Equine Symposium

There were a lot of equine enthusiasts in Weyburn on May 4.
 
More than 30 4-H’ers, young and old, joined together for the 4-H Saskatchewan’s annual Equine Symposium on May 4 in the Big Barn at the Weyburn Fair Grounds. This was a day of fun and learning for both members and leaders.
 
The morning started with a session where 4-H members learned about equine health through a Horse Learning Lab Kit, which comes from the Ohio State University. This kit had topics around confirmation, muscular and skeletal systems, feed and more. The members enjoyed working together during this hands-on session.
 
Once they worked through all the tables, the 4-H’ers gathered in the stands for the first presentation by the main presenter, Amos Abrahamson. Abrahamson is from just west of Maple Creek, where he owns and operates his horse training business, Diamond J Performance Horses. Abrahamson’s first session was a yearling demonstration, where he worked with a yearling horse to refine its responsiveness.
 
After lunch, the 4-H’ers were ready to learn more from Abrahamson, who gave his second presentation on a two-year-old horse. It was his first time working with the horse he brought and the 4-H members and leaders were impressed with his calm demeanor and by him getting on the horse’s back for the first time. They were excited to ask him questions are the end of his session and were engaged with what he was telling them.
 
The last session of the day was by Miranda Wiens from Equi-Health Canada. She gave the 4-H members a basic run down of some equine first aids tips they could use in the future. She also had members try some of the skills, such as taking the horse’s pulse, during her session. Wiens encouraged any of the 4-H’ers interested in learning more to take a full equine first aid course.
 
It was a great day, which wouldn’t have been possible without the support of our sponsors. We’d like to thank Greenhawk for donating a pair of socks for all the participants. Since it was a cold day, many of the members immediately put on their socks. Thank you to our presenters, Amos Abrahamson and Miranda Wiens. We’d also like to thank Brittany Stepp for volunteering for the day and Lisa Halberg for bringing her horse for the first aid demonstration.