BBRM Equine Industry Symposium

Missed the symposium? Check out the BBRM youtube channel and you can watch the recordings from this year (and previous years too!). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BkagTUVqSU&list=PLVWQ4AnnPz-b2_oduwGUtgCNaT2nrDk-R

🌟 Patching the Bucket: Why Welfare Change Needs More Than Good Intentions 🌟

The 10th Annual Equine Industry Symposium, Patching the Bucket: Addressing Cultural Cracks in Equestrianism, brought together students, professionals, and industry voices to reflect on ethics, culture, welfare, and sustainability in equestrianism.

Across two evenings of discussion and reflection, one question kept resurfacing: what can we do next to better serve horses and the people who work with them?

During the symposium, Professor Inga Wolframm spoke about why meaningful welfare change so often struggles to take hold, even in a community that cares deeply about horses:

“In equestrianism, meaningful change doesn’t fail because people don’t care — it fails because the system around them leaks. My talk explored how behavioural science, especially the COM-B model, helps us understand those leaks: knowledge alone isn’t enough. Motivation, social opportunity, and the everyday realities of equine yards must align before new welfare-positive practices can truly take hold.

Research shows that ideas spread through weak ties — broad networks and social reach — but lasting, sustainable change requires strong ties: trusted relationships, peer groups, and communities of practice. When these connections strengthen, they don’t just shift attitudes — they reshape the landscapes we create for horses.

By drawing together social science, spatial design, and real-world cases from equine yards, I argued that the future of horse welfare lies in cultivating a culture of care: one where people support each other, where good practice is normalised, and where horses live in environments that reflect what we know about their needs. Change is already happening — sometimes slowly, sometimes unevenly — but the momentum is real. Our task now is to keep mending the bucket, together.”

Thanks to the students who put together the symposium and did all the video editing. The symposium recordings are now available on our youtube channel!

Equine Industry Symposium 2025 Night 1 The 10th annual Equine Industry Symposium was held virtually from Nov 18-19, 2025, hosted by the University of Guelph Bachelor of Bio-Resource Management Equ...

This year’s Symposium was a huge success! A heartfelt thanks to our amazing sponsors for supporting the 10th Annual Equine Industry Symposium. We couldn’t do it without you! 🐴✨

We’d like to extend a heartfelt thank you to our incredible speakers, Crispin Parelius, Dr. Inga Wolframm, Lisa Ashton, Akaash Maharaj, Gary Yaghdjian, and Eurico Rosa da Silva, for sharing your insight, experience, and passion at our 10th annual Equine Industry Symposium. Your contributions truly made this year’s event a success!

A big thank you as well to everyone who attended and took part in the discussions. Your curiosity and engagement made the conversations even more meaningful.

We hope you enjoyed this year’s symposium, and we can’t wait to see you again next year! 🐴✨

Check out the kiosk in front of the Creelman building at UoG!

What do you think of our advertising efforts this year?

Join us at the 10th annual Equine Industry Symposium with this year’s theme: Patching the Holes In Our Bucket; Inspiring Change in Equestrian Culture. Register and attend for your chance to win one of 4 amazing prizes generously donated to us by our sponsor, Greenhawk 🐴💚

Rooster, one of our BBRM teaching horses always knows where the good stuff comes from, thanks Greenhawk!!

✨ Just attend and fill out our feedback survey (available each night only!) for a chance to win Greenhawk prizes!

🎁 Night 1: Grooming kit + 3 pairs of socks
🎁 Night 2: Bathing kit + Saddle pad

Don’t wait—Rooster’s already shining his coat for the big event! 🌟
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November 18–19 | ⏰ 6–7:30 PM EST

🔗Register now: https://us02web.zoom.us/.../register/85GDD-c1Ryexua7x5cOhqA

Save the Date! 🐎 ✨

Patching the Holes in Our Bucket: Inspiring Change in Equestrian Culture 🐴

Join the University of Guelph’s 10th Annual Equine Industry Symposium — a free virtual event exploring how equestrian culture impacts horse welfare.

November 18–19 | ⏰ 6–7:30 PM EST

🔗Register now: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/85GDD-c1Ryexua7x5cOhqA
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Speaker 5: Gary Yaghdjian

Meet our second speaker for night two: Gary Yaghdjian

Gary Yaghdjian has been a professional in the horse industry since 1978. He is an Equine Canada certified level 2 coach in both English and Western disciplines and holds judging credentials with Equine Canada in multiple divisions. Gary has served as a director on the boards of Equine Canada and Reining Canada and is the past president of the Ontario Equestrian Federation, the Ontario Reining Horse Association, and the Central East Hunter Jumper Association. He has been recognized for his outstanding service with induction into the Ontario Equestrian Federation Hall of Fame.

