A. The Ontario Equestrian Federation provided the panelists with the physical, psychological and socio-emotional benefits of horseback riding. Although there is no list of sports or physical activities that are eligible for the tax credit, there are four qualifications that must be met in order for a program to qualify. Equestrian programs that meet these criteria will qualify for the purpose of the tax credit. Please go to this link for further information: http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/whatsnew/organi-e.html. If you provide a horseback riding program that meets the criteria, you should issue a receipt for income tax purposes for amounts paid in 2007. Amounts paid in 2006 do not qualify even if all or part of the activity takes place in 2007. A receipt should contain the following information:

Facility’s name and address.

• Name of the eligible program or activity.
• Total amount received, date received, and the amount that is eligible for the children’s fitness tax credit.
• Full name of the payer.
• Name of the child and child’s year of birth.
• Authorized signature (note, a signature is not required for electronically-generated receipts).

If you are the parent of a child under the age of 16 years who participates in an eligible riding program, you should ensure you receive an appropriate receipt (see above) in order to claim the tax credit.

A. Thoroughbreds have incredible heart and athletic ability. With patience and good training they can make the transition from the track to become wonderful pleasure or show horses in any discipline. Retraining former race horses requires an understanding that although these horses have been ridden, they have never been “schooled” in any sort of riding technique. Also, recognize that any behavioral problems have likely been “man-made.” Horses destined for the track are basically trained to accept a saddle, bridle and rider and run around a clear track as fast as they can go. They have not been taught to stand still for mounting, what leg aids mean or how to go into contact. They are usually uncomfortable with a whip – especially if they were a slow or unsuccessful race horse – and with unfamiliar obstacles. As a result, most former race horses are chronically inverted, braced, stiff and programmed to “go.” Changing those aspects into soft, balanced, and quiet requires patience and appropriate training. Imagine that your only life experience is in a small town with little traffic and only one traffic light. Then you are suddenly dropped into a busy city with heavy traffic, crowds of people going every which way and unfamiliar landmarks. It feels chaotic, stressful and possibly even frightening. That’s how I imagine it must feel to Thoroughbreds coming off the track into a recreational or show riding environment.
Yes, it is possible with patience and the right kind of training to change these hypersensitive, stressed horses into calm, confident, focused, trusting, willing and reliable partners. Find a good trainer to work with who has experience re-training off the track Thoroughbreds. Take the time to develop mutual trust and respect with your horse and to build a solid foundation through groundwork and riding exercises. You will need to teach your horse to “learn how to learn” before schooling him for a specific discipline.

Q. I’m building a rebubarn and would like to put wood flooring down in the stalls. Is there a certain type of wood I should use? Is there a better type of flooring? - Lori Sparling, Saskatoon, SK Jack Taylor has over 30 years of manufacturing and building experience and his company, Affordable Barns, specializes in ready to use barn installation.

A. Some people prefer wood flooring in their barns because it is easier for a horse to stand on wood than on cement. I’ve heard that cottonwood and black polar are popular choices. Cottonwood is a hardwood, but is still quite soft and black poplar is also porous. Wood – both hard and soft – is porous and will absorb urine, so no matter what kind you use, you will want to use lime as well as some sort of stall mat over top.
The good thing is that you can replace the wood flooring easier than something like cement. Because my company doesn’t do barn flooring we see barn owners use wood when they want to do the flooring themselves and aren’t comfortable using cement.
No matter what kind of flooring you choose, the most important thing to remember is that your ground needs to be compact, level and smooth. This is true for dirt, cement or wood floors. If your ground is not properly compacted and leveled, you will run into problems no matter what.