The Importance of First Aid

Hi All!

I wanted to talk a little bit today about the importance of first aid for horses.  I feel like there seems to be a little bit of confusion as to what this first aid really means.  

The definition of first aid according to Equi-Health Canada is "the first available treatment while waiting for a vet to arrive".  

First aid is important for a number of reasons.  First and foremost, prompt and properly administered first aid can alleviate a horse's suffering.  There is no to equine first aid than cuts and bumps.  Knowing the early signs and symptoms of ailments such as colic, choke, or laminitis can save your horse from having to endure unnecessary discomfort and stress.

First aid can then help to preserve your horse's life.  As with many things, the sooner you act the easier it is to keep them under control! A quick response to an emergency situation like a bad puncture wound or colic might just e enough to save the situation from rapidly turning from bad to worse.  

Let's look at colic for instance... Colic is said to be the #1 killer of horses.  Unless you have X-ray vision and can see what is really going on inside your horse, you can't tell what kind of colic it is.  That is why if you suspect colic, call your vet immediately!!! 

Knowing proper first aid can actually make your vet's job easier.  Knowing how to handle different scenarios can help to reduce the risk of complications.  This brings me to my final point.  By helping to reduce the risk of potential complications, you are actually prolonging your horse's life! 

Now, I am not saying that bad things can't happen if you know first aid.  You can have the most strict safety rules and well managed facility and still have an accident.  What I am saying is that by knowing proper first aid, you really can be the difference between a bad accident and a tragedy.  

What will your outcome be? Will you be ready?

To discuss first aid training in Manitoba, contact Chelsey Westerbeek at lilyridgeriding@gmail.com or check out our website at www.lilyridgeriding.vpweb.ca for a list of upcoming courses across Manitoba.

Manitoba Equine Expo 2016

I know I haven't posted in a couple of weeks.  We have been insanely busy here at Lily Ridge! The past couple of months we have been working on putting together a booth for the Manitoba Equine Expo that was held this past Saturday at the Assiniboia Downs.  

For our first crack at presenting our business at a trade show, I think it went very well.  At least let's say I would definitely do it again! 😋 We met a lot of new people and made many amazing contacts. 

We are looking forward to the Expo in 2017! It will be even bigger than this year.  Being our first year this weekend we were able to learn what works and what doesn't.  

Mark your calendars Folks! The 2017 Manitoba Equine Expo is February 18-19, 2017!!! We will see you there!

Keeping Busy

With only 15 days left until the Manitoba Equine Expo, things are getting a little crazy around here! Slowly but surely I am putting together poster boards, examples and demos, and signage for our booth this year.  This will be our first ever expo so it is a bit of a learning process. 

Beyond the booth, I will be doing a talk on Equine First Aid and why it is so important.  This will be my first major presentation since I was in 4H many moons ago. (Remember those speeches I was talking about in my last post? Yeah, I use to do that too.)  I have everything put together.  My problem is tweaking! I can't seem to leave it alone.  Every time I pull up my notes I am moving, adding, or deleting stuff.  I have gone from 8 pages to 11! The same thing goes for the PowerPoint. When I first stated making it, I had a couple dozen slides and now I am up to almost 40! 

Overall, I am very excited about this Expo. I know it is going to be a blast! So if you are in the Winnipeg area on February 13 come check it out at the Assiniboia Downs! We'll be there.  Come out and say Hi!

God Bless,

Lily Ridge Riding 

Amazing!

As promised here is an update on our 4H Communications Event this past Saturday. In a nut shell, it went awesome!!!

The kids in our club are amazing! For most of them, this was their first crack at public speaking and they did it! If they were nervous you couldn't tell.  In fact. I think the parents were more nervous than their kids! 

It amazes me how resilient kids are. Things that terrify many adults seem to be no problem whatsoever for kids.  So with that being said, let out your inner kid this week and try something that absolutely terrifies you. Don't even think about it... As Nike says "Just Do It".

That's it for me tonight.  This ones gonna be short, sweet, and to the point. (Nice change, eh?)

God Bless,

Lily Ridge 

Not Too Fancy...

