Gayle Ecker, Equine Industry Vision Award Winner for 2015

Gayle Ecker, director of Equine Guelph, has been awarded the prestigious Equine Industry Vision Award for 2015.

The award, presented at the American Horse Publication Tally-Ho at the Alamo Seminar in San Antonio, Texas on Friday, June 19, 2015, recognizes Ecker’s innovation, vision and commitment to the equine industry.

Sponsored by Zoetis, the award is intended not only to recognize outstanding leadership, creativity and service to the horse industry, but also to benefit the industry by inspiring these qualities in others.

“This award represents an amazing achievement for my dedicated staff who stay focused on the Equine Guelph vision of developing programs to support horse health and welfare for Canada and beyond,” says Ecker. “The recognition from our peers in the horse industry in North America is amazing to have and it is also thanks to the support from the Advisory Council members, our wonderful sponsors and donors, and the passionate volunteers who help us move forward with our vision. I would also like to thank the American Horse Publications Group and Zoetis for developing such an award to recognize achievements in the horse industry in North America and it is an honour to receive this on behalf of Equine Guelph.”

Equine Guelph, a not-for-profit Centre at the University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, serves the horse and its industry through education, research, healthcare promotion and industry development. Founded in 2003, Equine Guelph is supported and overseen by equine industry groups and is dedicated to improving the health and well-being of horses.

Ecker received the distinction of being ‘short-listed’ for the Equine Industry Vision award from a record number of 25 nominees to one of four finalists. The other three finalists included: EQUUS Foundation, a charitable foundation providing financial support and services to equine charities across the United States; Jim McGarvey, Chairman of the Board, Back Country Horsemen of America; Juli S. Thorson, Editor-at-Large, Horse & Rider.

The AHP Board of Directors, plus a Zoetis representative, select the award winner based on their performance related to their achievements, and demonstration of key attributes, including vision, innovation, leadership, commitment, dedication and willingness to serve, original and effective ideas, services, and programs, as well as high professional standards.

The Equine Industry Vision award has been presented thirteen times since its inception in 2002 to top industry professionals and equine institutes. AHP director, Chris Brune says, “It represents that these individuals and organizations are being recognized for making a real difference in the horse world.”

Ecker has been with Equine Guelph since its inception, and played an instrumental role in its birth. She has dedicated her energies to advancing the equine industry through education and communications of research findings. Ecker and her team have been leaders in equine education, developing award-winning programs, including over 20 online courses supporting health and welfare, as well as courses in business development – all part of the Equine Studies Diploma. Another award-winning program, the popular “EquiMania!” has proven to be a favourite with youth and family. This interactive exhibit, promoting safety, welfare and career opportunities was a popular feature at the World Equestrian Games in 2010. Other feature programs include large animal technical rescue training, horse owner online tools, equine welfare assessment training, promotion of the new Equine Code of Practice and several other innovative programs.

Many congratulations go out to Ecker from her peers, supporters and the multitude of horse lovers that have been inspired, educated and motivated by her tireless efforts and contributions to the horse industry through her work with Equine Guelph.

Comments are closed for this blog post

Welcome to
Ontario Agriculture

Sign Up
or Sign In

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

Alberta Rural Municipalities Pushing For Raw Milk

The Rural Municipalities of Alberta have voted to push for changes to Canada’s raw milk laws. At this week’s convention, two-thirds of Alberta towns and counties backed a resolution from the MD of Greenview calling on Ottawa to allow on-farm sales of unpasteurized dairy under strict conditions. Supporters say modern safety practices—like closed milking systems, refrigeration, and microbial testing—can reduce health risks. They point to European models where raw milk is legal with producer registration, labelling, and traceability. Right now, raw milk sales are banned in Canada, driving an underground market. Advocates argue a regulated system would give consumers choice and help rural economies thrive. Alberta’s agriculture department opposes the move.

Water driven yield potential technology aims to improve ROI for producers

Water is one of the most important inputs in agriculture, and is often the most significant factor limiting crop yield, particularly in dryland farming. Working with EMILI at Innovation Farms powered by AgExpert during the 2025 season allowed Crop Intelligence to fine-tune its Dryland Farming Ultra Package to help producers better understand their water driven yield potential (WDYP). Dryland Farming Ultra is a hardware and software solution that allows farmers and agronomists to monitor the total available water for their crop, and use that information to make informed decisions on overall crop agronomy. Often, producers use soil tests and tissue tests and base agronomy decisions on these results. Crop Intelligence allows producers to take it one step further to measure how much can be grown based on the total amount of water available. “I think there are a lot of assumptions in any given year about how much can be grown, but without actually measuring it, it’s impossible to know whe

This is agriculture: Third-generation Manitoba grain farmer

Rick Rutherford is a third-generation farmer whose deep passion for agriculture has led to local and international partnerships focused on advancing innovation and supporting the next generation of farmers. Rutherford is the first producer EMILI partnered with when launching Innovation Farms powered by AgExpert in 2022. Locating the first Innovation Farms on Rutherford’s 5,500-acre seed farm in Grosse Isle, Manitoba has allowed EMILI to provide innovators with access to leading-edge equipment, technology, and production practices to increase productivity, sustainability, and profitability across the agriculture and agri-food sector. Rutherford Farms has hosted Harvest on the Crescent since 2021. Each year a different crop grows on Wellington Crescent while raising money for Harvest Manitoba. Over the past five years this initiative has raised thousands. Describe your job in one sentence. I am a third-generation farmer operating a pedigreed seed and commercial grain farm located in

John Deere defending against misinformation again

A video circulating online indicates the manufacturer is leaving Canada

Border restrictions in place due to U.S. vesicular stomatitis outbreak

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has announced temporary import restrictions on horses, swine, and ruminants — including cattle — from certain U.S. states following an outbreak of vesicular stomatitis (VS). Importation of these animals from affected states is currently suspended until further notice. Canadian-origin animals that have been in a VS-affected state within the past 21 days will also be denied re-entry to Canada, except under very limited circumstances. To return to Canada, animals must have been moved to a non-affected state, remained there for at least 21 days, and be certified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) as originating from areas free of clinical or epidemiological evidence of VS during that period. Producers and transporters are encouraged to avoid travel through VS-affected states whenever possible. If transit through these areas is unavoidable, shippers must complete a supplementary declaration upon arrival at a Canadian port of entry.

More…

Badges | Report an Issue | Terms of Service