Halifax Junior Bengal Lancers
1690 Bell Road B3H2Z3 Halifax, NS, Canada

We regret to hear the news of the Duke of Edinburgh's passing. Prince Philip and the Queen visited Halifax on multiple occasions. 62 years ago in 1959, the Lancers were proud to perform our Musical Ride for them as youth ambassadors for Halifax.

Every spring all the Lancer horses get some of their routine veterinary needs looked after. This includes dental work, fecal egg counts, sheath cleaning and vaccinations. This is a big job, and we’re always grateful for the Avon Animal Hospital team for their work. We had a special surprise this year from Silvy Beauchamp and Boehringer Ingelheim who recognized us for or non-profit work and donated the vaccines for all 27 horses! Thank you for helping us keep the #HorsesofHalifax happy and healthy!

We have been combing through our archives in preparation for our 85th-anniversary celebration and we came across this cute cover of Atlantic Horse & Pony from 1990! Can you name these Lancers (including the pony)? #TBT #ThrowbackThursday #85YearsYoung

At Lancers, riders develop their leadership skills among many other life skills. This starts from the very first day when they learn to physically lead a large and powerful horse and continues through our lessons and extra-curricular activities such as the Junior Executive. This morning, Jack decided he should practice his own leadership skills and get his fellow Horses of Halifax ready for the Musical Ride! Their circle formation could use a bit of work but it is a strong start for early in the season!

Thank you to Travis Smith for spending the day at Lancers yesterday helping our riders with groundwork basics to improve their horsemanship. Everyone came away with insight and skills to work on to help develop a better rapport with the horses in and out of the saddle. #horsesofhalifax #horsemanship #happyhorses

What a difference two days can make! Halifax is snow-covered again but we are always thankful for our dedicated staff who, no matter the weather, make it to the barn for early morning chores! Despite the weather, all 27 horses need to be fed, turned out and have their stalls cleaned. All horse people know that, no matter what, the horses need us and we have to show up! This morning, self-appointed supervisor, Ava, is keeping a close eye on the work! Did you know that on bad weather days, the horses have their turn out in the indoor arena? Time to socialise and play in groups is an important part of their daily routine and maintaining their mental health. Pylons are always a favourite toy! #yourhorsesofhalifax #horsesofhalifax

Cute (but cheeky) pony Linus happily enjoys some carrots in his feed tub as a treat! Perhaps we could all use a cute pony video right now!

We wish to say a big congratulations to Lancer Jennifer (J2) and John Read who welcomed their son, Edwin, just before Christmas. We are happy to have a new little Lancer among us and we're sure Edwin will soon join the junior beginner course waitlist! Jennifer had her photo taken this autumn with Giquau during our annual Lancer Picture Day before Edwin arrived! We look forward to seeing Jennifer back in the saddle!

2020: A Lancer Year in Review 2020 has certainly been a year with new challenges and for many, it has been an extremely difficult year that people want to forget. We can, however, try to match the hardship and heartbreak of 2020 with gratitude and love. For a year plagued with critical restrictions that could leave one focusing on what we couldn't do, on the eve of a new year, we look back and give thanks for all that we could do, and for all that we do have as we enter 2021....Continue reading

Today's throwback Thursday comes courtesy of The Chronicle Herald which printed this photo for the Vintage Nova Scotia column. The photo is from our 50th anniversary Musical Ride Performance in 1981! We are very excited to celebrate our 85th anniversary in 2021! Thanks, The Chronicle Herald and The Chronicle Herald - Archives , for sharing! #TBT #throwback

Another great Sunday spent learning in our Jill Swain clinic! It’s always a treat to have outdoor riding weather this time of year!

Yesterday we hosted one of our favourite days of the year - our Fourth Annual Parent Ride! Junior riders bring a parent to the barn, show them how to groom and tack, and then lead their parents on a ride, usually with the junior Lancer's favourite horse. It is a wonderful opportunity for youth to show off their skills and teach their parents about their sport, for parents to experience the magic of horses, and for parents and children to spend some quality bonding time togeth...er! This year we had 22 parents participate in total! One parent told us: "My child was so proud to have me experience the joy that she gets from riding and horses. She stepped back, instructed me, and let me do it all. We both really enjoyed it and I gained a lot more understanding that it isn't just about riding the horse. There is much more to it and most of the "lesson" was about getting the horse ready before even getting on its back. I have a lot of respect for what she does with these big animals".

Have you ever seen a tractor trailer parked in the Halifax Lancers' parking lot? That’s our horses’ bedding arriving, and it’s all hands on deck as our members all help unload over 1200 bags of shavings and stacked in the loft of the barn. Now that's TEAMWORK! We receive four tractor trailer loads of shavings a year! Bedding for a single stall costs $20 each week and we have 27 stalls to fill! Please consider making a donation to our No Stirrups November Ride-a-thon fundraiser, and help keep the Horses of Halifax comfy, clean, and warm. #diy www.bengallancers.com/donate

The Horses of Halifax awoke to Holiday surprises in their stockings this morning! Dublin is feeling festive and enjoying his treats. Watch for Jakey trying to get in on the action! From the Horses of Halifax and your friends at Lancers, may you all experience peace, love and relaxation over the Holidays.

