Zoe's Story

Friday 23 November 2012

Number 4. Don't Be Afraid. Heidi's Top 10 Equine Stewardship Practises.

Heidi's Top 10 Stewardship Practises. I don't want to tell anyone what to do, or give out free "advice".  But, I do want to encourage responsible horsemen to think more deeply.  Many people do not think things through, and actually say or influence others with statements that are not accurate.  If horsemen took the time to think things through, they may act differently in some situations.  Perhaps, these practises which I strive to abide by, may help others develop their own top 10 stewardship practises. So, what does the responsible horsemen do to demonstrate stewardship?

Number 4. Do not be afraid of death - it is a part of horse ownership.  The question to ask yourself is how do you treat your equine partner at the end of its life.  Do you help them along in a kind and compassionate way or do you pass your equine partner on someone else for deal with?  My opinion is that building a partnership with an equine is a amazing feat of communication, art, science, skill and something intangible - something magical that you feel when you sail over a jump, or ride a thousand foot scree slope in the Rocky Mountains, or make first contact with a foal.  Just this month, November 2012, Equine Canada released its new strategic plan, directing our national horse organization through the next 6 years.  There are seven core values that support the vision, and the top of the list, Equine Welfare is worded in a way that made me proud.  The Equine Canada core value is expressed in the belief that by "Accepting our responsibility to our equine partners as a privilege, we affirm safeguarding the welfare of the horse is paramount."  Wow, a privilege.  So many of us spend our lives developing and putting into practise our equine leadership skills, with the goal of creating an amazing partnership, it indeed is a privilege.  And, how appropriate to have our equines referred to as partners.
Horses take us all to new heights.
The end of this equine partners life should equal its beginning.  It is the human partner, or leader of the horse that should be there at the end; be there when the vet arrives at your farm, and the truck or bulldozer removes the body.  We have controlled our emotions through our entire equestrian careers. Horsemen are capable of dealing with the most difficult part of horse stewardship.  Many people choose to have others deal with the euthanizing of their horses at the end, or worse yet, delay action; but this is the one change you can do to ensure your horse has a kind death.  Do not abandon your horse when your equine partner needs you the most. I challenge folks to maintain their leadership of their equine partner and help them along the way kindly, on the farm where their horse is most comfortable, make the last moments stress free and be able to make that happen in a timely way.  By doing this for our horses, we can discover a new understanding and acceptance of death as something that is part of life.  This is where our equine partners can show us; how living for the moment helps us throughout life, helps us over those obstacles, through those fears, and even more so, helps us all at the very end.

Check back next Friday for "Number 3. Sell and Rehome Responsibly."

Friday 16 November 2012

Number 5. Take Time to Teach. Heidi's Top 10 Equine Stewardship Practises.


Heidi's Top 10 Stewardship Practises. I don't want to tell anyone what to do, or give out free "advice".  But, I do want to encourage responsible horsemen to think more deeply.  Many people do not think things through, and actually say or influence others with statements that are not accurate.  If horsemen took the time to think things through, they may act differently in some situations.  Perhaps, these practises which I strive to abide by, may help others develop their own top 10 stewardship practises. So, what does the responsible horsemen do to demonstrate stewardship?

Number 5. Take Time to Teach. What can you do?  You already have good equine stewardship practises; you made a plan, made a good deal, you enjoy your horses, you strive for a perfect equine partnership and are the leader, you care for your horses and make sure they are cared for no matter what.  What else can you do? Take the opportunity to teach the youth of our country about stewardship of the land, our animals and our community.

4H and pony clubs all have a stewardship component to their lessons.  Spending ones lifetime developing leadership and partnership skills is a good thing.  Caring for the land, your community and our equine partners is something you role model and others naturally seem to pick up on the good practises, because in the end result, it is a good thing for everyone.  Adding a component of stewardship through the most difficult of times is a key thing to teach as well.  Though I find that many curriculum rarely go into the details of how do deal with the end of a horses life.  And, what a good life lesson that could be!  

When you teach stewardship, go into detail, teach the entire picture of owning a horse including what to do at the end of your horses life.  Do not discourage compassion, that is what makes us human.  Parents of young children have told me that young horse owners are more than able to deal with the loss of a horse if the parents discuss the death of their equine partner with them.  It is part of life and the sooner we can educate our children that a kind death is not a bad thing, the sooner we are on our way to becoming healthy, well balanced adult horsemen.  Talk to a professional counsellor or call your local humane society if you are unsure of how to breech this topic with your child.  Children are likely to have to deal with the death of an equine partner since many a good child's horse is an older, experienced animal and it will need our help one day, sooner than later. Teach your children how to help their horse along the way at the end of its life, in a kind way, on the farm where the horse is with its herd and leader. Or find an interim home where the horse can still provide companionship if not ridable, and still has the extra care needed for an older horse.  A good life lesson about commitment could be made of this.  A horse is a commitment, we teach our children that we have to feed, water and care for our horses, well, why not teach them that we also have to do our very best to find a suitable home for horses we can no longer keep and be able to help our equine partner along the way when the time comes.  It is harder, it takes more time, but in the end, it is a great life lesson.  

Perhaps, if we learn to appreciate commitment to our horses as children, as adults, they may be better equipped to handle other commitments.

Thursday 8 November 2012

Number 6. Finding an Actual Good Deal! Heidi's Top 10 Equine Stewardship Practises.


