Canadian Horse Journal SAMPLE - Early Summer issue 2020

Canada’s Only National Horse Magazine DISPLAY UNTIL JULY 15, 2020

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK/MADELE

HEALTH

Compromised Welfare in

Individually Housed Horses

The longer horses live in individual boxes, the more likely they are to express behaviour that suggests an internal state similar to depression in human beings. A grilled window between stalls did not significantly affect the horses’ welfare state.

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PHOTO: CANSTOCK/ROSSELLADEGRADI

By Mark Andrews

Horses are commonly housed in individual boxes. While this may be convenient and prevent injuries from other horses, it may also be detrimental to the horse’s welfare, especially if access to pasture is limited.

A study by Alice Ruet and colleagues, published in August 2019, investigated the effect that various management practices have on the display of behavioural indicators of compromised welfare in housed horses.

The study involved 187 sport horses housed in individual boxes in four separate barns. They had no access to paddocks or pastures. The study ran over a nine-month period.

The research team recorded various management factors: • Individual horse (age, gender) • Housing (window to outside, grill between boxes, bedding material) • Feeding (number of concentrate feeds per day) • Equitation (discipline, level of performance) • Quantity of ration • Activity (number of events during the study, hours ridden per week, hours lunged or on horse walker)

They assessed the presence or absence of stereotypic or aggressive behaviour, and whether the horse appeared alert or withdrawn (i.e., neck horizontal at same level as back, fixed stare, ears and head static).

They found that horses housed with a window opening toward the external environment for the total duration of the study, and kept on straw bedding, were less aggressive compared to horses that never had an external window opening, and were kept on non-straw bedding.

Horses kept on straw were more often recorded as showing alertness, compared to those kept on non-straw bedding.

“Among the housing and management factors commonly observed in individual boxes, most of them did not significantly affect the welfare state of horses,” the authors reported.

“Only three factors — straw bedding, a window opening toward the external environment, and reduced quantity of concentrated feed received daily — seem to be beneficial, but with limited effects.”

A grilled window on the wall between two boxes did not have a significant effect on the behavioural indicators.

Behaviour was not significantly affected by any of the factors relating to discipline, regularity of training, or level of performance.

“Above all, the longer horses live in individual boxes, the more likely they are to express persistent unresponsiveness to the environment,” the authors add. “The recurrent expression of this posture could reflect an internal state that is likely to be similar to depression in human beings.

“The main relevant result of this study remains that most of the tested factors had no influence on the expression of the behavioural indicators, in particular on unresponsiveness to the environment and stress-related behaviours. This implies that drastic changes in the living and management conditions should be required to improve the welfare state of animals.

“To preserve the welfare of horses, it seems necessary to allow free exercise, interactions with [members of the same species], and fibre consumption as often as possible, to ensure the satisfaction of the species’ behavioural and physiological needs.” b For more details, see Housing Horses in Individual Boxes Is a Challenge with Regard to Welfare > www.mdpi.com.

Printed with permission of Mark Andrews, Equine Science Update.

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CANADIAN HORSE JOURNAL

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HEALTH

Possible New Treatment for Foal Pneumonia

PHOTO: CANSTOCK/PIKE

The bacterium, R. equi, lives in the soil and can cause pneumonia in foals from one to six months old. It can be ingested in contaminated soil or inhaled in dust, can enter the body through broken skin, and can also be transmitted by handling infected foals. Only when the disease has become severe do foals begin to show symptoms, which may include laboured breathing, cough, fever, and depression.

By Mark Andrews

A possible new treatment for foal pneumonia that doesn’t risk causing multidrug resistance has been discovered. Researchers at Texas A&M University and the University of Georgia found that gallium maltolate (GaM), a semi-metal compound with antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties, could be a viable alternative to overprescribed antibiotics.

The research, funded by the Morris Animal Foundation, has been published in the Nature journal Scientific Reports.

Pneumonia is a leading cause of disease and death in foals and there is currently no effective vaccine licensed. The bacterium Rhodococcus equi (R. equi), a bacterium that occurs naturally in soil, is implicated in the most severe cases in horses.

Unfortunately, current methods of screening for 12

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R. equi are imprecise and therefore many foals are treated with antibiotics, even though they would not have developed pneumonia. A combination of antibiotics is commonly used, such as azithromycin (a macrolide antimicrobial, which is important for human use) and rifampin.