Did you know that every two weeks, two of the "Horses of Halifax" go on vacation to the countryside to enjoy some rest and relaxation? We provide the best care for the horses and our rotational vacation schedule helps maintain their physical and mental health. At any given time, two of our horses are off enjoying vacation in the countryside! Here you can see Mato heading out on vacation, where he will enjoy lots of grass and playtime with his pasture mate Giquau! $200 will s...end one of our hard-working horses on vacation for 2 weeks please consider making a donation to our No Stirrups November Ride-a-thon, and help the Horses of Halifax get the break they deserve! #DYK www.bengallancers.com/donate

Our hearts have been filled this holiday season as we have seen so many people come to visit (and share the holidays) with the #horsesofhalifax Just being near a horse has psychological, emotional, physiological benefits such as bringing a human’s heart rate down. That's a lot of heart and love we have in #halifax

Horses make us better people; they make us more compassionate, more empathetic, more kind, more patient, more understanding, more genuine, more confident, more authentic, more ourselves. Horses teach us about vulnerability, about courage, about loss, about heartbreak, about triumph. Horses teach us a whole lot about life, and even more about ourselves. - Tess Richards At Lancers, our goal is to have as many people as possible feel the power of horses. Whether you say hello... to the horses on your daily commute, make a special trip to see them outside on weekends, with your dog, attend Musical Ride performances and Open Houses, are a "horse-lover", alumni, or rider, or know a Lancer, we hope you feel the magic of the Horses of Halifax. We strive to remain financially accessible to riders of all income levels by keeping our fees as low as possible. Our current fees do not fully cover our operating costs. To keep the horses healthy and happy and our riders safe, we have to fundraise. Please consider making a donation to Our No Stirrups November Ride-a-thon to help the Horses of Halifax and continue to share the power of horses by supporting our programs. Every penny helps. If you have felt the power of horses, please share this post. http://www.bengallancers.com/donate

Junior Lancers handmade and wrote 193 holiday cards for residents at Northwood - Live More! Filled with love, compassion, and friendship, these cards were to spread joy and holiday cheer to residents and staff. Thank you to our Junior Executive for leading the project! From all Lancers and the Horses of Halifax, we wish you happy holidays.

We were thrilled to have Jill Swaine come to Lancers for the day for part one of a wonderful clinic. Riders of all different levels had great lessons, and she even let them keep their stirrups!

Our adult riders are "enjoying" their no stirrups work. It can be a tough workout but they are enthusiastically taking it in stride and doing their bit for our No Stirrups November Ride-a-thon. By tonight, Lancers collectively have now ridden virtually without stirrups all the way to Revelstoke, British Columbia! We have made it from ocean to ocean and starting tomorrow, we begin our virtual no stirrups joinery back to Halifax! We have just passed our $17,000 mark and we are... grateful for every penny that is donated. 100% of your donations will go to caring for the horses and supporting our programming. Our goal is to raise a further $8000. As a non-profit, we own and care for all 27 horses who need food, water, bedding, veterinary care, and shelter. Thank you for helping the horses of Halifax and supporting Lancers' mission to build better lives through horses. If you have felt the joy of horses, experienced the benefits of our programs, and value the culture and heritage Lancers bring to Halifax, please consider donating and sharing this post. Learn more about our fundraiser here http://www.bengallancers.com/donate

Our No Stirrups November Ride-a-Thon has made big strides over the past ten days since our launch. We are humbled and deeply appreciative of the support we have received. We began our Ride-a-Thon with a goal of $15,000 which would have covered roughly a third of our total amount we must fundraise for the year. Unfortunately, just after we launched the Ride-a-Thon, our 1976 Massey Ferguson tractor, affectionately known as Patsy Cline, broke down. Our tractor is fundamental to... our operations; it is used numerous times a week to harrow and maintain the footing in the riding areas which is critical for the continued health and safety of our horses and riders. The cost of repairs (if it can be fixed!) is estimated to be high and if we need to replace the tractor, the cost will be even higher! We have therefore increased our goal to $25,000. Our Ride-a-Thon continues and today, our riders will collectively make it virtually past Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan! That's 4550km from home! Here is a photo of Patsy Cline, our poorly tractor stuck in our riding ring, and one of Elise starting her ride on Baloo without stirrups! If you have felt the joy of horses, experienced the benefits of our programs, and value the culture and heritage Lancers brings to Halifax, please consider donating and share this post. Every penny helps! http://www.bengallancers.com/donate *No-stirrup work will match with their ride skill level to maintain our high safety standards.*