Equine Canada Expands Recreational Program with Grant to New Brunswick

Equine Canada presented a grant of $2000 to the New Brunswick Equestrian Association (NBEA) to benefit the province’s recreational riders and drivers.

This investment in New Brunswick is a direct result of the introduction of a $5 membership fee that Equine Canada launched this year with the goal of developing programs and services for Canada’s recreational riders and drivers.

“New Brunswick is the second of our partnering provinces to launch this new national initiative. We are delighted to be rolling out similar grants in the Yukon, British Columbia, Manitoba and Ontario, nourishing grassroots equestrianism from coast to coast to coast,” states Equine Canada CEO, Akaash Maharaj.

The NBEA selected the New Brunswick Greenhawk Ride/Drive program as the beneficiary of the grant.

“This program is good for everyone—from enthusiasts who take one riding lesson a week, have their horse behind their house and hit the trails, to those that are involved in a recognized training program,” explains NBEA President, Deanna Phelan.

“This year, we injected some new life into the program to get people interested in being involved and to recognize their accomplishments. NBEA also solicited a title sponsor in Greenhawk, and these funds will allow us to continue to enhance the program,” adds Phelan.

About 10 years ago, the NBEA started the NB Ride/Drive program, adopted from the Ontario Equestrian Federation, where riders and drivers were encouraged to log their time spent with their horse and send it into the NBEA, and in return they would receive a certificate and an hours badge. The NBEA wanted to encourage horse people, whether recreational or those who take weekly lessons, to log their hours, be a member of the NBEA and pay a one-time registration fee of $15 to this program to get recognition. Details about the program are available in both languages, including a list all the participants, on the NBEA website at http://www.nbea.ca/.

In September, Equine Canada announced with Horse Council British Columbia (HCBC) the distribution of 10 grants totaling $26,000 to recreational groups for projects that benefited recreational and trail riders and drivers in that province.