Peace Region Pony Club

09/03/2024

First day at the ag show at evergreen park, if you missed us today you still have a chance to come see us tomorrow to enter our draw and colouring contest!

10/01/2024

You might be freezing your tail off right now, but join us on Friday evening for a planning session for this years Horse Program! Message the page if you are interested in joining an awesome group of volunteers who are dedicated to bringing education and entertainment to the equine enthusiasts of the Peace Country.

09/01/2024

You may wonder why we pull back into the syringe when giving injections in the vein. This picture explains why. We don't pull back to make sure we're in the vessel, we do it to make sure we're in the RIGHT vessel. Today I went to give an injection and pulled back and saw blood brighter than I wanted. I decided to go and get a new dose of sedation and once again pulled back and then gave my dose of sedation. The syringe on the left was my first injection and the syringe on the right was my second injection. Does anyone know why I shouldn't have injected that first syringe? And had I injected that first injection, what would have happened?

27/11/2023

30/09/2023

The dangers of paddock grass to our equine friends is not a new subject we are constantly talking about it all over the world due to it’s often catastrophic impact on our domesticated horses .

We talk about the spring and early summer burst of fresh lush grass .
We talk about the autumn flush of lush grass .
We even talk about winter frosts and sunny days with its impact on the grass .

So now it’s a year round problem for so many horses including most of mine .

How can we safely allow our horses to graze in the paddock without the worry of laminitis.

NOT EASY THAT FOR SURE. 😣and trust me I dont always get it right either.

We know that Grass that is shorter than six inches is very problematic and the shorter it is the more dangerous it becomes.

That said even if still fresh and green looking even at six inches and above can be a disaster for many .

Very Short eaten down to stubs grass is FULL of sugars as this is often called stressed grass which they love as it’s so sweet but this is extremely dangerous.

Sunlight , dew and dampness especially at spring and autumn causes this to absorb and replenish its reserves so at the end of a lovely sunny day it’s literally full of sugar and uses this over night to grow .

Early morning grazing is generally safer on this grass but certainly not full safe proof .

Adding to issues as temperatures drops over night to almost freezing or even a few degrees above this allow the grass to hold on to the sugar and not use it so early morning grazing is just as dangerous.

Mind blowing and very difficult to manage a sensitive horse , and even non sensitive types can very suddenly be affected by these spikes in grasses .

So can we help to create safer grazing by allowing the paddocks to grow to maturity before allowing any grazing , and keep moving the area so not allow short stressed grass to become a problem .
Putting in track systems are certainly the way forward and feeding ad lib hays , but again not everyone can afford to keep feeding ad lib hays or indeed it’s been difficult for many finding the right hay for horses all year round .
A combination of both track systems and correct management for the paddocks grasses and plant appropriate species may be a safer option for many .

This management should ensure lower sugars and better diversity fibre management intake plus more chewing time which is more species appropriate on their digestive system.

Any thoughts and are owners out there adapting to this practice.

Photo of one of my mature winter grass fields on the right that’s been left all summer to grow to full maturity ( verses a young lush area of growing unsafe autumn grass . 👇

15/09/2023

Great list of horse movies that are often quizzed on at Regional quiz!

09/06/2023

Use the 5 Point Safety Check When Selecting a Helmet

07/06/2023

Heartfelt condolences go out to our PPG queen’s family. Jane was a wonderful person and a joy to be around. Her absence will not go unnoticed.

Jane, thank you for all that you have done for our equestrian community. We all owe you many thanks.

In Memory of
Jane Goodliffe
1951-2023

It is with deep sadness that the Canadian Pony Club shares news of the passing on June 5th of former National Chair and lifelong Pony Club supporter Jane Goodliffe, following a brief battle with cancer. We know you join us in extending heartfelt sympathies to her family, as well as to her friends and coworkers at all levels of the organization.

Born February 17, 1951 in Cheltenham, England, Jane and her entrepreneur husband Edward immigrated to Canada in 1975. A teacher by trade, Jane put those skills and her heart for children to use when she, her daughter Morwenna and son Robert, joined the Pembina River Pony Club in 1994. She began as a, in her words, “typical Pony Club mom, filling in where needed, holding cranky ponies, running Quiz tables…etc.”, but she went on over the span of her almost 30 years of service to hold positions at Branch, Regional and National levels of the organization. Those roles included a decades-long tenure as ADC, then DC of Pembina River Pony Club in the Alberta North Region, and various Regional Roles including Games Chair, Regional Vice-Chair, and Visiting Commissioner. Jane’s passion was with PPGs and her beloved ANR families, and she was a tireless, strong promoter and well known fixture at International Mounted Games Exchanges, and National Prince Phillip Games competitions. She was boastingly proud to see her granddaughter join Pony Club, and her daughter carries on the legacy and example of Jane’s commitment to CPC and its values with her continued involvement.

