM can exhibit symptoms without exercise.

During an episode, horses seem lazy, have a shifting lameness, tense up their abdomen, and develop tremors in their flank area. When horses stop moving, they may stretch out as if to urinate. They are painful, stiff, sweat profusely, and have firm hard muscles, particularly over their hindquarters. Some horses will try pawing and rolling immediately after exercise. Most horses with PSSM have a history of numerous episodes of muscle stiffness at the beginning of training; however, mildly affected horses may have only one or two episodes per year.

The typical horse with PSSM is in good body

condition and has a calm temperament.

HORSE HEALTH

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UNDERSTANDING Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy

23November/December 2014 • Canadian Horse Journal

Episodes of muscle pain and stiffness can be quite severe, resulting in a horse being unable to stand and being uncomfortable even when lying down. The urine in such horses is often coffee coloured, due to muscle proteins being released into the bloodstream and passed into the urine. This is a serious situation, as it can damage the horse’s kidneys if they become dehydrated.

Very young foals with PSSM occasionally show signs of severe muscle pain and weakness. This occurs more often if they have a simultaneous infection such as pneumonia or diarrhea. Some weanlings and yearlings can develop muscle stiffness with daily activities and difficulty standing.

Causes There are two forms of PSSM: Type 1 and Type 2.

We know that both are the result of the abnormal accumulation of muscle glycogen which is the storage form of glucose in muscles.

Type 1 PSSM is caused by a mutation in the GYS1 gene. The cause of Type 2 PSSM has yet to be identified. Horses with Type 1 PSSM can be identified by genetic testing. Further, Type 1 PSSM is inherited from both mares and stallions. Horses with Type 2 PSSM lack the mutation that is specific for Type 1 PSSM. At present there is not a specific genetic test for type 2 PSSM and there is not conclusive evidence that it is inherited.

ManagementFeeds that are high in starch, such as sweet feed,

maize, wheat, oats, barley, and molasses, appear to facilitate the development of Type 1 and Type 2 PSSM. That is why these ingredients should be avoided for horses that have PSSM. Extra calories can be provided in the form of fat (oil) for performance horses that are prone to PSSM. An important part of the management P

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below: PSSM occurs primarily in horses with Quarter Horse bloodlines, but can also occur in Warmbloods and Draft breeds. Muscle stiffness, sweating, and reluctance to move are common symptoms.

left: Episodes of PSSM usually begin after light exercise such as ten to twenty minutes of walking and trotting. The horse will seem lazy and display a shifting lameness, tenseness in the abdomen, and tremors in the flank.

28 www.HORSEJournals.com • November/December 2014

verybody knows the importance of regular dental checkups when it comes to human health,

so it should come as no surprise that horse health is just as dependent upon regular oral health checks.

Dr. James Carmalt, a professor of equine surgery and a specialist in equine dentistry at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM), recommends that horses receive routine oral health checks every six months

or every year. “Horses don’t tend to

show a lot of pain and discomfort, so they can

have horrible teeth and you won’t know just by looking at them,” says Carmalt, one of only ten board-certified equine veterinary dental specialists in North America.

“You may not have to do anything, but it’s important to look — a regular check can pick things up early.”

For a complete oral exam, Carmalt sedates his

patient so he can use a full-mouth speculum. This tool opens up the horse’s mouth completely and allows Carmalt to examine and feel every single tooth while he checks the chewing surface for open pulp chambers. He also uses

HORSE HEALTH

Equine Dental Care

E

Regular checkups are an investment in your horse’s healthBY LYNNE GUNVILLE

29November/December 2014 • Canadian Horse Journal

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a mirror and dental picks to check the chewing surfaces and to look for any areas of feed retention.

In addition to learning the animal’s age, Carmalt has some routine questions for the owner: Has the horse had any nasal discharge? Has there been any systemic disease in the herd? Where is this horse in terms of herd dynamics? Have you seen this horse dropping feed? Does the horse’s mouth appear tender when you bridle him or have you had problems under saddle?

While all of this information is important, the horse’s age is particularly significant since the incidence of disease in the mouth increases with age.

