By Jackie Bellamy Zions
GUELPH – Equine Guelph has announced the recipients of its 2018 tuition awards. Cynthia Naydani is the recipient of the Roger L’Heureux Memorial Equine Award and Holly De Way has received the Stuart Stocks Memorial Equine Award.
Selected for their love of horses, commitment to their welfare and desire to learn, both winners will receive two online courses through Equine Guelph valued at $549 each (Certificates are available in Equine Science, Equine Welfare and Equine Business – six courses complete the certificate).
Already an “A” student of Equine Guelph’s online program, Naydani said, “I have gained a wealth of practical and academic knowledge that will greatly benefit me, and in turn, the horses whom I have the opportunity to work with.”
She aspires to use the tools learned through Equine Guelph to keep horses in her care happy, healthy and loved in their future careers.
Raised in Montreal, Naydani’s passion for horses began as a child and has grown over the years. Naydani is particularly interested in equine welfare, as it affects horses due to ill-advised training practices, a lack of knowledge of equine behaviour and learning theory, and/or poor management decisions.
Naydani will eagerly await future course offerings to apply her tuition award as she is already enrolled in the 2019 winter semester taking: Equine Health and Disease Prevention and Equine Functional Anatomy.
With a background in biological sciences, Naydani plans on taking Equine Genetics next.
“I also definitely want to take equine behaviour,” says Naydani,“as I currently work with several horses who have unwanted behaviours, generally fear-based, due to previous negative experiences. I work to reshape these experiences to help horses overcome their issues. I know the Equine Behaviour course will provide me with invaluable knowledge that I will use every day as I work to retrain ex-racehorses as riding horses. It is great to be able to learn while continuing with working and life. Thank you!”
De Way began grooming Standardbreds in 2014, after completing the Performance Horse Handler Course at the University of Guelph Ridgetown Clinton Campus.
Fully committed to the horse industry, working as a part-time groom at Clinton raceway, as Barn Manager at REACH, and running her own equine care business, De Way has learned the most important key to success is putting horse welfare first.
“I like to keep my mind open while working with new horses and talking to new people about them,” said De Way. “There is always something to challenge me about these animals and this industry and that just keeps me motivated to learn more. My goal is to further educate myself with horses and the horse industry so that I can be the best at what I do and the horses perform to the best of their abilities.”
Aspiring to one day own her own farm, De Way has enrolled in Management of the Equine Environment to learn more about the important things about having an equine barn such as air quality and best management practices.
She also looks forward to enrolling in the Equine Behaviour course. Skills that will come in handy when pairing up horses to go out in the paddocks and promoting harmonious herd dynamics. De Way is excited and grateful for the opportunity to work towards the Equine Guelph Diploma in Equine Studies.
The Roger L’Heureux Memorial Equine Award was established in loving memory of Standardbred driver, trainer and groom, Roger L’Heureux by David L’Heureux and Crystal Fountains Inc.
The Stuart Stocks Memorial Equine Award has been created by the Stocks family in memory of their beloved brother, son and uncle, and avid follower of top thoroughbred racehorses, Stuart Stocks.
