Quite a different dynamic coming from Baja California, Mexico to British Columbia, Canada.  Language, food, culture and purpose of animals I dealt with we very different.

The veterinarians I worked for were very much the same as the veterinarios I was with in Mexico.  Herman and  Doug (can’t spell either ones last name) both worked hard long hours and were dedicated to the well being of horses and the people that own them.

The main difference was the purpose and the way the animals were handled and the way the animals handled the people.

In Mexico the purpose of the animals was to make a living from. In BC, the animals were a way to spend money from another source of income.

This creates a whole different situation on how the horses are cared for, how the people handle them, and the rewards they receive from them.

From what I observed, for some of the people I met the horse brought a lot of pleasure, and for some lots of fear, frustration and money spending.  It all depended on the attitude and how well they were matched up to the horse and what they were trying to do.

I don’t know if I helped anyone or not.  I gave them things to think about and try.

I don’t really understand that world and probably never will, so I feel I am better off working with the for profit mindset like Mexico, and leave the for emotion mindset to the people that understand it or want to profit from it.

I really enjoyed the horses I got to work with.  At the first Clinic in Abbotsford we rode the first day in a clinic setting, and the second day I did demonstrations all day from working with baby’s to halter break and an older horse that had some problems and trailer loading issues.

The next clinic was at Nanaimo on Vancouver island.  We had a two hour ferry ride to and from.  It was a new adventure and I sure enjoyed the ride. 

The horses were a little different acting than I am used to, but I really had a nice little bay gelding that I got to ride and made some changes that I was real proud of.  Some folks were interested in the change, and some folks didn’t see it.  I love the horsemanship part of it.

We had a nice evening with real nice people and had some good food.  They served some “candied salmon” and strawberries grown on the place.  Real good eating.  The raccoon was good as well.

Gord Collier has been a friend for a long time.  He, just like the hosts in Mexico treated me like a king in food and hotel accommodations.  (He could of been a lot nicer to me, and maybe shared a few more of his opinions on politics and climate change, as I’m still not sure which side of the isle he’s on). We had lots of fun, worked hard promoting good animal husbandry, Zoetis and the Western lifestyle.

I really enjoyed the time.  I really have to work hard on my proper pressure with people.  The animals are easy, but learning how to accept and deliver the best pressure for people is a very important part of my job, and I want to get real good at it.  It’s not always easy.

I am now headed to Alberta, Canada to meet up with Shawn Wilson of Zoetis and we will work in  Alberta in the for profit (hopefully)cattle world for the week. We will see if there is anything interesting to report.