dizzyf
Well-Known Member
Anyone had any experience/any knowledge on owning/riding and competing horses in Canada?
Owning a horse in Canada
- Thread starter dizzyf
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livingsky
Well-Known Member
Really depends on what part of Canada you are talking about, it differs greatly from place to place.
English events are done differently, but again this is just my experience where I live.
English events are done differently, but again this is just my experience where I live.
spookypony
Well-Known Member
Where in Canada are you, and what discipline are you looking to compete in? The riding culture differs widely across the country, as do the most popular disciplines.
You can find out lots about affiliated competitions in all disciplines at http://www.equinecanada.ca.
One thing that wasn't so apparent to me as a kid, but that I'm very aware of in retrospect, is how even in one area, "the way things are done" depends strongly on the background of the people running a particular yard.
For example, my first 5 years of riding were at a dressage-focussed riding school run by an ex-pat former Spanish Riding School Austrian. When he sold up and moved, I went with my friend and her ponies to a hunter/jumper yard with a more British flavour. At the time, I was very confused about the differences in the style of stable management: in five years of riding, I hadn't seen a clipped/rugged horse, and had rarely seen a shod horse. And suddenly, the stables were full of TBs rather than Warmbloods, and us with the shaggy unshod ponies were looked down on...but the horses got a lot more turnout. All the kids at the old stables wore long boots, and at the new ones, jodhpur boots (which we called paddock boots). The Western stables down the road were completely different yet again. About the only thing they all had in common was that horses were cross-tied in the barn corridor to groom/tack up, and nobody would even think of tacking up inside a stall!
Wow, I'm suddenly full of reminiscences...
You can find out lots about affiliated competitions in all disciplines at http://www.equinecanada.ca.
One thing that wasn't so apparent to me as a kid, but that I'm very aware of in retrospect, is how even in one area, "the way things are done" depends strongly on the background of the people running a particular yard.
For example, my first 5 years of riding were at a dressage-focussed riding school run by an ex-pat former Spanish Riding School Austrian. When he sold up and moved, I went with my friend and her ponies to a hunter/jumper yard with a more British flavour. At the time, I was very confused about the differences in the style of stable management: in five years of riding, I hadn't seen a clipped/rugged horse, and had rarely seen a shod horse. And suddenly, the stables were full of TBs rather than Warmbloods, and us with the shaggy unshod ponies were looked down on...but the horses got a lot more turnout. All the kids at the old stables wore long boots, and at the new ones, jodhpur boots (which we called paddock boots). The Western stables down the road were completely different yet again. About the only thing they all had in common was that horses were cross-tied in the barn corridor to groom/tack up, and nobody would even think of tacking up inside a stall!
Wow, I'm suddenly full of reminiscences...
Enfys
Well-Known Member
Have a chat with Tarrsteps too, I believe she is very well up on the world of competing in Canada.
CrazyDog
Well-Known Member
I lived in Calgary for seven years and competed there for most of them. I also owned a horse and know most of the local barns. Send me a PM if you'd like to chat!