ARCHIVE EQUINE NEWS STORIES

Story: Jackie Bellamy-Zions

Guelph, ON – EquiMania! will make a home run at Can-Am Equine Expo in Markham, ON while it will also be a featured exhibit at the FEI World Cup in Omaha, Nebraska!

EquiMania! made it's debut at Can-Am 12 years ago and this is a show not to be missed. “It's a partnership that makes good horse sense,“ says president, Ross Millar. “Both Can-Am and Equine Guelph share a great passion for educating horse owners and care givers on topics of equine health and welfare.“

Gayle Ecker, director of Equine Guelph, will be conducting interactive demonstrations all three days of Can-Am, March 31 – April 2. “I am looking forward to presenting talks on the horse's digestive system with a new twist,“ says Ecker. Be sure to check the clinician schedule for these entertaining talks.

Come see the new 'tree of life' reproduction display and play the ever popular EquiMania! Explorer game at Can-Am. The Explorer game is a passport to fun as youth collect stamps from stations where they learn how to be safe around horses, in the stable, around equipment and in the barn yard. Learning about safety, horse care and welfare is always interactive and engaging when you visit EquiMania!

An Art Auction, with proceeds donated to Equine Guelph, will be held during the Saturday evening performance where Alisha Newton from CBC's Heartland will also there. Four artists: Ann Clifford, Shawn Hamilton, Nola McConnan and Kelly Plitz are each donating an original piece. Visit all the artists in the hallway between Buildings 1 and 2.

Equine Guelph will also be featuring an education booth. Bring your continuing education questions! Right beside the Equine Guelph Education display, there will also be a booth presented by the University of Guelph Bachelor of Bio-Resource Management (BBRM) equine students.

The World needs more EquiMania!

The full EquiMania! exhibit will also be present at the FEI World Cup in Omaha, Nebraska, March 29 – April 2.

EquiMania! was completely replicated in 2013 to feature annually at the Minnesota state fair. It is by virtue of this display, housed in Minnesota, that EquiMania! can be in two places at once and can make itself available for events all over the U.S.A.

Jacquelyn Vinci, Director of Education Omaha Equestrian Foundation says, “We are thrilled to partner with EquiMania! to provide an outstanding educational exhibit for the Longines FEI World CupTM Finals. EquiMania! premiered at our first International Omaha event five years ago and was an instrumental equestrian learning tool for all our attendees. As this is the first time Omaha has hosted a global sports world championship, we are so excited to bring back this expanded exhibit to share with our international visitors and the thousands of children who will attend on field trips.“

The same interactive components that teach anatomy and biology of horses with scale models and real bones will be on hand as well as new displays like the 'tree of life'. The award winning display gives visitors the opportunity for hands-on learning about wrapping horse legs, braiding tails, tools used for grooming and much more.

No one leaves EquiMania! without learning something new about safety and horse health and the engaging approach keeps them coming back for more! Gayle Ecker, director of Equine Guelph, says, 'We are delighted to be partnering with the Omaha Equestrian Foundation once again and extending educational opportunities in a way that makes learning fun.'

The strength of great partnerships has made EquiMania! a popular exhibit not only in Ontario but at popular events across North America. Equine Guelph thanks the sponsors and volunteers who make it possible to bring EquiMania! to approximately 2 million visitors every year! Thank you Greenhawk, Kubota Canada, Ontario Equestrian Federation, Ontario Racing, Shur-Gain, SSG Gloves, Standardbred Canada, System Fencing and Workplace Safety and Prevention Services.

To book EquiMania! at your event in 2017 contact Eq4kids@uoguelph.ca.

For further information, visit EquineGuelph.ca.

Equine Guelph is the horse owners' and care givers' Centre at the University of Guelph. It is a unique partnership dedicated to the health and well-being of horses, supported and overseen by equine industry groups. Equine Guelph is the epicentre for academia, industry and government – for the good of the equine industry as a whole.