EQUINE NIAGARA NEWS

October 2, 2009

Para-Equestrian Canada Announces Competition Grant Funding Opportunities for Therapeutic Riding Centres

Ottawa, ON—Equine Canada, in partnership with Sport Canada, is pleased to announce that two series of grants will be available to Therapeutic Riding Centres in Canada, totaling $5,000. 

Five grants of up to $500 will be awarded in each series to Therapeutic Riding Centres that offer new competitive opportunities, or enhance their current competitive program for riders with a disability.  The objective of the program is to provide a link between therapeutic riding programs and competitive sport.

Examples of ways that centres have used the funding from past grants include  initiating in-house/fun-day competitions, adding lower-level classes within existing shows so that more riders can participate and purchasing a video camera so that riders may compete in Para-Equestrian Canada video competitions.

Application deadlines for the grants are November 1, 2009 for the first series and March 15, 2010 for the second. To be eligible for a grant, therapeutic riding centres must employ or contract a current NCCP Equine Canada Coach to assist in the delivery of sport programs.

Grant applications can be found on the Para-Equestrian Canada website at http://www.equinecanada.ca/para-equestrian/index.php?option=com_content&task=category&id=64&Itemid=494)

For more information, please contact Para-Equestrian Canada by e-mail at para-equestrian@equinecanada.ca, or at 1-866-282-8395 ext. 143.

About Viterra

Viterra Inc. is a global food ingredients agribusiness headquartered in Canada. The Company has extensive operations and distribution capabilities across Western Canada, as well as in Australia and New Zealand, with Adelaide, Australia being Viterra's base for its Southeast Asian operations. Viterra also has offices and operations in the United States, Japan, Singapore, China, Switzerland, and a joint venture in Ukraine. The Company is diversified into sales and services of crop inputs and equipment, grain handling and marketing, livestock feed, food and malt processing and financial products. These operations are complemented by value-added businesses and strategic alliances, which allow Viterra to leverage its pivotal position between growers and destination customers. The Company's common shares are listed on the TSX under the symbol VT.  In Australia, Viterra's Chess Depositary Interests (CDIs) are traded on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) under the symbol VTA. For more information, please visit www.viterra.ca.

About Para-Equestrian Canada

Para-Equestrian Canada is the Equine Canada committee responsible for developing programs for athletes with a physical disability, and implementing the Para-Dressage high performance program. Para-Equestrian is one of Canada’s most successful international disciplines, achieving an individual gold medal and an individual silver medal at the 2008 Paralympic Games, as well as two individual bronze medals at the 2004 Paralympic Games.

About Para-Equestrian Sport

Para-Equestrian sport provides riders with a physical disability the opportunity to compete against other riders with similar abilities. Riders are given a “Grade” based on their functional ability, and are judged on their riding skill against other athletes of the same Grade.  There are five grades of competitions in dressage, with Grade IA representing the more severely impaired riders, and Grade IV representing the least severely impaired riders. Many Para-Equestrian athletes also compete alongside able-bodied competitors in Equine Canada competitions. At the grass roots level, Para-Equestrian encompasses a number of different disciplines, while the international stream focuses only on Para-Dressage.  For more information, please visit www.equinecanada.ca/para-equestrian.

About Equine Canada
Equine Canada is Canada’s national governing body for equestrianism.  A member-driven, charitable institution, it is the executive branch of the Canadian Equestrian Team, and the national authority for equestrian competition; the national voice for recreational riders; and the national association for equine welfare, breeding, and industry.  Equine Canada is recognised by the Government of Canada, the International Equestrian Federation (FEI), and the Canadian Olympic Committee as the national organisation representing equestrian sport and equine interests. For more information about Equine Canada, please visit www.equinecanada.ca.