By the age of four or five, horses’ teeth have grown to their maximum length, but the teeth will continue to erupt until the animals essentially run out of tooth in their late twenties or early thirties.

Wave mouth is a common problem associated with age that results from the teeth erupting at different rates, often resulting in overly tall teeth on the bottom and slightly shorter teeth on the top.

Even though rasping or floating down the taller teeth is the usual remedy, there’s only a certain amount of tooth to work with, and it’s not going to come back. Tooth loss is common in older horses, but it often leads to more problems.

“It’s not the tooth that’s lost we’re concerned about, it’s the underlying teeth,” Carmalt explains. “If you remove the upper tooth, now there’s no backstop for the underlying tooth — the lower tooth that’s in the same position on the arcade. So it super-erupts and you end up with a wave mouth or a tall tooth that can create problems elsewhere.”

Diastemata, or abnormal spaces between cheek teeth, is also a common condition, particularly in older horses. Because these spaces fill up with feed, they can lead to periodontal disease. Veterinarians can

“You may not have to

do anything, but it’s

important to look —

a regular check can

pick things up early.”

32 www.HORSEJournals.com • November/December 2014

ConditioningDURING DOWNTIMEBY JEC ARISTOTLE BALLOU

33November/December 2014 • Canadian Horse Journal

First, it is worth dispelling the myth that horses somehow hold on to acquired levels of fitness when

their weekly training schedule drops below three times per week. This is not the case. De-training effects can be measured in the cardiovascular system as early as two weeks after a workload reduction. Following layoffs longer than a month, losses of musculoskeletal strength, bone density, and tendon and ligament tonicity can be detected. These

structures, once weakened, require considerably longer re-conditioning than the cardiovascular system. In fact, most horses are held back by weakness or failings in these underlying soft tissues, not from deficiencies in cardiovascular or gymnastic muscle strength.

Periods of downtime come as realistic parts of

horse ownership, although how a rider uses

these stretches of poor weather or busy

schedules contributes profoundly to a

horse’s long-term soundness and

performance. Recent data from

biomechanics researchers and

veterinary schools show that large

vacillations in fitness can be detrimental to

overall health, particularly for horses past their

mid-teen years. Most notably, periods of lesser

activity lasting over a month can weaken deep

postural muscles and supporting soft tissue.

When a horse is once again placed in a workout

routine, he is more likely to use compensatory

postures and muscles, leading to lackluster

performance or injury, not to mention fail to

progress in his training. Below I offer three

simple rules to not only manage times of

lesser activity, but to use them to actually

move your training forward.

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34 www.HORSEJournals.com • November/December 2014

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A general rule of thumb in exercise physiology is to allow one month of progressive re-conditioning for each month off. A better rule might be to not allow these losses of underlying strength in the first place. The good news is that you do not need a big time investment to prevent them.

RULE ONE: Prioritize Calisthenics

When wintry weather or hectic schedules interfere with your riding time, don’t throw in the towel or rely on paddock turnouts to give your horse’s body what it needs. Used effectively, these periods of reduced activity can yield productive outcomes. How? When not accessing his patterned daily body habits, or muscle memory, through his regular workout routines, the horse’s nervous system can adapt to new habits. For horses with habits to un-learn, such as crookedness, hollowness, side-dominance, etc., this is the best time to make permanent changes. Think of these periods as rewiring his nervous

system. By contributing to a brief but consistent daily schedule of calisthenics, you can optimize the horse’s deep muscles responsible for influencing posture and stabilizing his spine and pelvis. This muscle system in particular suffers when reintroduced to exercise after time off.

In just 20 minutes per day, at least four to five times per week, you can achieve worthy results. In fact, research at Michigan State University demonstrated that by performing dynamic mobilization exercises every day, laid off horses were able to maintain nearly 80 percent of the tone in their spinal stabilizing muscles compared to horses in full riding training. Begin your 20 minute calisthenics session with these maneuvers.

