Horse Day Presentations
Sunday January 11th, 2026
Tickets will be available online early December
Equine Dentistry
Presented by: Dr. Ian Bishop, Veterinarian and Owner, Northern Equine Veterinary Services
A discussion of current of how horses' teeth develop and work, common disease, what we can do to help maintain their health, and some of the changes and new treatments we have today.
Dr Ian Bishop graduated from the Ontario Veterinary College in 2009. After practicing in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario, and exploring a variety of types of practice, in 2023 Dr. Bishop became the second veterinarian in Canada to become a Board Certified Equine Dentist with the American Veterinary Dental Colleg
Presentation begins Sunday January 11th, 2026 at 10:00 am.
Purchasing, Training & Showing Driving Horses
Presented by: Jim McKague, Owner, McKague Stables
Learn how to select, train, and present horses effectively. This session will help you determine which driving discipline best suits you and your horse, with guidance on developing the skills needed for success.
Jim MCKague has owned and trained driving horses his entire life and has won the Canadian Championship at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair. He has shown Hackney Roadsters, Morgans, and pleasure horses, and is a licensed trainer and driver of Standardbred racehorses. Jim is also a member of the Canadian Road Horse Hall of Fame.
Presentation begins Sunday January 11th, 2026 at 11:15 am.
Feeding Balage to Horses
Did you know that haylage can be a beneficial forage option for horses? We will go over the health and performance benefits of this feed for certain horse populations, especially those with Equine Asthma (aka "heaves"). Before you switch your horse’s diet, we will go over critical steps to take before introducing your horse to haylage, as well as general feeding recommendations.
Presented by: Christine O’Reilly, Forage and Grazing Specialist, OMAFA
Christine O’Reilly is the Forage and Grazing Specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness. Her focus is on improving the productivity and profitability of forage crops. She sees a lot of opportunity for ruminant livestock farms to improve their margins through good grazing management. Christine joined the ministry in 2017 and is based out of the Lindsay office
Presented by: Lisa Costa, Veterinarian, Georgian Bay Equine
Although originally from the city, Dr. Lisa Costa spent most of her youth in the countryside surrounding Waterloo. She then attended the U of G (2014 Rams!) followed by veterinary school at OVC. After graduating, Lisa practiced equine medicine in Waterloo county and then Calgary AB, before settling down here to Grey Highlands. Her interests are focused on equine preventative and internal medicine. In her space time, she dabbles in multiple disciplines with her mare Finley.
Presentation begins Sunday January 11th, 2026 at 1:15 pm.
Bit Fitting From the Horse’s Perspective
Presented by: Lisa Wright, Bit Educator
From beginner rider to very experienced, green horse to advanced, in all disciplines: Learn about how various bits work, what mouth conformation, breed, age and size of horse have to do with choosing the best bit fit and function. Bits are the most-often overlooked and misunderstood connection with your horse.
Lisa Wright has been invited to present bit seminars across Canada, including Thunderbird, Spruce Meadows and the Can-Am Equine Expos. Lisa combines decades of training, competing and coaching with working for some of the best manufacturers in the industry. Her goal is to educate people so they can make informed equipment choices and do better by their horses.
Presentation begins Sunday January 11th, 2026 at 2:00 pm.
Panel: My Favourite Drill
Join a group of seasoned trainers as they break down the drills they rely on most—why they work, how to apply them, and the results they see. It’s a hands-on look at effective horsemanship strategies for riders looking to strengthen their training toolkit.
Facilitator: Jason/Bronwynne Irwin
Jason and Bronwyn own and operate Jason & Bronwyn Irwin Horsemanship. Together they share horse training information through clinics, horse expos, and magazine articles. They are the hosts of 'The Horse Trainers' TV show which airs on The Cowboy Channel Canada and RFD-TV Canada. Their training covers a wide range of topics from colt starting, to pole bending, problem solving, liberty training, along with training horses for film and commericals. They are the only people to have horses on the reality tv show 'Canada's Got Talent'.
Panelist: Jessica Ruppel
Three Day Event rider, trainer and English riding coach specializing in training horses and riders in the sport of Three-Day Eventing, and developing young horses.
Panelist: Carolyn Aarup, Coach/Trainer, Dakota Winds Farm
Carolyn Aarup of Dakota Winds Farm from Meaford, Ontario Canada 🇨🇦 is passionate about Carriage Driving as well as encouraging others to enjoy the sport. Her over 25 years of driving experience includes Miniature Horse breed shows, Open Pleasure Shows and competing at Preliminary Level at CDEs (combined driving events) in Canada and the USA. Her current competition focus is on two of her Miniature horses (VSEs- Very Small Equines single and pair) as well as her single Section A Welsh Pony. She is also currently serving on the ADS (American Driving Society) Pleasure Driving Committee. She has coaches insurance and teaches driving lessons in Ontario Canada and gives driving clinics (for individuals, driving clubs & personal groups) throughout Canada. References available upon request.
Presentation begins Sunday January 11th, 2026 at 3:15 pm.
And don't forget to take a look at the list of On-Demand presentations which you can watch throughout the conference and for the thirty days following! Use the button on the left to browse full details for those!
Check out the program for other conference days using the buttons below.
