By Jocelyn Adams Plasman

MARCH MADNESS WEBINAR SERIES! 

There are FIVE Mondays this March (which sounds like a bummer) but that means we have FIVE great webinars coming your way. Join us at 7 pm PST each Monday in March. Registration is now open!

Register once for all five webinars; if you need to miss a week or are only interested in a few, it’s not a problem (but we will still email you the link). These sessions are only available live at this time, so mark your calendars! This event is free for HCBC members but preregistration is required. Non-members can register for $100 plus tax.

March 3 – Dr. David Paton: Some Do’s and Don’ts That Might Save Your Horse’s Life

March 10 - Dr. Steve Chiasson: Acupuncture Treatment for Horses

March 17 - Dr. Michelle Husulak: Equine Parasites, Best Practices for Treatment and Prevention

March 24 - Dr. Erin Pinnell: Thermoregulation in Horses: Blanketing and Clipping in Context to your Environment

March 31 - Debra Cornish: Helmets & Safety Vests, An Overview of Innovation and Industry Standards

View the speaker bios and registration information at Webinars – Horse Council BC.

BC 55+ GAMES 2025

• Save the date! The 55+ BC Games are headed to Nanaimo!
• Venue: Beban Park, 2300 Bowen Road, Nanaimo, BC

The 55+ Games will be held September 9-13, 2025 and will see 25 sports and activities offered for the 2500+ anticipated participants.

The 55+ BC Games are an important part of the BC sport system and the largest annual multi-sport gathering event in the province. The Games offer the opportunity to celebrate sport and active living with other participants from across the province and experience the hospitality of the host city.

Each year, the Games attract approximately 2,500 participants and require over 1,200 volunteers to stage and deliver the Games in the host community.

Participant registration for the Nanaimo 2025 55+ BC Games is scheduled to begin on March 1, 2025.

If you are interested in helping to bring the Games to Nanaimo as a volunteer, please visit the 55+ BC Games' Volunteer Information Page.

Equestrian competition will be held at Beban Park, Nanaimo.

Stay tuned for exciting information on the plans for major upgrades to the equestrian facility at Beban Park.

Disciplines included in the 2025 55+ Games:

• Dressage/Western Dressage
• Driving Trials
• Working Equitation
• Working Hunter

HCBC GENERAL PERFORMANCE JUDGES CLINIC WITH JODIE MOORE

Jodie Moore is a carded judge with APHA, PTHA, ASHA, WRHA, EXCA and HCBC, and an APHA Professional Horseman. This is Jodie’s 40th year in the industry, and she and her clients have amassed world and national championships and high point all-arounds on the Paint, Pinto, Quarter Horse, Appaloosa, and Arabian circuits. Jodie runs her training and coaching business Freedom Farms Livestock out of Langley, BC along with her partner, TJ Bews and son Matthew, who also work in the movie horse business.

Date: March 22-23, 2025

Location: Coast Prince George Hotel, 770 Brunswick Street, Prince George, BC (lunch and snacks provided.)

Cost: 100.00

Registration closes March 18, 2025.

Visit Event Registration - Horse Council BC

2024 HCBC ANNUAL AWARD WINNERS

HCBC’s Annual Awards honour outstanding achievement within BC’s equine community. These awards acknowledge those who stand out from the crowd and have made a positive impact on the equestrian community.

Congratulations to the worthy recipients of the Horse Council BC’s 2024 Awards! We received many outstanding nominations this year, so thank you to all who nominated someone and CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR WINNERS!

• 2024 Coach of the Year – Elizabeth (Lizzie) Gringas
• 2024 Bob James Volunteer of the Year – Avery Wilkinson
• 2024 Sherman Olson Lifetime Achievement Award – Bonnie Kennedy

HCBC WITHDRAWS FROM BC SUMMER GAMES

After much deliberation and consideration, Horse Council BC, in consultation with the BC Games Society, has made the difficult decision to withdraw from the BC Summer Games. This decision comes in response to the rising costs associated with attending the Games, a continued erosion in our provincial sport funding, a lack of cost-feasible venues within the Games site regions, no national support for the Games system (Equestrian Canada does not participate in the Canada Summer Games), and ongoing challenges within our community to meet the Games’ participant and volunteer requirements.

We deeply value our partnership with the BC Games Society and have thoroughly enjoyed our time spent with the Games. The working relationship with Games staff has been exemplary, and we are immensely grateful for the efforts and collaboration experienced in past events.

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all the participants and volunteers who have made our past participation in the Games so memorable. Thank you for your commitment to the sport and the Games program.

View the full statement at Horse Council BC.