“While that treatment strategy saves lives in the short term, it’s really driving this resistance problem because for every one foal that needs treatment, you treat several foals that don’t need treatment,” says Dr. Noah Cohen, the Patsy Link Chair in Equine Research at Texas A&M University, a primary investigator of the study, along with his colleague Steeve Giguère (deceased). “For the sake of foals, we want to offer veterinarians a better, non-

EARLY SUMMER 2020

traditional option.”

For the study, the team screened 57 foals from four farms in central Kentucky for subclinical pneumonia, then divided the foals into three equal groups. Two groups contained foals with subclinical pneumonia, meaning ultrasound scans found lesions on their lungs but the foals had no clinical signs. All foals lived on farms with positive cases of R. equi pneumonia that year.

Those groups were given either a combination of azithromycin and rifampin (MaR) or GaM for two weeks.

The third group served as a control group and was made up of healthy foals that were the same age as the subclinically affected foals in the two treatment groups.

They were monitored and not given any treatment.

After two weeks, researchers

analysed fecal samples from each foal. DNA tests revealed that the MaR-treated group had an increase in both the number and diversity of antibiotic-resistant genes in the bacteria. Most alarming was the discovery that the bacteria were resistant to multiple drugs and antibiotics. The GaM-treated and control groups showed no change in the number or diversity of resistance genes, a positive finding.

The team also experimentally infected soil plots with resistant and non-resistant strains of R. equi to see how foals might contaminate their environment with their excrement that can contain unabsorbed and metabolized antibiotics. MaR tended to reduce the number of bacteria in a plot’s soil, but increase the proportion that were resistant.

Dr. Cohen said one of his team’s next steps is to test the effectiveness of GaM on foals that are clinically infected with R. equi (showing symptoms).

“The widespread use of antibiotics has consequences and we really need to be prudent in prescribing them,” said Dr. Janet Patterson-Kane, Morris Animal Foundation Chief Scientific Officer.

“Gallium maltolate may be an excellent alternative and we hope, if proven fully effective, that it could be put into regular use.” b Printed with permission of Mark Andrews, Equine Science Update.

BOE_125697_Vetera_JA_Influenza_CanadianHorse.pdf

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EQUINE INFLUENZA COULD MEAN 21 DAYS OF ISOLATION

Client: Boehringer Ingelheim | Contact: Thalia Villeda (1-819-823-0850) | Insertion: May/June 2020 | Publication: Canadian Horse

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HEALTH

Equine influenza is highly contagious and moves quickly through groups of horses.

Horses showing symptoms or sharing a barn with a sick horse should be isolated and may miss out on competition and training for more than 3 weeks.

in Equine Behaviour Research

By Mark Andrews C

Those who care for horses are encouraged to take part in a worldwide study of equine behaviour.

“The increase in popularity of having a horse as a recreational companion has stimulated a diversity of opinions as to what constitutes normal and abnormal equine behaviour, and what defines effective and humane training,” says Paul McGreevy, Professor of Animal Welfare and Behaviour at the University of Sydney, in a letter to the Veterinary Record, the official journal of the British Veterinary Association.

To explore the influence of training and management on horse behaviour, Professor McGreevy and his research team have launched the Equine Behaviour Assessment and Research Questionnaire (E-BARQ), a global database of horse behaviour.

He explains that the non-profit project allows the equine community throughout the world to donate their observational data and gain unique benefits in return.

The research aims to reveal information on how training and management affects behaviour and how, in turn, behaviour affects horse welfare.

Horse owners will be able to compare their horse’s behaviour with that of other horses around the world. E-BARQs “share and compare” graphs will reveal attributes such as trainability, rideability, handling, compliance, boldness, and human social confidence.

E-BARQ is open to all horse owners/handlers, regardless of their horses’ breed, height, or age, and provides users with a free dashboard to store their horses’ results and track their progress.

Participants will gain an insight into where their horses are performing well and where they may need help. They will also be able to monitor their horse’s progress over time by returning to their E-BARQ dashboard every six months and re-taking the questionnaire, updating their scores. b M

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MY

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DON’T WAIT, VACCINATE. Protect your time together. bicanadaequine.ca Vetera® is a registered trademark of Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica GmbH, used under license. © 2020 Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health Canada Inc.

E-BARQ can be accessed at > www.e-barq.com Printed with permission of Mark Andrews, Equine Science Update.

