The Welfare and Industry department has been renamed “Active Equine Industry and Development”. Why the change?

  • The department’s focus is supporting the proper development of active equines in Canada, as well as their subsequent integration into the EC competition stream.
  • The inclusion of “active equine” is essential in identifying the equines that fall under EC’s jurisdiction and to whom EC’s rules, resources, advocacy and other services apply.
  • EC defines an active equine as livestock specifically raised and cared for in an active equine facility. The specific use of these animals may include pedigree development, sport and competition, youth and adult development and wellness, physical exercise, therapeutic use and local agri-tourism. Active equines are key economic drivers that directly contribute to revenue-generating activities and provide benefits to businesses and communities. Active equines demand daily care that requires the services of animal care professionals (including veterinarians and farriers) and regular agricultural inputs (including hay, bedding and grains). An active equine is raised to be a valuable and useable asset throughout the course of its natural life.
  • “Development” has been included to emphasize focus on supporting the growth and sustainability of active equine facilities and the industry at large. Additionally, “development” refers to a planned model of equine athlete development that will be similar to the Long-Term Equestrian Development model for human athletes.
  • “Welfare” has been removed from the department title, as equine health and welfare is treated as a fundamental pillar of everything that EC does. For Industry, this translates into: education and research; managing national herd health; identifying barriers to and advocating for market access; and ensuring business sustainability and growth. For Development, this translates into identifying and incorporating the latest equine science as the basis for: the EC Rules; policies and regulations; the planned equine development model; and anything else that might affect equines at the athlete, coach or trainer level.

Kristy Laroche leads the department as Director, Active Equine Industry and Development. Her in-depth equestrian education, expansive professional experience in the agriculture space and several years’ tenure with EC have proven Kristy to be a skilled advocate and changemaker for the Canadian herd.

The Technical Department has been renamed “Sport Operations” to more accurately describe the department’s role in delivering core services to Sport Licence Holders and facilitating sport-related programs, including: the EC Rule revision cycle; Equine Medication Control; Officials programs; and competition sanctioning and organizers support.

Additionally, the name change reflects the department’s close collaboration and alignment with the Sport Development department, which was created in 2020 under the direction of Douglas Duncan, Director, Sport Development.

Sport Operations is headed by Rachel Huebert in the position of Director, Sport Operations. Since joining EC in 2012, she has been a key player in improving processes and strengthening programs and services to provide the best experience possible for equestrians of all ages and disciplines. Rachel is also an EC/NCCP certified Instructor.

For full information on the organizational structure of EC, including staff roles and detailed biographies, visit www.equestrian.ca/about/contact.