While keeping your horse’s feet immobile, use a treat to entice his head/neck to the following positions:•The middle of the chest (chin to chest)•Between the knees•Between the front fetlocks

While keeping your horse’s feet immobile, use a treat to entice his head/neck to the following positions:

Between the knees

The flank/hip region(holding the treat approximately two feet outward from the flank)

The middle of the chest (chin to chest)

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35November/December 2014 • Canadian Horse Journal

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•The girth•The flank/hip region (holding the treat

approximately two feet outward from the flank)

•Toward the hind fetlockOnce you have completed these

maneuvers, ask your horse to walk backwards 30 steps, which will activate his abdominal muscles and hamstrings while mobilizing his lumbar spine. Then walk him back and forth over a row of five to eight ground poles (spaced roughly two and a half feet apart) a total of 25 times. This simple mini routine should take you less than 20 minutes but when done consistently every day, it will pay big rewards for your horse. You will not only maintain tone in his postural muscles but, in the case of poor body habits, be able to create new neural pathways and muscle memories. Do not worry yourself about losses in cardiovascular fitness. The horse’s cardio system, unlike his soft tissue, adapts rapidly and efficiently once full training re-starts.

While keeping your horse’s feet immobile, use a treat to entice his head/neck to the following positions:

Between the front fetlocks

Toward the hind fetlock

42 www.HORSEJournals.com • November/December 2014

BY LINDSAY DAY, REMT

IN the eight years that Whispering Hearts Horse Rescue of Hagersville, Ontario has been in

operation, owner Brenda Thompson has taken in over 200 horses, giving them a second chance at a better life. A former OSPCA (Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) agent, Thompson realized that she could do more by opening an equine rescue facility when she left the organization.

The population of unwanted horses in Canada is believed to be a growing issue. “The trouble is we don’t have any numbers. But rescues are reporting to me that they are seeing more,” says Gayle Ecker, Director of Equine Guelph. “All you have to do is look on Kijiji and there are free horses everywhere. And we get calls here, ‘Can you help? Can you take my horse?’”

For rescues like Thompson’s, it is an ongoing challenge

to keep up. But as she emphasizes, many of these horses are perfectly good animals. “There’s a stigma that all rescue horses are broken, but that’s not case.” While certainly some horses are suitable as companion animals only, there are others that can go on to do more. Indeed, if you talk to owners of adoptive horses you will hear it again and again: These horses have so much left to give, if we just give them the chance.

Exploring OptionsIt was around the time that Jane Riley was

considering getting a horse for her daughter that she learned about the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society (OSAS) from a classmate in Equine Guelph’s online Equine Science program.

“My first question was: What’s a Standardbred?” she

Adopting a Rescue Horse

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Athena with owner Erinn Gillespie.“She’s my heart and soul. She keeps me smiling every day.”

43November/December 2014 • Canadian Horse Journal

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laughs. But she’s glad she asked. It was through OSAS that Riley and her daughter met Valid Victory, or Vic for short. He’s been a part of their family now for ten years.

With appropriate training, many racehorses – Standardbred, Thoroughbred, and Quarter Horse – have gone on to excel in other sports after their careers at the track. Adoption societies like OSAS that take recently retired racehorses into their program are one option for those considering adoption. Horse rescue facilities are another. These facilities may intervene to acquire horses bound for slaughter, have horses surrendered to them by owners no longer able to care for them, or provide critical care, rehabilitation, and re-homing services for neglect and abuse cases.

For Erinn Gillespie, adopting from a horse rescue is something she knew she wanted to do from the outset. As a veterinary technician at a small animal clinic, Gillespie says she observed a different dynamic between rescue animals and their adoptive owners. “It’s like they know they’ve come from a harsher place, and they are much more grateful. And then I got to thinking, if you are adopting from a rescue, you are actually helping two animals find a better life. Because you are taking one home, that means another space opens up for somebody else.”

Because equine rescue facilities are not regulated in Canada, Ecker encourages people who want to go that route to do their homework to ensure that the place they choose to support and work with is a reputable rescue facility with the knowledge, experience, and resources to provide appropriate care and re-homing services. A facility that takes the time to properly rehabilitate and assess the horses that come into their care will be in better position to determine the most suitable type of home and partnership for them going forward, she says.

These horses have so much left to give, if we just give them the chance.