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CANADIAN HORSE JOURNAL

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PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK/WRITTEN IN SILVER VISUALS

HEALTH

Nutrient Requirements of Horses Why Are Feeding Guidelines So Important?

potential? Or the amount of energy a performance horse needs to be successful?

What determines the amount of minerals and vitamins in the manufactured feeds we buy for our horses?

The go-to reference for ensuring that

PHOTO: CLIX PHOTOGRAPHY

You may have heard of the National Research Council (NRC) and the Nutrient Requirements of Horses — but what are they and why do they matter?

Have you ever wondered who determined the amount of protein a growing horse needs to fulfil its genetic

By Shelagh Niblock, PAS

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what we feed our horses meets their nutritional needs is called the Nutrient Requirements of Horses: Sixth Revised Edition, by the National Research Council of the National Academies. This guideline is part of an Animal Nutrition Series of guidelines published by the National Research Council, and the National Research Council is a part of The National Academy of Sciences.

But what does all this mean? It means that our horses are in safe hands when we feed them according to the guidelines established by these well-respected organizations.

Equine nutritionists and the manufacturers of quality horse feeds use the Nutrient Requirements of Horses, a document comprised of the best peer-reviewed scientific research, to establish all of their recommendations The Nutrient Requirements of Horses is used around the world by equine nutritionists when formulating rations.

and formulations. Sometimes called the National Research Council (NRC), this reference guide is considered the equine nutritionist’s gold standard when it comes to making safe, effective nutritional recommendations. But what is the NRC, and why does it have a role in the way we feed our horses?

National Research Council and the Committee on Nutrient Requirements of Horses The Nutrient Requirements of Horses, Sixth Revised Edition was first initiated in 2004 by a committee of equine nutritional researchers. The Committee on the Nutrient Requirements of Horses is comprised of

The equine nutritionist’s gold standard for safe, effective nutritional recommendations is the Nutrient Requirements of Horses: Sixth Revised Edition.

academics who, in most cases, have spent most of their professional lives conducting scientific research on all equids, including horses, ponies, donkeys, and mules. At that time, the committee utilized the earlier editions of the Nutrient Requirements of Horses, as a foundation to begin their compilation and evaluation of any new research in equine nutrition found in

the scientific literature. The nutritional guidelines were then expanded with the more recent research. The process took about two years and the Sixth Revised Edition was published in 2007.

The Committee on the Nutrient Requirements of Horses is part of The National Research Council, which is itself part of The National Academy of Sciences,

The National Academy of Sciences was first established in the United States in 1863 by President Abraham Lincoln. It grew to include the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Medicine. The Committee on the Nutrient Requirements of Horses is part of The National Research Council, which is itself part of The National Academy of Sciences.

National Academy of Engineering

National Academy of Sciences

National Academy of Medicine

National Research Council

Committee on Nutrient Requirements of Horses Nutrient Requirements of Horses: Sixth Edition 2007

FOAL CARE

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CANADIAN HORSE JOURNAL

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COVID-19

PANDEMIC

Sidelines the Horse Industry

By Margaret Evans

N

ovember 17, 2019 was a normal day in Canada. With the show season over, riders, coaches, trainers, and barn owners were settling in for some downtime over winter, and anticipating the upcoming holiday season. They had no idea that, half a world away, a 55-yearold resident in Hubei province, China, had fallen sick with a novel coronavirus.

New cases rapidly emerged. By March 11, 2020 the World Health Organization had declared the virus, now named COVID-19, a global pandemic.

Impact Spreads Across the Horse Community As businesses closed, employees by the tens of thousands were laid off and social distancing became the new behavioural norm. The economy was broadsided and the horse industry along with it.

As the gravity of the pandemic rapidly unfolded, Equestrian Canada (EC) and 22

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the provincial and territorial sport organizations (PTSOs) recommended on March 20, following advice from all levels of government on the movement of individuals and the declared states of emergency, that “all facilities that host equestrian-related activities, including but not limited to boarding stables and lesson barns, cease public-facing and nonessential activities until greenlit by the aforementioned government authorities.”

With the riding and competition season just beginning to get underway, the pandemic could not have hit the equestrian community at a worse time. Suddenly, barns were either closed or severely restricted to only those individuals directly involved in horse care. Waves of cancellation and postponement announcements began to roll in as events of all sizes were sidelined. Lessons, camps, clinics, conferences, and competitions from local schooling shows to major national and interna-

tional events were cancelled or postponed, forming a massive list of equine-related events and activities impacted by the pandemic around the globe.

