Horse Council BC

10/16/2026

🐴 HR Support for Equine Business Owners
📅 Oct 28, 2026 | 12:00 PM

Join Alexa Dantas from IAF to learn about their AgHR program and how they can help equine business owners work through HR challenges. Alexa will walk us through the free HR support available, some common situations employers may run into, and how they can access practical resources or one-on-one support. 🌾👩‍💼

✅ Register for the webinar here:
🔗 https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_qDYxDUrNSoWBx5HhaptuCg

Don't miss this opportunity to strengthen your HR knowledge and support your business's success! 🐎✨

10/15/2026

Farmland is for farming. But increasing pressure from non-farm uses threatens the land B.C. farmers and ranchers depend on.

Once farmland is lost to other uses, getting it back isn’t easy. And when farmers have to compete with industrial development for agricultural land, the future of farming becomes even more uncertain.

B.C. needs policies that protect farmland, encourage farming and keep the Agricultural Land Reserve working for agriculture.

Because once we lose our farmland, what do we lose with it?

Your vote shapes the future of B.C. farming - and everything that depends on it. Ask your candidates what they’ll do to protect it.

10/15/2026

Check out the American Association of Equine Practitioners webinar on Oct. 21 to learn how to spot the subtle signs of pain, tell the difference between pain and behavior problems, and catch issues early before they become bigger concerns.

Is your horse in pain? 🐴 It’s not always obvious!

Join us for our Horse Owner Education Webinar with Drs. Kim Allshouse and Michael St. Blanc to learn how to spot the subtle signs of pain, tell the difference between pain and behavior problems, and catch issues early before they become bigger concerns. 🩺

The webinar will be recorded and registrants will receive a link to the recording, so be sure to sign up even if you can’t attend the live event. ✅

Drop the word LISTEN in the comments and we’ll send the registration link straight to your DMs. 📩

📅 Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026
⏰ 8:00 to 9:30 PM EDT

10/15/2026

CELEBRATING EXCELLENT IN BC'S EQUINE COMMUNITY
HCBC's Awards Program recognizes the individuals who make a lasting impact on BC's equine community. Award categories highlight outstanding volunteers of all ages who are driving progress, supporting others, and making a difference in every corner of the province's equine world.

📅 Nomination Deadline: November 30

🔗 More Information & Nominations:
https://hcbc.ca/about/hcbc-awards/

👏 Know someone who deserves recognition? Submit a nomination and help us celebrate the people who make BC's equine community stronger! 🐎🏅

10/15/2026

ONLINE INTENSIVE TRAINING
November 6-8
Friday 6:00pm – 9:00 pm PST
Saturday and Sunday 9am to 5pm PST

Looking to get certified as an Equestrian Canada NCCP Instructor or Competition Coach? Join us for a weekend of online training or pick and choose the courses you would like to attend.

Cost to attend all days is $175 for instructors and $195 for competition coaches.

Costs listed below for individual courses.

November 6th
Introduction to EC NCCP Coach Certification 6:00 to 9:00pm $25

November 7th
NCCP Analyzing Beginner Equestrian Performance (Instructor) 9:00am to 1:00pm $80
NCCP Analyzing Competitive Equestrian Performance (Comp Coach) 9:00am to 5:00pm $100

November 8th
NCCP Plan and Equestrian Practice 9:00am to 5:00pm $80

Register here: learn.hcbc.ca

10/14/2026

🌟🌟Last minute chance to sign up!🌟🌟

ATHLETE WORKSHOP: THE TRUTH ABOUT RIDING FEAR with MEGAN PINFIELD

RIDING FEAR WORKSHOP: October 15, 2026
ONLINE, 4:00pm-6:00pm EST
COST: $30.00

This 2-hour workshop will give all equestrians an understanding of the neuroscience of the fear response and provide them with actionable skills to help them learn to manage fear in the saddle. Participants will learn the difference between fear, anxiety and trauma responses and why each must be handled differently. The workshop will cover how the brain learns a fear response and how to deprogram it in the brain. Riders will be introduced to a holistic management approach to the problem of riding fear and provided with the neuroscience evidence of why this works.

This workshop is facilitated by Megan Pinfield, PhD, RCC, RCAT, author of The Riding Fear Handbook by Trafalgar Square Books.

https://app.ubindi.com/Megan.Pinfield.4995

10/14/2026

Read the latest press release from BC Agriculture Council regarding the Premier’s recent campaign commitment to remove the 50/50 rules for food processing in the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) if re-elected.

BC Agriculture Council (BCAC) is raising the alarm over the Premier’s recent campaign commitment to remove the 50/50 rules for food processing in the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) if re-elected, a pledge made yesterday while the government’s own consultation on the question remains unresolved.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Food’s discussion paper closed for submissions on September 17, 2026, and the Ministry reported receiving approximately 250 responses. To BCAC’s knowledge, no summary of what was heard has been made public. BCAC filed a detailed submission and presented the sector’s concerns directly to the Premier at his September 18 roundtable.

“Farmers, ranchers, local governments and others took time to respond in good faith to a process the government asked them to take part in,” said Jennifer Woike, President of BCAC. “Committing to the outcome before the public has seen what was said undermines confidence that the consultation could change anything and raises fair questions about whether the process was ever meant to.”

Read the news release here: https://bcac.ca/2026/10/14/premiers-recent-pledge-to-scrap-alr-50-50-processing-rules-comes-before-public-sees-consultation-results/

10/14/2026

🚨 Round 'em up. Drop 'em off! 🚨

Got expired equine medications or unwanted pesticides taking up space in your barn or farm storage?

Cleanfarms collection events are coming to Vancouver Island and the Fraser Valley from October 6-16. Bring your unwanted materials for safe, responsible disposal and help protect our environment. ♻️

📍 See the infographic for locations and dates.
🔗 Learn more: https://cleanfarms.ca/materials/unwanted-pesticides-animal-meds/

🐴🌱♻️

10/14/2026

🍁🍂📣FALL IS FOR LEARNING🍁🍂📣

Try out a short online course! Coming up in Fall 2026:
Horse Care & Welfare: Oct 19-30
Equine First Aid: Nov 9-16

Special 15% discount for members offered by partners HCBC and . Common-sense approach on practical horse health and welfare topics. Flexible online format for busy horse owners. Check out our full fall and winter course line-up at TheHorsePortal.ca/HCBC

10/13/2026

🐴 Can a horse be lonely?

Horses are highly social animals. In the wild, they live in groups and spend much of their day grazing and interacting with other horses. Social isolation can affect welfare and may contribute to stress, boredom, or unwanted behaviours.

- Can your horse see, hear, and interact with other horses?
- Does turnout allow for social contact?
- Are management practices supporting both physical and mental well-being?

Horse welfare isn't just about food, water, and shelter. It's also about supporting natural behaviours and social needs.

Learn more about evidence-based horse care and welfare in 's Horse Care & Welfare Online Course .ca

https://thehorseportal.ca/course/horse-care-welfare-fall-26/
Oct 19 – 30, 2026

▪ Flexible format | Certificate of Completion | Expert-led
▪ 15% discount for HCBC members - an education partnership with Equine Guelph
▪ Register at www.TheHorsePortal.ca/HCBC