Gary has competed internationally in reining and has also been involved in the Hunter/Jumper discipline here in Ontario. Throughout his career, he has consistently adapted his training and horsemanship practices to better support the well-being of the horse. Known for being a realist and a forward-thinking horseman, Gary has actively implemented changes in his program to benefit the horses first, setting a strong example for ethical and progressive equine care.

Gary, along with his wife Danielle, currently owns and operates The Pickering Horse Centre Ltd. in Claremont, Ontario — a 50-horse riding facility offering a riding school, Hunter/Jumper show boarding and training, horse camps, and hosting a range of multi-discipline horse competitions annually.

We are honoured to welcome Gary Yaghdjian on night 2, recognizing his transformative impact over the past 10 years in shaping riding culture and elevating training programs with the horse’s well-being at the forefront.
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Patching the Holes in Our Bucket: Inspiring Change in Equestrian Culture
Join the University of Guelph's 10th Annual Equine Industry Symposium - a free virtual event exploring how equestrian culture impacts horse welfare.
November 18-19 | 6-7:30 PM EST
Register now: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/ register/85GDD-c1Ryexua7x5cOhqA
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Speaker 4: Eurico Rosa da Silva

Meet our first speaker for night two: Eurico Rosa da Silva

Eurico Rosa da Silva is a Hall of Fame jockey, mindset coach, public speaker, and certified FEEL facilitator. With over 2,900 career victories, seven Sovereign Awards, and induction into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame, he is one of the most accomplished jockeys in Canadian racing history. In 2017, representing Canada, he won the prestigious World All-Star Jockeys Championship in Japan — one of the most elite tournaments in the world.

Throughout his riding career, Eurico was known not only for his success but also for his courage to stand against tradition. He was the only jockey who publicly supported anti-whipping regulations, becoming the black sheep of his jockey club. His leadership demonstrated how one individual can influence culture and inspire meaningful change. That same dedication to transformation continues today as he shifts from jockey to equine-assisted learning coach, championing emotional wellness, compassion, and growth.

After retiring from racing, Eurico turned his focus to helping others heal and thrive through the powerful presence of horses. Many of the horses he works with are retired racehorses who have experienced trauma themselves, and he guides them in healing so they can, in turn, help people access emotional freedom, resilience, and inner peace. Through his Experiential Equine Connection program, he supports professional athletes and individuals overcoming trauma toward authentic performance, balance, and transformation.

We are delighted to welcome Eurico Rosa da Silva as a speaker on night 2, whose journey from champion jockey to equine-assisted learning coach reflects his commitment to changing industry culture and inspiring human-equine connection
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Patching the Holes in Our Bucket: Inspiring Change in Equestrian Culture
Join the University of Guelph's 10th Annual Equine Industry Symposium - a free virtual event exploring how equestrian culture impacts horse welfare.
November 18-19 | 6-7:30 PM EST
Register now: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/ register/85GDD-c1Ryexua7x5cOhqA
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Speaker 3: Dr. Inga Wolframm

Meet our third speaker for night 1: Dr. Inga Wolframm

Dr. Inga Wolframm is Professor of Sustainable Equestrianism at Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands. Her research sits at the intersection of equine welfare, environmental sustainability, and human behaviour and cognition. She works across three key thematic pillars: understanding human behaviour and decision-making in equestrian contexts, exploring the social, ecological and economic value of equine farms, and positioning horses and equine management as drivers of the agroecological transition. To map and analyse these complex dynamics, she draws on principles of behaviour change and cognition, applying a wide range of methodologies — from qualitative interviews to sensor-based technologies, from immersive case studies to statistical modelling.

Her research includes studies on the use of auxiliary reins, welfare norms in the grooming industry, eye-tracking to investigate visual attention in equestrian sport, as well as the role of equine farms in green-blue infrastructure, socio-spatial analysis, landscape design, and horses’ behavioural preferences for specific landscape features. Inga’s work bridges scientific insight and practical application, with the aim of supporting a more reflective, responsible and sustainable equestrian sector.

As the final speaker for night 1, Dr. Inga Wolframm will end tonight by inspiring thoughtful reflection and encouraging meaningful shifts in how we approach sustainability with the equestrian world in hopes to change our hearts and change our mind.
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Patching the Holes in Our Bucket: Inspiring Change in Equestrian Culture
Join the University of Guelph's 10th Annual Equine Industry Symposium - a free virtual event exploring how equestrian culture impacts horse welfare.
November 18-19 | 6-7:30 PM EST
Register now: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/ register/85GDD-c1Ryexua7x5cOhqA
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