With riding sacrificed in order to help flatten the curve, competition organizers are facing a double whammy in terms of timing. “Our competition season is short, as is the amount of time when weather allows for outdoor activity,” says Caroline Soble, Communications Coordinator with Equestrian Canada. “EC recognizes that these early weeks are precious, and remains focused on doing our part to encourage the limitation of transmission and the optimization of this downtime, so that we can all safely return to sport as soon as possible. The suspension of competition was abrupt, so everyone had to take action within a few short days or weeks to meet recommendations or mandates from government and health authorities.”

Soble says that the level of adaptation

needed across the equestrian industry is varied, and it would be difficult to give a clear picture across all areas: Some athletes had to return to Canada from various locations; some businesses have had to lay people off and work with minimal staff; some have not hired seasonal staff as usual. Lesson barns have been drastically affected as they comply with health authority requirements.

But the costs of caring for horses must still be met, increasing the challenges and stresses being faced by every horse owner, every barn, and every equestrian facility across the country.

Even so, for some horse owners there was initial confusion surrounding who had access to their horses, when, and at what times. And some are able to keep horse care on track with small adjustments.

“I board my horse at a private barn, so luckily for me very little changed,” says April D. Ray, Sales and Social Media

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK/TAYLON

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK/IRINA MOS

As the impact of the pandemic deepened, equestrian events all over the world were cancelled or postponed. With countries threatening to keep their athletes at home, the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics was moved to 2021.

Spruce Meadows in Calgary, Alberta, has cancelled five show jumping tournaments including the ‘Masters’ scheduled for September 9 – 13, 2020.

Major horse races, including The Queen’s Plate and the Kentucky Derby, were postponed. The Calgary Stampede, cancelled for the first time in 100 years, joined many thousands of rodeos and expositions impacted by the pandemic.

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CANADIAN HORSE JOURNAL

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TRAINING

Training Our Minds to Cope with Unexpected Challenges

By Annika McGivern, MSc Sport and Exercise Psychology A couple of months ago, reality shifted as the COVID-19 pandemic reshaped our lives. We were all left facing challenges beyond anything we could have imagined.

The equestrian community is no different from any other community in finding itself cut off from normality, but we are dealing with the added emotional challenge of being disconnected from the thing that grounds us in difficult times: 38

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our connection with our horses. We may also face distress over the financial impact of this unprecedented event on our lives, businesses, and the welfare of our animals.

Now, while we are confronting these challenges daily and wondering what will come next, I encourage everyone to take a moment to consider and manage their mental health. Taking care of our minds is an important part of well-being,

and it will ensure that we can cope in a healthy way, adapt successfully, and find opportunities within the challenges.

There is also an extra, hidden advantage to practicing mental skills right now. Learning to cope successfully with the current extraordinary levels of stress will help us get to the other side of COVID-19 in one piece; and in doing so, we will have become practiced and familiar at

thriving in the face of stress. Imagine the ease with which we will be able to handle “normal” competition stress after all this! We will experience more resilience and have greater success when we are back to dealing with the stress that we all experience in our normal lives.

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Well-being

Our well-being is highest when we feel in control of our lives, successful and competent at the things that are important to us, and connected to those we care about.

Many of us will be lacking in all three areas right now. Life feels decidedly out of our control. Many of us cannot do what we are good at and enjoy, whether that is riding, coaching, working, or running our businesses, and social isolation has separated us from our human communities and our equine companions.

Despite the challenging reality, we can use these categories strategically to make the most of a tough reality.

Focus on what you do have the power to influence in each category.

Control — Choose to focus on what you have control over and let go of the rest.

Imagine you are looking back on this time from a year in the future. What decisions do you hope to have made?

What did you do that you are proud of ?

Consider who you want to be as a rider or a coach or a business owner in a year’s time and work backwards from there.

Identify what you can do today to get one step closer to that goal.

Competence — Choose to use this time to get better at something that will improve your performance in something important to you. Can you study the theory behind advanced dressage movements? Strengthen your core using at-home exercises from YouTube?

Develop your business plan? Watch some equestrian masterclasses? (Check out NoelleFloyd.com for some high-quality examples.) Whatever it is, continue to work towards mastery in the areas that matter to you.