In 2013, Jane was honored with the National Chairs award recognizing exemplary service to the organization, and she received her 25 year volunteer pin in 2019. Regardless at what level she was serving, Jane was always among the first to roll up her sleeves and do whatever needed to be done. She had no use for the words “that’s not my job”.

A National Director for Alberta North Region on the CPC Board of Directors from 2008 to 2023, Jane’s time in this role was interrupted only from 2018 – 2021 when she served as National Chair (following a 2 year tenure as Vice Chair). At the National level, Jane also served as National Chair for Disciplines and Equestrian Canada Liaison from 2008 – 2017. During her time as National Chair, Jane also represented Canada as a founding signatory on the charter of the newly formed Pony Club International Alliance, a group of international Pony Club countries formed to strengthen and improve the Pony Club program around the world. Jane continued to be Canada’s representative to the PCIA until the time of her passing.

During Jane’s term as National Chair, she and the Board navigated uncharted territory in the form of COVID, and a series of rules and guideline changes affecting all National Sport Organizations and Not-For-Profits. She faced these challenges as she did everything, including her own illness – with grace, fortitude, a very British stiff upper lip and a “we will never surrender” attitude. A good friend described Jane with these words – “She was a fine person, and exemplified everything Pony Club stands for”. He was not wrong. Our organization has lost a beloved supporter and dedicated worker, and we have all lost a “fine person” and a good friend.

18/03/2023

05/03/2023

Answer Thursday. In the United States these are known as birdcatcher spots. They are named after the Thoroughbred stallion Birdcatcher. You may not have heard of him since he was born in 1833 😳 These spots can move throughout the year and over time. They aren't associated with trauma, or any other known cause for white hairs. They also don't have a genetic test, but are suspected to be inherited since they seem to run in certain bloodlines.

09/02/2023

Any of our pony club kids want to participate, let me know!

Connect with new Pony Club friends in different countries with Pony Club Pen Pals! 💌

In line with the theme 'Let's Connect' for we would like to highlight the opportunity for our UK Pony Club Members to connect with other Members across the world.

Share what Pony Club activities you take part in, find out how Pony Club activities differ outside the UK compared to home and most importantly take the opportunity to create meaningful connections with like-minded people and hopefully friendships for life! 😍

To sign up up to be a part of Pony Club Pen Pals, click here: https://crowd.in/Kt8gXe

22/01/2023

So incredible!

22/01/2023

Horsemasters!!!

18/01/2023

LETS TALK ABOUT ULCERS AND ALFALFA!!!!

Thought this was neat and worth sharing🤔

Alfalfa and horses with ulcers
Research from Texas A&M University shows that feeding alfalfa to horses with the potential to be high performers either prevents or is therapeutic in treating stomach ulcers.

Something in alfalfa hay tends to buffer acid production, said Dr. Pete Gibbs, Extension horse specialist. Feeding grain, confinement, exercise and overall environmental stress factors are thought to cause ulcers, he said. Studies have shown that horses will heal if provided less acidic diets.

In the research, 24 quarter horses from 12-16 months old were separated into two treatment groups. One group was fed Bermuda grass hay and the other fed alfalfa hay to meet the daily roughage needs. The yearlings received forced exercise during the study. The horses were examined internally with an endoscope at the beginning and end of two 28-day trials.

It's commonly thought that horses turned out on pastures are better off than those that are confined. However, if grass hay is the only hay they are fed, horses can still get gastric ulcers, he said.

In this study, ulcer scores increased when alfalfa was removed from the horses diets, and they were turned out on pasture. Under the ulcer-scoring system, 0 signified no ulcers, with severity increasing to level 4.

Further work is needed to look at horses with varying degrees of ulceration to better determine the full extent to which alfalfa or alfalfa-based products might help from a feeding management standpoint.

Based on what we know right now, for horses that are kept in confinement, eating feed and getting forced exercise, it makes sense to consider some alfalfa as part of their diet, he said.

Until further research is done, he recommends, horses weighing between 1,000-1,300 pounds should be fed about 1 pound of alfalfa after a grain meal.

Follow this link: http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=224

17/01/2023

Wow! What an awesome visual for an independent seat!

19/12/2022

Reminder that there is no pony club tonight as we are breaking for the holidays.

See you all on Jan 2 for our first lessons back!

07/12/2022

Woohoo! Congrats to our Canadian Pony Club Quiz team! What a huge accomplishment!

24/11/2022

Two riders from Salmon Arm, one from Chase to compete during three-week international exchange

04/11/2022

What a cool opportunity! Congrats to our Canadian Team Members!

Congratulations to our Canadian team representing us at the IPE in New Zealand!

03/11/2022

Congrats to the winners of the National Pony Club day draw!

30/10/2022

Here is the link to our Oct 29, 2022 AGM Meeting Minutes and Financial Report

Access Google Drive with a Google account (for personal use) or Google Workspace account (for business use).