"Untacking Stable Solutions from the Equine Industry Symposium"
The 8th Annual Equine Industry Symposium emphasized themes on business improvement such as retirement planning, increasing fee and building industry relationships. The theme of the event was Stable Solutions and everything under the barn roof was touched upon.
The event took place over three nights: November 21st, 22nd and 23rd, 2023. Being held entirely online to reach the widest audience possible, the symposium was attended by almost 400 people. One attendee commented: ‘Thanks for providing the opportunity to learn about a variety of topics so vital to success in the horse industry.” The Equine Industry Symposium was hosted by students in the Bachelor of Bio-resource Management, Equine Management degree program at the University of Guelph.
Night one of the Symposium was kicked off with an insightful presentation from Dr. Kendra Coulter on the current state of the equine industry and how broad the industry reaches. She emphasized our use of the horse as the core of many businesses and how people choose to revolve their lives around horses driven by their passion for the animal. This was followed by a student and graduate panel with panelists Victoria Willan, Julia Howe, Lisa Vicaire, Alanna Berdan and Taylor Laroche facilitated by Akaash Maharaj. The panel discussion touched on the importance of education and what skills are valued in the industry.
The second night featured two presentations from professionals in both the business and equine worlds: Joel Lalonde and Sean Jones. Joel Lalonde expressed the need for strong purpose when running a business and emphasized the importance of clear beliefs and values. Sean Jones' presentation demonstrated the value of building a retirement plan and developing an exit strategy when forming a business.
For the final night of the symposium Dr. Coulter returned to facilitate a discussion panel of industry professionals: Bronwynne Wilton, Helen Richardson, Sean Jones and Karl Lagerborg. Topics covered career challenges, the importance of connections within the industry and centering business models around horse welfare. Each of the three nights featured an open Q&A session for the audience to ask questions to the speakers. The success of the event sparked anticipation for future Equine Industry Symposiums in years to come.
The organizational team would like to thank the speakers, all who attended and of course the event sponsors: Acera Insurance, Equine Guelph, SmartCert, The Rider, Schleese Saddlery, Canadian Horse Journals and KX Radio. Recordings of each night of the symposium will be available soon on the BBRM Equine Management You Tube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@bbrmequinemanagement238
Source: University of Guelph News Release
