Horses Archives - Event Decor Supply

Posted on 26 July 2022 by admin

VIDEO: Arabian horses and riders vie for awards at Langley event – Langley Advance Times

Langley City rider Gillian Fraser and FF Christiana won the ‘Ranch Rail’ open and amateur events at the Region 17 Arabian Horse Association competition at Thunderbird Show Park on Sunday, July 24. Close to 200 competitors fro0m B.C., Alberta and the U.S. took part in the first post-COVID regional competition for North America’s largest Arabian horse association. (Dan Ferguson/Langley Advance Times)

Cathy Southwell and Samson Bleu from Savona, B.C. rode in the ‘Ranch Rail’ competition at the Region 17 Arabian Horse Association event held at Thunderbird Show Park on Sunday, July 24 (Dan Ferguson/Langley Advance Times)

Awards awaited winners of various events at the Region 17 Arabian Horse Association competition at Thunderbird Show Park from July 20th – July 24th. Close to 200 riders from B.C., Alberta and the U.S. took part. (Dan Ferguson/Langley Advance Times)

Langley City rider Gillian Fraser and her 11-year-old Arabian mare FF Christiana won the “Ranch Rail” open and amateur championship events at the Region 17 Arabian Horse Association competition at Thunderbird Show Park in Langley on Sunday, July 24.

“That’s kind of her forte,” Fraser said of Christiana’s outstanding performance in the test of a horse’s working ability.

Langley City rider Gillian Fraser and FF Christiana won the ‘Ranch Rail’ championship at the Region 17 Arabian Horse Association competition at Thunderbird Show Park on Sunday, July 24 (Dan Ferguson/Langley Advance Times)

Christina is also from Langley, Fraser noted, a product of Flightline Farm Arabians.

“I’ve been riding her since she was two.”

Fraser was happy to win the belt buckle that goes with the championship, and just as glad to be back in competition after a three-year enforced shutdown during the pandemic.

Fraser, who has been riding Arabians since 1992, explained the appeal of the breed.

“They’re known for their beauty, but what many people don’t realize is how versatile they are.”

Cindi Wrate, the show commission chair, estimated close to 200 competitors, most from B.C. and Alberta, took part in the July 20th – July 24th event at Thunderbird Show Park in Langley, winning buckles and ribbons in various events.

“We had a couple of folks come up from the U.S as well,” Wrate told the Langley Advance Times.

Wrate was pleased by the numbers of young competitors, aged 10 to 18, who took part.

“There were a lot of young people,” Wrate remarked.

“It was really nice to see the youth.

Wrate said the “primarily volunteer-driven” Region 17 is the largest Arabian horse association in North America (more information about the association can be seen online at www.region17.com).

Cindi Wrate, show commission chair, was cheered by the numbers of young riders at the Region 17 Arabian Horse Association competition at Thunderbird Show Park that ran from July 20th – July 24th. (Dan Ferguson/Langley Advance Times)

The association rotates the annual regional event between B.C. and Alberta every two years, but that schedule was disrupted by COVID-19.

“We haven’t been able to be in B.C. since 2019,” Wrate said.

One online account describes the Arabian horse as one of the “most easily recognizable horse breeds in the world” with their distinctive head shape and high tail carriage — and one of the oldest breeds, with archaeological evidence of horses in the Middle East that resemble modern Arabians dating back 4,500 years.

More photos from the Region 17 event can be viewed online at the Langley Advance Times Facebook page.

Have a story tip? Email: dan.ferguson@langleyadvancetimes.com

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Aldergrove Equestrian Langley

Posted on 12 July 2022 by admin

In 1st event after 6 horses died, Stampede chuckwagons return with new safety measures | CBC News

Chuckwagon races are well underway at the “Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth,” and organizers say they’ve implemented new measures intended to boost the safety of the event.

Calgary Stampede spokesperson Kristina Barnes said the most obvious change will be on the track in the number of wagons.

In previous years, four wagons would compete in each heat — that’s been decreased to three wagons this year.

“That’s the one thing people will notice as they’re watching from the stands and on television,” Barnes said.

Custom-built delineator arms have also been added to the track to create a buffer between the wagons and the rails.

“In the past, people would’ve seen some pylons out on the track. So we’ve replaced those with these arms that slide out for the races,” Barnes said.

“If there is contact between them and a wagon, they are made to swing back and break on the side of the rail. So not a trip hazard, but just to create that extra space on the track.”

Ferrier Nolan Cameron shoes a chuckwagon horse in the barns at the Calgary Stampede in 2019. The Stampede has introduced new measures it says will promote safety in its chuckwagon races. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press)

The Rangeland Derby chuckwagon races return to this year’s Stampede after missing the past two years — in 2020, after the entire Stampede was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and in 2021, as organizers cited safety issues.

The chuckwagons have long been controversial among animal rights groups in Canada and the United States.

In 2019, the last time the derby was held, six horses died. That matched the second deadliest toll in the Stampede’s history.

The return of the event led some animal rights groups to push back.

Stampede spokesperson Kristina Barnes stands next to new custom-built delineator arms, intended to create a safety zone on the track. (Marc-Antoine Leblanc/Radio-Canada)

When Kevin Costner was announced as parade marshal for this year’s Stampede, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, called on him to step away, citing the event’s history that reportedly includes the deaths of more than 70 horses over the years.

“Reducing a few of the dangerous aspects of the race is like cutting only one ear off a dog instead of two. It’s better than nothing but not good enough,” PETA said in an emailed statement on Tuesday.

“The only way to stop horses from being hurt and from dying is to stop using them, and PETA joins every animal protection organization under the sun, and kind people across Canada, who want these reckless, barbaric races simply to end.”

The Stampede has repeatedly said the safety of animals and people is its No. 1 priority.

“As always, we welcome PETA for a direct discussion regarding our animal care practices,” it previously told CBC News in an email.

Drivers happy to be back

Kris Molle, a professional chuckwagon driver, said he’s excited to be back at the Calgary Stampede, even despite the changes.

“It’s definitely more exciting with four wagons, but it’s definitely going to be more room on the track to manoeuvre,” Molle said. “For safety reasons is the reason why they did it. So try it this year is all we can do.”

Molle said that in his view, chuckwagon races are no different than any sport when it comes to safety.

“You have your incidents. We have to take the precautions necessary to continue to improve to get better and safer. That’s with any sport,” he said.

Professional chuckwagon driver Kris Molle says he expects the Rangeland Derby will still be a good show even with recent changes intended to increase the safety of the event. (Marc-Antoine Leblanc/Radio-Canada)

The Stampede said it is undertaking an effort to do enhanced veterinary inspections, and pointed to ongoing studies at the University of Calgary focused on chuckwagon races.

Researchers at the university are trying to find ways to reduce the chance of horse injuries by studying track conditions and how they impact the hooves and bones of horses while galloping at full speed. Sensors were placed on horses’ hooves, cannon bones and radiuses using saddles fitted with devices to measure data.

Dr. Renaud Léguillette, a veterinary medicine professor at the university, told CBC’s The Homestretch that harder dirt is tougher on bones and joints while softer tracks are harder on tendons and ligaments.

Calgary’s weather changes on a frequent basis, Léguillette said, and that will change conditions.

“I’m really confident that even by next year they will probably do some changes and at least monitor, you know, the hardness of the track and apply some changes on the track as needed,” Léguillette said.

The races this year are scheduled to take place over nine heats per night. Twenty-seven drivers are competing for prize money, along with their 162 horses.