There is one indoor arena in Whitehorse. It was built in the summer of 2008 and is nearing completion, meaning a barn will be attached. To use the indoor you must load up your trailer with horse, tack, jumps if necessary, and month memberships cost $100/month, $25/individual session. Word is, board at the indoor might be in the $600 range, but this is just gossip. Interestingly, the most expensive 'board' I have heard of here is $275 for pasture board. Nobody seems to do full board, or even own stables...
In Whitehorse, the indoor is tantamount to a horse revolution. The fact that the indoor is the first one to exist in Whitehorse is stunning, probably because horsey areas all over Canada have had indoor arenas since the dawn of time or at least since the 1960's. This means that Whitehorse is about (we'll be generous) 20 years behind every horse scene in Canada. Maybe not including those wildlands of Northern BC, but I am pretty sure even they had indoor arenas before this year.
Also, stables. Not a super-fancy high class show stables, but just simple humble barns, the type that have doors, stalls (more than 3), a tack shed...
This is also a shocking and revolutionary idea here. Despite the fact that the weather frequently drops to -40 on a regular basis in the winter, horses stay outside. People ride horses outside. A tack shed is quite the luxury. As far as I have seen, nobody keeps their horses in during the extreme cold, and most horses don't wear blankets unless it is raining. Barns, stables and tack rooms are luxurious and a venue for those 'Down South' solely.
Whitehorse riders trail ride. If you are a Dressage rider, H/J, this is definitely no-man's-land. They don't need arenas or indoor arenas, those pampered riders! The trails are fantastic, the scenery unparalelled and goes on for ages, kilometer's and km's of open land, wooded trails. Truly a trail horseman's dream.
Local equestrians also like to keep their horses in their backyards. Hence, and I'm not impugning the quality of riding or training...the horses frequently know how to pack a load, carry a beginner rider and go on the trails. Take one of these horses in an arena, and they can't even move in a straight line along the rail, let alone moving on their own in the middle of the ring. It is amazing. Never have I seen such well-broke horses so 'unbroke.' They fall over themselves when asked to bend, jump logs on a trail but freak out at the sight of a colored pole.
Bending? No clue! Not speaking the right language. Circles? Oh my, only if we're running away and you want me to stop quickly!
There are no official riding 'Academies' here. And one horse show. Per year.
Good work. Thanks for the breakdown.
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