Connection — Although we are physically separated from our communities and our horses, this shared experience gives us unique opportunities for empathy and connection. We can all relate to how we are all feeling right now.

One of the best ways to boost our sense of connection is by finding a way to help others. Are you an expert at clipping or braiding, or at starting young horses?

Maybe you could share some tips with your community. If you are a coach, this is the perfect time to work through goal setting with your clients, or to encourage

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CANADIAN HORSE JOURNAL

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TRAINING

QUESTIONS

TO ASK A

Commercial Horse Transporter

PHOTO: CLIX PHOTOGRAPHY

By Kevan Garecki

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I

t’s no secret that the horse transport industry attracts people who think in terms of a fast or easy buck; the rate of start-ups claiming to be “horse haulers” is testament to that. The number of disreputable haulers makes the choice even more difficult. So, what’s a caring horse owner to do when the commercial horse transport landscape is as alien as the far side of the moon?

The prevailing climate of standards for Canadian motor carriers is uneven at best.

Apart from applying for and receiving a National Safety Code Carrier Number, and adhering to inept 50-year-old transport laws that have almost nothing to do with horses, there are virtually no formal regulations surrounding carrier performance as it relates to livestock. There is only the meagre legislation that can be enforced by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, the enforcement body responsible for overseeing livestock transport in Canada. Physical aspects such as loading density, vehicle configuration, and other sundry housekeeping details are clearly defined, but in terms of minimums.

Vehicle safety and licensing are governed at

PHOTO: ISTOCK/ROMAOSLO

PHOTO: ISTOCK/ROMAOSLO

>

Make sure you are informed of the pickup and delivery times, and the estimated time the trip will take.

> PHOTO: CLIX PHOTOGRAPHY

The contract should include a description of the horse, including colour, markings, height, sex, brand, and any other distinguishing characteristics to accurately identify the horse to someone not familiar with the animal.

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CANADIAN HORSE JOURNAL

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TRAINING

How to Train on the

S

tudents who ride primarily on trails often ask me what kinds of exercises they can do to benefit their horses. If they don’t plan to be in an arena anytime soon, does that mean they can’t give their horses the gymnastic and core exercises that optimize their bodies and comfort?

Luckily, no. Plenty of valuable exercises can be added to a trail rider’s regular routine without stepping foot in an arena.

First, though, I want to applaud these riders for acknowledging that their horses will gain from focused exercises that target their postural muscles. There is actually a lot you can do out there in the woods!

Below are my top suggestions for trail riders, mostly for their simplicity of execution. Obviously, the terrain sometimes dictates where or how long you might perform them, and you will be a lot more successful if you can convince your riding buddies to do these exercises along with you. Some days, you might elect to spend five to ten minutes at the parking lot or trailhead, working your way through them as a warm-up. Other days, you might ride on terrain that is suitable for incorporating a few of these on your outing. Or you might have a moment to do them after you get back. When you do them matters less than making sure you do them consistently.

These are intentionally simple exercises to perform, but they create measurable changes in the horse’s body and posture when done consistently. Can you do them at least three times per week in addition to, or as part of, your trail ride?

TRAIL

By Jec A. Ballou

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK/SHARON KINGSTON

Back Up

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Either before you mount up, or at some point during your ride, ask your horse to walk backwards at least 30 steps. Ideally, you want the horse in a lowered neck position (poll and withers at approximately the same height), and you want to make sure the horse steps backward an equal distance with each foreleg. If your horse tends to anticipate and rush backwards instead of calmly walking back step-by-step, you can repeat a sequence of backing up ten steps and then walking forwards ten steps.

Repeat a few times.

Turns-on-the-Forehand

Before you mount up, or at some point along the route, execute three turns-on-theforehand in each direction. I’m defining each turn here as a full 360-degree turn.

Be sure the horse crosses his hind legs to form an X as he makes the turn. (Detailed instructions about performing in-hand turn-on-the-forehand correctly can be found in my book, 101 Dressage Exercises for Horse & Rider.)

Transition of Speed Within Gait

Arena riders like to wax poetic about the value of riding transitions between gaits. These simple maneuvers help balance the horse to carry more weight on his hindquarters, improve responsiveness, and stimulate fuller neuromuscular recruitment.

But transitions are not just for arena riders.

