Horse 2 Flashcards
Number of horses in Canada
Based on Census of Agriculture
-counts livestock or animal products for sale
-does not include horses kept for racing, sport, personal use
2023 Equine Sector Report developed a population multiplier to determine ratio of equines not counted
Canadas Equine population
-equines have overlapping roles
-Ranked from: recreation, sport, working, breeding, professional sport, elite sport, racing
-most in AB, then ON, SK
Nuumber of horses in Canada
2010 = 963,500 horses
2016: 291,561 on census farms
2021: 183,733 horses on 20,645 farms
**likely that reported has dropped because doubt that much of a difference from 2016
Donkeys and mules census
2021: 6210 donkeys and mules on 2948 farms
2016: 8832 donkeys and mules on 3967 farms
-28% on equine farms
-25% on beef farm
-2% on sheep farms
2011: 11,041 donkeys and mules
***44% decline in 10 yrs
What could be playing a role in the reduction of donkeys in the last 10 yrs?
-fewer animals
-movement of donkeys to non census farms
-reduced reporting
Effects of lack of national information and regulation
-issues with requests for funding in sport
-issues with requests for funding during a crisis
**COVID
COVID 19 impact on equine industry
May 2020: federal government had $252 M funding to agri food sector but this did not include working horses
Issues with defining horses in legislature
-Most acts define horses as livestock
-Dispute between governing bodies as to who provides support (Agriculture and Agri-food Canada VS Heritage Canada: sport and tourism)
-Income tax act limits farm income from horses to racehorses
-Min annual income from on farm activities required to define a farm
**No proper definition= equine businesses unable to qualify for support during times like COVID
Active Equine Facility
Commercial agriculture business that uses farmland, purpose build structures, and active equines to generate revenue
-breeding, training, boarding,
-support sport, tourism, therapeutic use
Active equine
-includes livestock specifically raised and cared for in an active equine facility
-may include pedigree development, sport, physical exercise, therapeutic use, tourism
-not raised for the use in food processing or pharmaceutical industry
Equine industry and Canadian Economy
2023: $8.69 billion to Canadas Gross Domestic Product
-canadians spent more than 8.3 billion on equine keeping
-large equine sport venues= economic drivers
-Provided $894 million in provincial and federal taxes
-contributed 70,997 full time jobs
Amount of land contributing to equine in Canada
More than 155,000acres
Cost of equine care
- feed
- Bedding (straw, wood shavings, pellets)
- hoousing (boarding fees or costs to maintain a property)
- vet (maintenance, emergency)
- farrier (every 5-8wks, shoes, $200)
- Tack
- Others= breeding, competition fees, training, coaches, association memberships
Equine care costs for elite sport
3x higher than amounts spent on breeding and working equines
2x more compared to recreation equines
Equines and people
Equines contributes to human health
-youth riding linked with healthy lifelong habits
-equine assisted services can be used to help manage mental and physical disabilities
Children involvement in equestrian
2005: 3.1% of kids (5-14)
2010: 225,250 children, 41%
**3rd most expensive kids sport ($1434 per kid)
Regulation in sport and activities
Multiple groups that have governing bodies that participate in sport! But no requirement to be involved in a specific organization to have horses
Options: 4H, Provincial horse organization, Canadian Pony Club, Equestrian Canada, Jockey Club of Canada
Perceptions of Equine Welfare
- concerns with individual animal welfare issues
-concerns with industry level welfare
Individual animal welfare issues
-denied access to important psychological resources= companionship/social interaction
*best in herd. Protect from predators, but hierarchy exists can can cause injury
-inappropriate drug use
-denied access to physical requirements
-lack of proper professional care
Industry level welfare issues
-ignorance/lack of knowledge
-overpopulation of horses
-lack of regulation at the industry level
Methods to fix equine welfare at the individual level
-allow access to physical requirements
-make proper horse care the main goal
-consistent routine care
-strengthen and enforce animal welfare legislation
-education
Methods to address equine welfare at industry level
-education for all people dealing with horses
-better understanding of equine behaviour and learning theory
Horse racing careers
- Various riders (exercise, drivers, jockeys)
-caretaker
-barn manager
-vet
-support staff like bookkeeper, horse breeder, maintenance, security, annouuncer
Non racing careers
-barn manager
-judge
-ring master
-facility owner or manager
-show secretary
Breeding careers
-barn manager
-horse breeder
-stable owner
-bloodstock agent
-equine pedigree analyst
*certain breeds require stallion coming to mare
Equine industry careers
-equine product sales
-journalists
-tack shop owner
-managers, marketers
-photographers
Equine science careers
-animal care tech
-lab tech
-researcher
-university positions
Equine health and service careers
-chiropractic, dental tech, vet, vet tech, farrier, massage therapist
Equine vets
-internships= academic, private practice
-specialization=residency programs
Certifications in equine practice
-chiropractic
-acupuncture
-ISELP
-fear free certificate
-CE programs and conferences
Farrier
-training= 5 days to 1 year
-requirements to become a journeyman but no regulation for being a farrier
-need good mentorship
Equine massage and alternatives
-massage
-vertebral realignment therapy= used by people who don’t have chiropractic certification
-therapeutic laser
-pulsed electromagnetic field therapy
-physiotherapy= rehabilitation **cannot use physiotherapy in vet med
