Horse Breeders and Owners Conference 2007

Hundreds Help Celebrate the 25th Anniversary

January 19, 2007

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It was a weekend for horse enthusiasts and professionals, January 12-15, at the Capri Centre in Red Deer, Alberta, with 825 people on hand to take in the 25th anniversary Horse Breeders and Owners Conference. Sixteen speakers from all over North America and one from Holland, came to engage attendees on a diverse range of topics, and 60 equine-related businesses/organizations, who sponsored the event, were available to display and discuss their products and services.

The weekend's activities began early this year, with a seminar for stable owners and managers Friday afternoon. The anticipated 50-100 attendees was eclipsed by the 300 people who came to hear Esther Schwab talk about Managing Risk with Contracts and Agreements; a high powered panel of Ron Anderson, Archie Hurst, Trish Mrakawa and Gordon Wilson share their thoughts on Attracting and Retaining Clients; and Linda Connors' presentation on Effective Marketing for Maximizing Cash Flow. In addition to these three educational sessions, a presentation was given by Jennette Coote, owner of MJ Farms and a board member with the Horse Industry Association of Alberta (HIAA), on the commercial stables association initiative recently launched by the HIAA, Alberta Equestrian Federation and the Horse Industry Section of Alberta Agriculture. The concept of a stable owners association seemed timely as the enthusiasm in the room resulted in a meeting date being set for the establishment of a steering committee of a new association.

At the "Open Barn Welcome", which marked the official opening of the conference, 450 people enjoyed refreshments and a slice of the 25th anniversary cake, compliments of HIAA, along with many excellent door prizes and exhibits provided by the conference's 60 sponsors. Bill Collins, Ron Cole, Bob Coleman, Les Burwash and Doug Milligan, representing the roots of the conference and its long, successful journey, performed the cake cutting honours.

Saturday morning kicked off with the always popular Dr. Deb Bennett from California speaking on "Little Things You Can Do to Improve Your Horse". Extra chairs were brought in to accommodate the larger than expected numbers at this year's conference. The day continued with another eleven sessions including Duane Latimer's "Conversation with a World Champion", Mitch Taylor's "Common Sense Hoof Care" and Mike Scott's "Ten Topics You Need to Know", which were the buzz during breaks.

The final session on Saturday, the News Hour, began by honouring the commitment and hard work of some of the dedicated individuals who have been part of the 25-year legacy of the Horse Breeders and Owners Conference. The HIAA recognized Sharon Tomlinson and Shirley Sommert-Ogden for their 17 years of service at the conference's registration desk. Vern Baron, Jennette Coote and Rennie Gellner were acknowledged for being part of the organizing committee for 20+ years. Les Burwash, Bob Coleman, Peter Fraser and Doug Milligan were recognized for creating the event 25 years ago and for their continued involvement through all of its 25-year history. The four "founding fathers" were presented with commemorative belt buckles designed to incorporate the conference logo.

Horse Racing Alberta generously sponsored Saturday evening's wine and dessert reception, complete with a chocolate fountain, 25th anniversary cake and the live comedy of Brad Saville. If you've never seen a man climb inside a giant balloon, you have to see Brad's show. The audience was doubling over with laughter and nearly rolling in the aisles

The presentation of the prestigious Alberta Horse Industry Distinguished Service Award is a significant part of the conference with the first being presented to Bill Collins in 2000. This award recognizes significant contributions to the horse industry and nominations are accepted throughout the year by HIAA.

The 2007 Distinguished Service Award was presented to Alberta film industry icon John Scott. His long and illustrious career has made southern Alberta, its horses and its cowboys in demand in the film industry. John accepted the award by graciously honouring previous recipients, in particular his own idol Bill Collins.

Sunday's sessions featured Cherry Hill, who filled the room with her presentation on "Better Horsekeeping", and Dirk Rosie from Holland drew the sport horse crowd to his session "Testing and Selection of Sport Horses".

The conference closed with one final plenary session on Sunday from Dr. Nat Messer, the Alberta SPCA's Fred Pearce Memorial Speaker. Dr. Messer spoke about "The Unwanted Horse", a topic of great interest and controversy in today's horse industry, and one which causes concern and emotion among horse owners, breeders and professionals.

The Horse Breeders and Owners Conference is an annual event organized by the Horse Industry Association of Alberta and sponsored by generous equine organizations and businesses. For more information visit www.albertahorseindustry.ca

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