In fact, I like to head down a flat stretch of trail with the goal of riding at least three gait transitions. Every 20 meters or so, I’ll switch from walk to trot then back to walk and up to trot again. It keeps my horse listening to me and using his body more fully.

I also encourage trail riders to practice walking and trotting their horses at different speeds. Make transitions between a slow trot, a faster trot, and a mediumpaced trot. Ride frequently between these different speeds. Doing so will keep your horse much looser in his back and haunches. Too often, people get stuck riding at one steady speed all the time on trails and, like any repetitive motion, this creates stiffness.

Change the Frame

Similar to the advice given above, change your horse’s posture and body carriage frequently to encourage fuller recruitment of core muscles. When you are on a flatter section of trail, ride a half mile or less, depending on your terrain, in a shorter or more “collected” frame, followed by the next half-mile asking your horse to stretch his neck forward and downward towards the ground. This is an exercise that we arena riders do frequently to develop good flexibility and range of motion in the horse’s musculoskeletal system. This exercise can — and should — be done on the trail, too.

Turn on the forehand, with the horse crossing his hind legs to form an X as he turns.

Practice walking and trotting at different speeds on the trail to help your horse stay looser in his back and haunches.

On a flat section of trail, change the horse’s frame every half mile or less, alternating between a shorter, more collected frame and then asking the horse to stretch his neck forward and downward.

Don’t worry, as with any of these exercises, you do not need to spend your whole ride practicing. You can still relax and just enjoy the view for much of your outing, but do try to find five to ten minutes where you can ask your horse to change his frame a few times while cruising along. b Photos are courtesy of Jec A. Ballou.

> Jec A. Ballou is a regular contributor to this magazine — read her bio on page 67.

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CANADIAN HORSE JOURNAL

51

HOLIDAYS ON HORSEBACK

EXPLORING THE

Historic Telegraph Trail

“Let’s take a break here,” Rob LaFrance called from behind me. It was late May, 2019 and three of us were riding a 60-kilometre stretch of the historic Collins Overland Telegraph Trail in central British Columbia, which hadn’t been ridden in its entirety in at least half a century. The trip was an opportunity to ride along a piece of history, experience the challenges of those who had traveled before us, and celebrate the reopening of the trail.

We started our trip at the Blackwater River and were traveling east for three days toward Quesnel. I was riding Jewel, a flashy palomino Paint mare owned by LaFrance, while LaFrance and Richard Christenson each rode one horse and led a pack horse. On our drive to the trailhead, we had dropped hay and potable water at two predetermined camping spots, but we were packing everything else we needed on the horses. Some of the trail had been obliterated by roads and logging operations, but much of it remained, a 1.8-metre wide path winding through forests and gullies — a remnant of life-altering communication technology from 150 years ago, which is mostly forgotten.

Rob LaFrance with the Blackwater River as a backdrop, near the start of the ride.

<

PHOTOS: TANIA MILLEN

By Tania Millen

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<

Jewel follows an old wagon supply road on the Collins Overland Telegraph Trail.

In 1835, long before rotary-dial telephones, Samuel Morse invented the electromagnetic telegraph, which allowed messages to be sent quickly across vast distances. This new technology was a game-changer, at a time when messages generally took weeks or months to be delivered. The concept was simple: A single wire was hung on trees, and its electrical current allowed operators at either end to transmit messages in the dots and dashes of Morse code. It was a globally significant invention and by the mid-1800s, businessmen were racing to connect North America with Europe via telegraph.

Perry Collins was determined to win that race, and in 1865 he began work on the ambitious Collins Overland Telegraph, (COT) from British Columbia (BC), Yukon, and Alaska, across the Bering Sea and Asia to Europe. It was a gigantic undertaking involving multiple construction crews, each with their own herds of beef cattle and pack animals. After two years, the line extended approximately 1,000 kilometres from New Westminster (near present-day Vancouver) through Quesnel and Hazelton to Kispiox in northwest BC. Alas, in 1867, construction of the COT was abandoned when a telegraph line was successfully laid beneath the Atlantic Ocean, making the Collins route redundant. Regardless, the COT line and associated wagon supply road were important communication and transportation routes and continued to be used.

PHOTOS: TANIA MILLEN

Horses wait patiently for a section of the trail to be cleared.

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CANADIAN HORSE JOURNAL

53

29

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ANNUAL

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