50 www.HORSEJournals.com • November/December 2014

UNDERSTANDING

the Drive Line

HORSEMANSHIP

BY JONATHAN FIELDAn excerpt from The Art of Liberty Training for Horses by Jonathan Field, used by permission of Trafalgar Square Books (www.horseandriderbooks.com)

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51November/December 2014 • Canadian Horse Journal

Faye GustafsonF I N E A R T I S T

Experience The West in Paint, Pencil, & Bronze

“THE BUGLER” 11" x 14"

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CONTACT JOAN:

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To view more works by this artist, visit:

www.FayeGustafson.com

What is the drive line? In this excerpt from my book, I will explore the drive line and how important it is for you to understand where it is on the horse’s anatomy and how the horse responds to it when working at liberty, or when the horse is loose in the round pen. This, of course, is not a real, physical line; it is an imaginary vertical line, which determines by body language the direction the horse will go in relation to your position in front of, or behind, the line. Think of the line more as a zone, not a hard line. Remember that every horse is different, so the line’s position may also be different. Once you have the line firmly positioned in your mind, communicating with your horse will become easier, smoother, and more productive.

magine an approximate line that drops vertically between the point of the horse’s shoulder and the

withers. That drive line is how you influence your horse to move toward you, away from you, faster and slower.

If you push into a horse’s personal space in front of him, which is forward of the drive line, you discourage forward motion. Direct your focus near his head and neck, and you can turn him away from you. On the other hand, push from way behind your horse, and he’ll accelerate forward motion. Or, push more at his hip and you drive his hip away. Knowing this, you can use pressure to cause a horse to go where you want him to. The key is to be very clear in your signal and position for various requests.

In fact, all prey animals have this imaginary drive line near the shoulders. It’s not a per fectly straight, uniform line, but more of a zone. Once you understand and are aware of how you use pressure in relation to the drive line, it will be very natural for your horse to understand you. Problems occur when you are standing in the wrong place for a horse to understand what it is you are asking. Being aware of your position in relation to the drive line is the next important lesson of liberty training. In this case, your horse is the teacher while you learn about using the drive line.

Each personal space bubble around a horse is individual to that horse. Your imaginary line from the withers to the point of his shoulder is just a general guide. Find your horse’s “per sonal” drive line by observing how he reacts when you apply pressure in different places; knowing where his drive line is will help you get the message across to your horse.

Let’s discuss how to begin using the drive line in the round pen.

I

56 www.HORSEJournals.com • November/December 201456 www.HORSEJournals.com • November/December 2014

In this, the twenty-third year of our annual photo contest, we welcomed a record number of entries that flooded in from all across Canada and the US. The large selection of quality photos made judging especially interesting and enjoyable. Thank you to everyone who shared their amazing images of equines on the job, beautiful babies, horses with a unique sense of humour, and special moments with beloved four-legged partners.

Our photo contest’s popularity continues to grow thanks to amazing sponsors. This year’s generous sponsors are Ogilvy Equestrian and EcoLicious Equestrian. Each category winner will receive a Memory Foam Half Pad from Ogilvy Equestrian, in their choice of Dressage, Jumper, Hunter, or Eventing. The two runners-up per category will each receive a $25 Gift Certificate from EcoLicious Equestrian, “making horses beautiful naturally.”

WINNER (BELOW)

Too sleepy to keep my head upAfter running around her paddock, AQHA filly Jazzy, just nine hours old, rests her head on “Mom” Aggie’s face. Jazzy is by the AQHA Uneeda Investor, who throws “very versatile horses that can go in the Western Pleasure ring, show in the hunters/jumpers, and from trail riding to dressage,” says photographer Meghan Elsik.

STABLE STORKBeautiful Babies of 2014

23RD ANNUAL

Celebration of Horses Photo Contest

Album of Winners

57November/December 2014 • Canadian Horse Journal 57November/December 2014 • Canadian Horse Journal

1ST RUNNER-UP (RIGHT)

King of the Pasture“Freeze Frame” is a Warmblood colt born in May of this year. “It was wonderful to watch him explore the pasture and figure out his long legs!” says photographer, Rhianna Lindsay.

2ND RUNNER-UP (LEFT)

Mable MayMeet Mable, an adorable Miniature Mule born May 10th of this year. “She is very friendly and just too cute,” says photographer Alana Totton.

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