CALGARY — The Government of Alberta moved quickly this week to claim credit for the province's economy after visiting show jumper Mark Bluman described the grass in the International Ring at Spruce Meadows as "unbelievable" during his debut appearance, with officials calling the remark "the clearest signal yet that diversification is working."

"For too long, critics said this province was a one-commodity economy," said a spokesperson for the Ministry of Jobs, Economy and Trade, gesturing at a single photograph of a horse. "Today an internationally ranked athlete confirmed, on the record, that our grass is among the finest he has ever ridden across. We are calling this a sector."

The province has reportedly added "world-class turf" to its official list of economic advantages, slotting it between "low corporate tax rate" and "the mountains, which are also here." A spokesperson declined to say what the grass exports, how many Albertans it employs, or whether ordinary residents would be permitted to walk on it, noting only that the footing was "the best feeling ever."

Economists were cautious. "It is a lovely facility, and the grass is genuinely excellent," said one University of Calgary analyst, "but a man enjoying a lawn is not, in the technical sense, a value-added supply chain. The horse did not even buy anything."

Pressed on whether the strategy might leave the province exposed to a downturn in equine compliments, the spokesperson remained confident. "We have always said Alberta's future lies in things growing out of the ground, and we see no reason to be specific about which things," they said. "Oil came out of the ground. The grass comes out of the ground. Frankly the case writes itself."

At press time, the government had commissioned a $40-million study to determine whether the grass could be exported, taxed, or at minimum mentioned in a press release, while quietly declining to fund the public riding arena that has been on the capital plan since 2019.