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 1. Take an Advocacy Role. Support equine stewardship, discourage thoughtless human behaviour and neglect. Take an advocacy role and write your government representatives to encourage stronger legislation for horse abusers; find out what defines a criminal offence according to the law and report it to local authorities if you see it happening in your community. Speak, write, tweet, blog and encourage dialogue for what is right.
I am a teacher. I teach about nature with the hope that every child who has a wonderful experience in nature will respect, enjoy, and value it. I hope that one day my students will teach others to do the same . . . and so on. People who know the value of nature, work to make sure that wilderness on our planet will stay that way. They know that natural ecosystems help sustain our human race and our culture. It must be protected for this as well as its intrinsic beauty. Millions of people are working towards this cause all over the world, in spite of it being an insurmountable task. One could quite easily give up, especially considering current events and the scale of the issues.
Encouraging stewardship of our equines is an easier task. I believe many horse enthusiasts are mindful, respectful and caring of their equine partners; they are equine stewards. I also believe that many horsemen take the time to care for their equine partners right till their end. However, there is still work to be done. Even equestrian federations advocate to support horse slaughter, because they believe the "borderline" horse owner would choose that if the other option was neglect. Frankly, I am an advocate for encouraging equine stewardship, the very best care and understanding of our horses. The "borderliners", well, I hope to help them understand that they must care for the animals they are responsible for right to the end, and I advocate that neglecters should receive adequate punishment through the law.
Equine stewards need to help our representative organizations, like our provincial equestrian federations know that we need to strive for the highest level of care and stewardship for our horses, and people need to know what that is. Thinking that horse slaughter is a "good service" and a kind end is misguided and does not qualify as stewardship.
Becoming an advocate for equine stewardship and stewardship of the land draw from the same mind. I find strength from the power of one ideology. We can all make a difference, one person at a time. We can all act professionally and compassionately and be the stewards our equine partners need us to be. We can all teach, inspire and encourage others to make a difference. All of us, acting individually act together. We can take the time to make the right choices, take the extra time to do a good job of placing our horses in true homes, follow up, do our due diligence and prevent problems in the first place.
Equine stewardship is demonstrated when we strive to excel in sport, care, communication, and demonstrate scientific and artistic thinking as equestrians - that is how we make connections with horses, develop partnerships, provide the leadership, direct the herd. Lets use these skills to improve our industry - encourage stewardship, make change.
