Do you manage an equine facility? Do you struggle with business decisions or finding qualified staff? Join University of Guelph equine management faculty and students at the eighth annual Equine Industry Symposium.

This year’s symposium will explore business and employment awareness to provide critical solutions on how to tackle current issues in the industry. The symposium will be held from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. EST on Nov. 21, 22 and 23 as a free virtual event hosted by students in the Bachelor of Bio-resource Management, Equine Management program at the University of Guelph, which combines business and science with a special emphasis on horses and the equine industry.

At the symposium, people from all corners of the equine community come together to learn how to manage both daily and long-term challenges. The goal of this year’s symposium is to discuss issues such as how to recruit young people in the industry, building better industry support and building standards without primary reference to any discipline boundaries.

The theme for this year’s symposium is ‘Stable Solutions’ focusing on how current issues such as labour shortages and lack of young people entering the industry can be addressed through responsible business decisions and collaboration within the community. 

Each of the three nights will cover a variety of important topics:

Nov. 21: Bridging the labour gap with Dr. Kendra Coulter

Dr. Kendra Coulter, a leading expert in animals and work, animal protection and gender equality, will provide details on the current state of the industry and outline the current challenges facing the industry and possible solutions to these challenges. This will be followed by a panel discussion facilitated by Akaash Maharaj, Director of Policy at Nature Canada and former CEO of Equine Canada. A panel of graduates from equine studies at the University of Guelph will speak about their experiences entering the equine industry and their challenges and successes in running an equestrian facility.

Nov. 22: Boosting business efficiency

The second night will highlight ways to boost business efficiency with a presentation on successful business models from Joel Lalonde, owner of Wynbrook Equestrian Center and CEO of Your Credit Union, a financial services cooperative. Sean Jones, financial advisor with Sun Life and a successful show jumping competitor, will delve into succession planning and how to make current financial decisions based on future goals. 

Nov. 23: Industry panel discussion

The final night of the symposium, Dr. Coulter will facilitate a panel discussion on buying into business fundamentals, featuring Sean Jones, Bronwynne Wilton, CEO of the Wilton Group consulting, Helen Richardson, Provincial Stable Program lead at Ontario Equestrian, and Karl Lagerborg, former senior manager of racing operations at Woodbine. 

All three evenings will also include an open Q&A session. 

To register for the Equine Symposium, click here.

(With files from Equine Guelph)