Heidi's Top 10 Stewardship Practises. I don't want to tell anyone what to do, or give out free "advice".  But, I do want to encourage responsible horsemen to think more deeply.  Many people do not think things through, and actually say or influence others with statements that are not accurate.  If horsemen took the time to think things through, they may act differently in some situations.  Perhaps, these practises which I strive to abide by, may help others develop their own top 10 stewardship practises. So, what does the responsible horsemen do to demonstrate stewardship?


Number 6. Finding an Actual Good Deal!  What is a good deal?  Looking for deals when buying a horse is human nature.  But, define what you consider a "good deal".  To me, a good deal when purchasing a horse, is purchasing a horse that is ready to do the job you want that animal to do; a horse that is proven sound, with a known history and good confirmation; a horse that is sensible, that you get along with and fits with your other horses.  Some horsemen are exceptional at fixing issues with horses, and focus on finding those "unpolished" gems out there to spend time on.  That is their challenge and it takes a professional to do it right.  People who can do this are amazing and are exceptional equine stewards.  Many horsemen may have the same inclination, but not the time or the ability to do this job safely.  Picking a horse that looks right and then working to rehabilitate the issues may not be the most realistic way to go about getting the horse of your dreams.

Indeed even beginning with a young, well started horse is also a huge time commitment to bring that horse along from where it is, to where many riders want to start.  As I ride my young horses in the mountains along with my friends riding older experienced horses, I appreciate the job I have taken on.  There is a bit more risk taking a young horse into the backcountry, but the value of that experience is high for the horses training.  (The side benefit is that I really enjoy spending time in the mountains too!  I also have the support and have accepted the risks. Dealing with young horse challenges on the trail is just part of the job.)  Horses need a chance to gain experience in a confident way so that they can develop into those amazing horses that folks are going to want to buy.  The experienced horse is safe, has a few miles under their saddle, has encountered bears, goats, rivers, bridges, cliffs, low branches, mountain bikes, dogs, crowds and even cars in the trail head parking lots.  I have ensured the first experience for the young horses is positive and subsequent ones just build on that.  A good equine stewardship practice would be to avoid creating horses with behavioural challenges by making sure they have the years put into their development to give them the best possible experience before they go up for sale.

Start with a horse ready to do what you want to do!


When folks buy a horse without knowing the animals background, they may well be just buying for looks and genetics and are at risk of purchasing a horse with some challenges.  The best looking horse, with a behavioural challenge, may never change, even with the best of rehabilitation and while that animal may still be paired with the right human and be able to work, it is not a horse for someone wanting to go off and enjoy their sport right away.  A question to ask yourself is - are you interested in riding or rehabilitating a horse?  My hope is that most equine stewards simply want to enjoy a good horse, and provide that horse with the right environment, work and training so they stay a good horse!

To put this another way, wise women know that you can not change a man when you marry him (and vis versa). Indeed, you have to be willing to deal with your man's good points as well as his "challenging behaviors". Thinking that the power of love with make him change, well that may be seen in the movies, it is not really how it works.  Unfortunately, many marriages end in divorce.  While this is indeed sad for humans, a falling out with an equine partner can lead to even worse conditions for the horse.  I would like to encourage potential horse owners to spend at least as much time planning their horse partnership as they spent picking their husbands or wives (or even a bit more).  And know that when you start with a well planned equine relationship, it only gets better with time!  I understand this also happens in human relationships.

Check back next week for Number 5. Take the Time to Teach!

Thursday 1 November 2012

Number 7. Breed Responsibly Heidi's Top 10 Equine Stewardship Practises.


Heidi's Top 10 Equine Stewardship Practises. I don't want to tell anyone what to do, or give out free "advice".  But, I do want to encourage responsible horsemen to think more deeply.  Many people do not think things through, and actually say or influence others with statements that are not accurate.  If horsemen took the time to think things through, they may act differently in some situations.  Perhaps, these practises which I strive to abide by, may help others develop their own top 10 stewardship practises. So, what does the responsible horsemen do to demonstrate stewardship?



Plan every detail when raising a foal
Number 7. Breed responsibly.  Too many horses out there not finding buyers?  Well, it might be the stallion that does the deed but it is the owner who chooses to breed.  Is the stallion and your mare the proper match?  Do you have proven, quality mares.  Do you have or have a breeding planned for an exceptional, proven stallion? Do you have a long term business plan?   Can you afford the extra care for your broodmare, the extra facilities for raising the foal, the extra time to be there during delivery, the potential vet bills, the time to raise the foal correctly, the money to hire a trainer to start the foal, or the time and talent to do that yourself?  Do you have the time to give that horse experience riding so that you can sell a well started horse?  Can you afford the marketing, the time to market and sell your "product"?  Can you afford to keep the horse if you can't sell it to your target market?  Do you have time to find another market for that horse? Are you willing to stay in touch with the new owners to make sure all is going well?  What happens if the horse they bought from you is not working out?  Do you reference check the potential buyers to make sure they have the facilities, know how, time and budget to have this horse?  Some breeders I know do this.  

Breeding and marketing horses is not gambling, it is a delicately planned process that must be done with knowledge, care, skill, and professionalism.  Equine Canada published a report in 2003, pretty much the entire sport and pleasure horse industry contributed 12 billion dollars to Canada's gross national product.  Think about value when breeding horses, have a goal, strive for keeping quality, healthy and productive horses on the market.  Focus on making sure the animals you breed are of high quality and successful and that will ensure a future for your breeding program and the breed of horse you are working with.