Hey All! 

Hope everyone is well and warm! Things are a bit crazy here right now.  Tomorrow is our 4H Clubs Communications Event.  For those that aren't familiar with 4H, this is the time of year that 4H Members write and present either a speech or a visual presentation to the rest of their club mates, as well as family and friends.  There're are judges and a timekeeper and prizes.  The participants that get 1st and 2nd move on the the next level.  It sounds insane but it is actually a lot of fun! I know what you're thinking.... How could a speaking competition be fun??? Well, let me explain really quick...

These kids started in our club back in September.  These kids get to pick any topic they want and have the chance to tell "the world" about something that is important to them.  They get up in front of a room full of people and tell everyone about their favourite vacation or their pet.  And, people listen to them.  Over the course of one month they learn and begin to develop a skill that will come in handy for the rest of their lives.  I find it fascinating to watch the quiet, shy kids find their voice. 

So yeah... That's happening tomorrow afternoon.  I'll let you know how it goes! 

But enough about that... Back to horses and all things horses! (Yes I was that kid in school!)

I wanted to voice an opinion that some may agree with and some may not.  However, I will voice it anyway!  I was talking with my husband over lunch today and the topic of horses came up.  This is nothing new.  You would be hard pressed to find a moment where I am not discussing or willing to discuss or trying to figure out a way to discuss some equine related subject.  Anyway, the topic of buying horses specifically came up.  

We have all heard the endless (and very justified) conversation/rant about people asking for the prize winning champion with perfect confirmation and breeding for peanuts.  Well, I got to thinking about something else. People who buy high priced horses because they are better trained.  In essence this may be true.  Higher priced horses have had more training.  My point is, that this training has to be maintained for it to be worth anything.  A high priced horse in the hands of an inexperienced person can develop bad habits just as much as a horse that is not priced so high.  I would like to add that this is geared more for the average person such as myself that does not show horses.

Tell me what you think about this.  Maybe I am way off the mark here but I see nothing wrong with the unregistered horses with average breeding.  I am no way whatsoever condoning back yard breeding.  If you want to breed, please know what you are getting into.

Anyway, I guess this is my rant.  Thanks for reading.

God Bless,

Lily Ridge Riding 

Starting an Adventure...

In May of last year I decided to finally take the first step towards my dream job.  I jumped into finding out where I would have to go to get the appropriate qualifications to make what was at that moment a dream into what would be a reality. Was it scary? Absolutely! I had no idea where to even begin. All I knew was that I wanted to promote the health and wellbeing of horses.  I learned about CHA (Certified Horsemanship Association). This association strives to do what is best for the horse while paying close attention to the safety of the rider.  As a Mom of 2 little boys safety is always a huge concern for me.  I immediately started researching what I had to do to become a CHA Certified Riding Instructor.

Shortly after learning about CHA, I found out about Equi-Health Canada, an organization that developed courses to teach horse owners proper First Aid for their Equine companions.  Having had a few horses in my life require First Aid on more than 1 occasion, I had to find out more.  It wasn't long after seeing that fateful ad on Facebook that I was registered to become an Equine First Aid Instructor. 

By the end of October 2015, I was a CHA Certified Riding Instructor and an Equi-Health First Aid Instructor! I am continuing to work at growing Lily Ridge Riding to be bigger, better, and stronger.  

This is a very simple version of the story.  Over the past 9 months I have hit my fair share of speed bumps.  These bumps are never easy when you are working on making it to your dream.  I very likely would not have made it as fair as I have without the support and encouragement of my amazing husband.  Sometimes it is hard to remember that everyone had to start from the bottom.  

My experiences are showing me that has much as roadblocks and speed bumps hurt, they have a way of making the high points feel so much better.  When push comes to shove I am an extremely lucky girl to be able to have a chance at a career that I am passionate about and absolutely love!  Couple this with an awesome husband and 2 fantastic little boys and I have it made. 

Thanks for taking the time to hear my story.  I promise they won't all be as heavy as this.  Stay tuned to hear more about what is happening with Lily Ridge!

God Bless,

Lily Ridge Riding