EC’s key actions this week:
- Posted the Response to COVID-19 for Canada’s Active Equines Summary Report, put together by Wilton Consulting Group at no cost to EC, which recommends that Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) accepts the position that active equines are a viable component of Canada’s agricultural system and that the health and welfare of active equines fall within AAFC’s mandate at this time. The report assesses data from EC’s survey gathering equine/equestrian business profiles to call for AAFC to establish a national emergency relief fund.
- Hosted two webinars to continue offerings for athlete skill development during the pandemic. Fundamental Dressage Training featured a discussion with Tina and Jaimey Irwin on program development and the dressage training scale. The Power of Para-Dressage: From Therapy to Podium, led by Clive Milkins, introduced the sport of para-dressage, classification and the athlete pathway in both a normal environment, as well as during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Shared insight into EC’s advocacy plan, virtual Horse Day 2020 activities, a free online dressage training tool and more via the May 2020 EC Insider.
- Finalized the return to competition guidelines for sport horses, which will be published shortly to support the athlete, coach/trainer and competition hosts with horse reconditioning and return to competition readiness. The guidelines will be supported by additional educational materials to support your return to competition planning and horse training.
- Continued development of a resource to help competition hosts take COVID-19 into account while building their event operations plans. This resource will undergo final review by provincial/territorial groups and the facilities working group during the week of May 18th.
- Been in contact with Sport Canada regarding the recently announced Sport Support Program, which will dedicate up to $34.5M to national level sport organizations already receiving funding. For EC, this fund could supply up to $290K, which represents less than 10% of potential losses incurred due to COVID-19.
Additionally, EC would like to remind the community that as provinces/territories reopen, Learn to Ride programs and evaluations will be able to restart if permissible by regional and provincial health authorities. Please contact your Provincial/Territorial Sport Organization for information about program status in your area.
Previous weeks:
EC is making every effort to ensure continuous, thorough and up-to-date communication concerning the COVID-19 pandemic. EC’s complete statement on COVID-19, including regular updates, can be found on our website here. For a list of important COVID-19 resources, visit our COVID-19 Resources page. Want to help save Canadian working horses? Visit our COVID-19 Response page.