Western Canada\’s equine community is looking forward to the third annual Saskatchewan Equine Expo at Prairieland Park from February 14-16, 2014.
\”We have a full schedule once again this year,\” says Brenda Sapergia, livestock manager for Prairieland Park Ag Centre in Saskatoon, Sask.
\”Our headline events — the Trainer\’s Challenge and the Cowhorse Competition — will of course be returning. New this year is a mini \’Battle of the Breeds,\’ where seven teams, each representing a different breed, will compete in four different events.\”
Visit the Equine Expo website for a schedule of events.
As in past years, the Western College of Veterinary Medicine\’s Equine Health Research Fund (EHRF) is one of the Expo\’s event partners along with Prairieland Park and the Saskatchewan Horse Federation (SHF).
The college\’s educational offerings kick off Friday morning, February 14, with a tour of the newly-expanded Ryan/Dubé Equine Performance Centre and the Large Animal Clinic\’s equine resources (register for the WCVM equine health tour).
WCVM clinicians and students will host talks and live demonstrations on February 15-16. Lectures will happen at the Info Theatre in the tradeshow area (Hall B), while demonstrations of everything from ultrasound examinations to farrier techniques will take place in Prairieland\’s wash rack facilities.
“This year’s talks involve a range of topics that will be educational for horse owners,” says Dr. Steve Manning, field service clinician and an associate professor at the WCVM. “We\’re pleased to welcome Dr. Mark Cameron, director of nutrition for Cargill Feed and Nutrition, as a guest speaker on the topic of forage quality this year. We’ll also be covering foaling and foaling problems in horses, pre-purchase examinations, insurance for horses and lameness in performance horses — to name just a few.”
Third-year veterinary student Deanna White says she and her classmates will demonstrate body condition scoring and other aspects of a physical exam. Students will also revisit their popular “painted horse” demonstration, where muscles and skeletal structures are painted onto a live horse.