Equi-Health Canada - Eastern Ontario

03/09/2026

🔥 Year of the Fire Horse. A year to move. A year to begin. 🔥🐴

To celebrate the start of this powerful year, Equi-Health Canada is proud to announce the launch of our 2026 Instructor Scholarship!

📅 Applications open: February 17, 2026
https://equihealthcanada.com/
https://form.jotform.com/EquiHealthCanada/2026InstructorScholarhipForm

The Fire Horse is known for courage, independence, and bold action, and there’s no better time to finally step into something you’ve been thinking about for years.

Maybe you’ve been wanting to:
• Start a meaningful business
• Work for yourself while staying connected to the horse community
• Share your knowledge and make a real difference in equine welfare
• Build a flexible income doing something you truly care about

This scholarship is designed to help new instructors take that next step.

For nearly two decades, Equi-Health Canada has been a trusted name in equine first aid education across the country. Since 2007, our instructors have built rewarding, independent businesses under a respected national brand, teaching horse owners the skills that can save lives.

As an EHC Instructor, you have the opportunity to:
• Be your own boss and set your own schedule
• Build income doing work that matters
• Teach life-saving skills in your local horse community
• Grow under a recognized and established Canadian brand
• Join a supportive network of passionate instructors across the country

📅 Applications open: February 17, 2026 through to March 31, 2026. Scholarship recipients will be notified by April 4th, 2026.

If you’ve been waiting for the “right time” to make a move... THIS IS IT! APPLY TODAY: https://form.jotform.com/260398167327061

The Year of the Fire Horse is about momentum, bravery, and new beginnings. We’re looking for individuals who feel that pull to step forward and create something of their own.

- If you’ve been feeling the nudge… trust it. This could be the year everything changes.

03/08/2026

Happy International Women’s Day!💪🐴👑🏋️‍♀️🧜‍♀️🦹‍♀️🤰👮‍♀️👩‍🌾👩‍🚀⛹️‍♀️🤞🏻👩‍✈️👩‍🚒👷‍♀️

Women make up the vast majority of the Canadian horse industry, with studies indicating that approximately 79% to 84% of active participants and horse-owning households are female.

03/08/2026

Clocks go forward tonight! ⏰ Here’s to seeing our horses in daylight after work!!!

03/02/2026

On Sat 28 Feb, Tony Jumeau of FireForce Ltd/Stable Hands and EHC - Eastern Ontario presented at Ritchie in Brockville. What a great crowd and wonderful hosts. Big selection of equine supplies!

02/22/2026

Rabies is 100% fatal once contracted. The only measure against keeping our livestock safe, including horses, is a vaccine schedule. Talk to your vet about frequency and other core vaccines.

Rabies is a rare but fatal viral disease that attacks a horse’s neurologic system and can be transmitted to people and other animals.

02/21/2026

Source: American Association of Equine Practitioners

Many people think of donkeys as hardy, low-maintenance “small horses.” However, while they have similarities, donkeys are a completely different species and, as such, have a different physical, mental, and emotional makeup.

Here are a few things to keep in mind while caring for our long-eared friends during the colder months:

❄️ Donkeys are more sensitive to changes in temperature than their equine friends. You can help by making sure that they have shelter from wind and precipitation, ensuring they have a good body condition, offering adequate food and water, and checking their temperature during freezing weather.

❄️ Donkeys grow winter coats differently than horses do. Although they may grow thicker coats, they are generally not water resistant or as insulating as a horse's coat in the winter. This makes it even more crucial that donkeys have access to a dry shelter so they can stay warm.

❄️ Being stoic animals, donkeys often don't show signs of hypothermia until they are very sick.

Remember that every animal is different depending on age, breed, and other health conditions, so be sure to talk to your primary veterinarian to address any concerns or questions!

This information is brought to you by the AAEP Horse Owner Education Committee.

📸 Dr. Iris Foote

02/20/2026

Sneaking pets and mascots remains a soldier’s forbidden pastime to this day. Someone should make a policy authorizing it already 🤔

🇨🇦🐴 In 1944, Canadian soldiers were fighting their way up Italy, liberating the country. Then New Brunswick’s only tank regiment, the 8th Hussars, stumbled across something unexpected. A horse.

Ages before tanks were ever invented, The Hussars had once been a cavalry unit. Their commander, Lt.-Col. Bob Ross (yes, that was his real name), admitted his men were “still horsemen at heart.”

One night, an attack they’d launched went sideways. Their tanks were knocked out. The men scrambled back toward Canadian lines under fire.

Then they heard a terrible scream.

One of the men volunteered to crawl off to investigate, thinking it was a wounded Canadian. He came back pale and announced, “Boys … It’s a little horse hit by a hunk of shell.”

Even amid the brutal fighting along Italy’s Gothic Line, Lt.-Col Bob Ross said the sight “tore the hardened hearts of ex-cavalrymen virtually to shreds.”

The men immediately begged Ross for permission to rescue “the poor little thing.”

Bob Ross’ replied that orders from senior Army officials “did not include the recovery of horses or any other quadruped which happened to engage their fancy.”

Then he relented, permitting the night rescue mission for the young horse.

[📸 Pictured: The first-ever photo of the horse, taken immediately after her rescue, with Canadian soldier Roland Simpson (Bob McLeod / York Country Museum)]

By dawn, the c**t was on her way to Canadian lines — saved by New Brunswickers serving half a world from home.

