Posts Tagged ‘VTEA’

Aug

21

2010

Langley Horse Federation Workshop

Author: Barry Welford | The Other Blokes Blog

The Langley Horse Federation is taking on a new lease of life as a vehicle to boost the horse industry in Langley.  In this it is supported by the Township of Langley and by its Mayor, Rick Green, who is a well-known horseman.

Its most visible and well-known presence up till now has been the "Spirit Of The Horse Memorial Garden", which is situated in Campbell Valley Park at 1200 208th Avenue, Langley, B.C.  That was started by Joy Richardson, one of the key movers and shakers on the Langley horse scene.

Now the Langley Horse Federation will be holding a “Team Up For Success” workshop from 9:00 am until 5:00 pm on Saturday September 18th, 2010 in the Banquet Room at the Langley Events Centre.  It puts forward the following challenge:

Langley, “the Horse Capital of British Columbia”.  Factual statement or idle boast?  With approximately 6000 horses and an estimated $125 Million annually in direct, indirect and imputed economic benefit, great credence can be attributed to that statement.  Almost every sector of the economy is impacted: tourism; retail; hospitality; horse facilities; agriculture; and the list goes on.  What would you like to see happening in the horse community in Langley?

The workshop will suggest a number of initiatives for the horse industry to consider and encourages members of the horse community to get involved. Two in particular caught my eye.

Public relations and marketing initiatives
Can we raise the public and political profile of the horse industry by:

  • establishing a formal, ongoing relationship with media in the Lower Mainland to promote positive coverage of horse industry events and issues
  • establishing a relationship with tourism Langley for marketing initiatives
  • establishing a lobby group to work with local government and regulatory agencies to make sure the horse industry and horse community has a ‘voice’ in the discussion of issues affecting them
  • work with local council to encourage land use policies that further establish and support equestrian activities
  • encouraging close and ongoing communication between Langley horse clubs, and horse industry sectors like boarding stables

Educational initiatives
Can we educate members of the horse community by encouraging the development of:

  • equestrian and farm management courses at Kwantlen College or through community education programs
  • a series of specialty clinics held by high-caliber clinicians

Can we educate members of our community about horses by:

  • introducing books about horses into school reading programs
  • organizing school field trips to horse and riding stables

One sector of the industry that can play an important role in both of these initiatives is that of therapeutic horseback riding.  There are several fine centres offering such services in Langley including VTEA  and PRDA.  As an example, VTEA is hosting a free horsemanship demonstration by Jay O Jay on Saturday August 28 that will help on both of these initiatives.  (Details are on the VTEA website.)

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Langley Horse Federation Workshop

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Jun

17

2010

You And Your Horse: Connections In Langley, BC

Author: Barry Welford | The Other Blokes Blog

Making Connections


Connecting with others is a key priority in these stressful times.  Despite the frenetic pace of life for most people, they will still set aside some time to be in touch with their loved ones and with their friends, colleagues and acquaintances.

Writing letters used to be the way, but few now do that.  For most the short message (or even a tweet) that Facebook or Twitter make so easy is a great way of saying ‘I’m here’.

Connecting with a Horse

Many horse owners find a particularly important connection is the one they have with their horse. If you want to understand more on that, there are lots of resources on the Internet to explore what can be involved in that.  Connecting With Horses on the VTEA website (more on them below) is a good compendium of some of the ‘movers and shakers’ in this rapidly developing field.

Langley, Horse Capital of BC

Langley is often said to be the Horse Capital of BC so it is not surprising that you will find some shining examples here of how people are connecting with their horses.  The relationship between a horse owner and his or her horse is complex when the best possible connection is being achieved.  After all, the horse is a prey animal, fearing constantly about attacks by predators, while we humans are by nature predators.  Overcoming that barrier is something that requires the right attitude and gentle persistence.

VTEA

If you want to see connections between horses and their riders that work, there is nothing better than visiting one of the establishments that provides therapeutic horseback riding programs to special needs children.  One such in Langley is VTEA (Valley Therapeutic Equestrian Association) at 3330 256th Street, Aldergrove in Langley, BC.  You can read much more on what they do at their website at http://www.vtea.ca/

Jay O’Jay

Perhaps you have not caught up with the latest news but a celebrated expert on You and Your Horse: Connections is now resident in Langley.  That’s my way of explaining what he does, not his.  He believes that the nature of the relationship between the owner and the horse is critical and in some cases may present serious challenges.  However, rarely do you have problem horses.  All that is missing is that the owner and the horse have not yet developed a  mutually-satisfying relationship.  You can read more on his thinking and what he does at his website at http://www.jayojay.com/

Two upcoming events

If you want to see Connections with Horses in practice, rather than just reading about them, then two events are coming up very shortly that are ideal opportunities.

Jay O’Jay Open House

Jay O’Jay will be holding an Open House where you can see him in action demonstrating how you make connections.  It’s free, refreshments will be available and it is taking place on Sunday 20th June at 1:00 pm.  You can find that at 8575 240th Street, Langley BC.  Just park carefully along the roadside and wander in.  Sorry but you should leave your dog(s) in your car (with the window slightly down) or at home, since those predators can be distracting.

VTEA Annual Horse Show

A week later on Saturday June 26th, VTEA is holding its annual Horse Show.  It runs from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm or later so there’s lots of opportunities for you and your children to pop in.  You will see how the special needs children have developed the connections with their horses and a fun time is guaranteed.

Members of the BC Hot Rod Association will also be present with some of their cars so there’s something for anyone.  You can even become a member or renew your membership for the coming year.  It’s only $5 but that and your involvement in whatever way you can will help strengthen some of the very best connections with horses you will ever see.

Copyright © 2011 The Other Blokes Blog. This Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact admin@otherbb.com so we can take legal action immediately.
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You And Your Horse: Connections In Langley, BC

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