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