The regiment named her Princess Louise, after their formal title: The Princess Louise 8th Canadian Hussars.

She accompanied them as they pushed north through Italy. With Italy liberated from German occupation, the tank regiment was dispatched to help liberate Belgium and the Netherlands.

Animals were were absolutely forbidden from being transported.

The Hussars disagreed.

“They made up their minds,” recalled soldier Thad Stevens. They hid Princess Louise inside a truck packed with machine-gun boxes, smuggling her from Italy to France, then to Belgium — where she proudly marched in the victory parade.

She even helped during the liberation of the Netherlands, carrying supplies through deep mud. One Dutch village became so fond of her that locals simply called her “our horse.”

When the war ended, bringing her home to Canada was also forbidden … so naturally, the Hussars brought her home. (One officer promised he’d swim beside her on a raft if necessary.)

Princess Louise lived the rest of her life in Hampton, New Brunswick.

📕 The full story appears in the book 'Backyard History: Forgotten Stories From Atlantic Canada’s Past Volume Two.' Find all four Backyard History books at backyardhistory.ca/books

🎙 Hear Princess Louise’s full tale on the Backyard History Podcast ... and don't miss our newest episode about Beryl Markham: https://shorturl.at/MD2ik

📰 Find the Long Read article (with lots of photos) here: https://backyardhistory.ca/f/hooves-heroes-princess-louise-a-war-horses-tale

02/20/2026

What else?

02/19/2026

It’snot weird to ask if your horse’s nasal discharge is something to be worried about.

Any nasal drainage can be an important indicator of a horse's health and can even herald an emergency. Here are 6 scenarios and possible causes.

02/18/2026

Source: Equine, PhD

𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐚 𝐰𝐞𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞?

I have seen statements on this subject floating around social media and I felt it was time to step in and set the record straight!

𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐰𝐞𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞.

For as long as I can remember, this practice has been taboo, you just shouldn’t do it. However, the University of Kentucky came out with an extension publication a few years back on why this generalization is false and I want to share that information with you along with some of my own relevant research.

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐰𝐞𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐚𝐝?

The thought here is that by blanketing a wet horse, you trap the cold water next to their skin, which will actually make them colder. And if this actually happened, I would agree that this practice would be detrimental. However, if you have ever blanketed a wet horse with a blanket that has fill or added insulation, you know that within a matter of hours your horse will be warm and dry again.

𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐲?

Well the fill in the blanket will wick away and absorb the moisture and the body heat from the horse will help it evaporate.

𝐇𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚 𝐟𝐞𝐰 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬.

The moisture or humidity underneath the blanket could increase the risk of skin conditions or rain rot. As a result, you should change out the blanket as soon as you can to allow the blanket to adequately dry.

Also, if you use a sheet without fill, there is no insulation to absorb the moisture and this practice COULD be problematic. I found this to be true even for a dry horse. Two winters ago I performed research and placed temperature and humidity sensors underneath blankets of different weights including sheets with no fill. During the winter, I found that while the temperature under the sheet was warmer than the environment, the humidity under a rain sheet was far greater than the humidity under medium or heavy weight blankets as there wasn’t any fill to absorb the moisture. This is problematic because when high humidity occurs alongside cold temperatures, it can feel much colder, as humid air conducts heat away from the body faster than dry air. These results demonstrate the value fill can add to a blanket - not only to provide insulation but also to regulate humidity. Based on these factors, I would not recommend blanketing a cold, wet horse with a rain sheet.

𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧

Blanketing a dry horse is the gold standard. And if you are able to dry off your horse before you blanket, please do so. However, we know this isn’t always feasible, especially for those who don’t live with their horses or have to deal with unpredictable weather. And in those scenarios, blanketing a horse with a blanket that has fill is a much better option than letting a cold, wet horse shiver.

Cheers!
Dr. DeBoer

02/17/2026

Saturday’s post about barn rules got you thinking about your barn’s safety score? Here are some tips and a printable checklist from Guelph

🐴 On , avoid bad luck in the barn!

✔️ Clear walkways of ice and snow
✔️ Fix loose boards and check for frost‑heaved posts
✔️ Double‑check extension cords, heated buckets, and electrical safety

Good safety = good luck. Stay warm and safe! ❄️🐎 .

Horse Farm Safety checklist .ca under healthcare tools INFOSHEETS.https://files.thehorseportal.ca/portal/uploads/2024/11/Horse-Farm-Safety-Checklist.pdf

02/15/2026

Did you know that February is ? 🦷

Your equine's dental health is an essential part of their overall health and well-being. Therefore, it is imperative that your veterinarian perform AT LEAST one dental exam on your horse per year to ensure that their teeth, gums, and other oral structures are healthy. Poor dental health can also have adverse effects on other areas of the body if not addressed.

This graphic offers a quick overview of things you might not know about equine teeth and tooth wear.

If you're interested in learning more about equine dentistry, check out the recording of the webinar for horse owners that was presented last week on the topic of dentistry here: https://youtu.be/ABqWu9XMAi8?si=_O-L_OGFbyfaIh3p

Thank you to the Horse Owner Education Committee for providing this information.

If you have questions or concerns about your horse's dental health, contact your veterinarian.



Source: American Association of Equine Practitioners