From the inside looking out, just about everyone seems to be comfortable that the Canadian horse industry is made up of various segments or silos. From the outside looking in, we are seen as a jumble of activity that only the most dedicated can possibly understand.
These silos exist on the (ridiculous) notion that each and every participant in the sport is somehow “different” from everyone else in the sport. The “jumpers” don’t talk to the “ropers” and “penners” and the “dressage” community would rarely if ever engage with “reiners”, and so on.
As an insurer / risk management partner working each day in all of these segments, my reality is that the differences amongst these groups are actually very few. One of the common elements is that every participant – in every discipline – is learning (or has learned) how to do whatever it is they do in the saddle, from a coach or trainer.