The Equestrian Lifestyle
By Lora Goerlich
Part I
​Our kayaks are suspended snugly in the rafters doubling as storage for the paddles and lifejackets. Two hybrid cycles are parked in the barn collecting dust. Outside, a few inches of snow cover the dormant grass, and two sets of cross-country skis are neatly placed on end by the back door, waiting… kick-glide, kick-glide. With each passing season we enjoy these low maintenance, affordable, leisure activities. But we also own two horses that we use for recreational trail riding. In stark contrast to our leisure things, our horses cannot be stowed away seasonally or on days we don’t use them. Keeping horses for recreational trail riding is not a hobby - it IS a lifestyle.
Horses Require Constant Effort
Every Day - No matter if there is rain, snow, sleet, ice, frigid temperatures, extreme heat, oppressive humidity, times of drought, flooding, or other natural disasters, horses need care 365 days a year. Providing food and water are only basic obligations. Add to that other daily, periodic, seasonal and long-term responsibilities: stall cleaning; pasture mowing; fence repair; dragging dirt turnouts and pastures (to breakdown manure); shoveling access paths to the barn and paddocks after snowfall; spreading manure; barn cleaning and maintenance; de-worming horses; ensuring horses are ready for vet, dentist and farrier visits; arranging hay and grain pickup/deliveries; cleaning water buckets/water troughs; winter barn preparation and grooming horses. Horses require adequate space to freely move without being confined by stall walls, a life that is free from abuse; grazing opportunities and perhaps a stable mate or two (or three or four… grin).​
Not all horse owners are set up to keep horses on their property, thankfully there are boarding facilities that typically encumber the brunt of chores for horse owners. Daily feeding, turnout and stall cleaning are common amenities included in the monthly fee. However, vet, farrier, dental costs, and grooming are typically not included which means that even those who pay to keep a horse have a large monetary and time commitment. Years ago, I boarded a horse. Paying someone to keep my horse made finding riding time easier. When I finally had the resources to move my horse home with me, an interesting phenomenon happened. My riding time slipped away. Seeing and having contact with my horse every day, combined with the added daily chores seemed to rearrange my priorities.
The Intangible, Knowledge – Equestrians must acquire and maintain vast amounts of knowledge including but not limited to: efficient barn and pasture layout; choosing the proper trail mount; toxic vegetation identification; what de-wormers to use when; pasture management; types and quality of hay; senior horse care; trailering; nutritional requirements; recognizing and treating common illnesses and conditions - colic, choke, founder, rain rot, mud fever, slobbers and strangles; trail riding equitation; basic first aid and vital signs; horse handling and trail etiquette. Growing your mind to include horses is never-ending. It’s a gift to our horses when we don’t stop learning, especially when we learn how to make their life and our partnership better. ​
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Fortitude – One cannot ride a horse without a resolute spirit. Courage is dynamic, and in a constant state of flux. It may elude a mother after having children and can vanish instantly after a riding or non-riding related injury. With age and maturity some experience a slow, agonizing deterioration. The loss is painful and disheartening no matter the reason. Straddling a half ton animal with a brain of its own can be unnerving when our courage ghosts us. Even the most proven horse could toss a rider after unknowingly stepping on a ground nest of yellow jackets or panic when a speedy, silent, cyclist zooms by from behind. Those who have fallen off and remounted, who have ridden after healing from an injury, who ride the young ones, the sassy ones, the unproven ones, the rehabilitated or the ones who have been rescued from abuse - YOU are the embodiment of courage and bravery.
​​Legacy - What if we lose our desire or financial means to keep horses, or we’ve been injured and can no longer ride or care for them? Hopefully there is a plan in place that will ensure our horse is cared for at a high standard without ending up in a kill pen or abuse situation. We are obligated to plan for any animal in our care, after all, they never have a choice about how they are cared for during their lifetime; they are all at the whim of humans. I’ve never thought twice about what happens to my hobby items when I’m no longer interested or capable of using them or they have broken beyond usability. Sell, donate, give them away, set them by the road hoping someone takes them, store them for 50 years until it’s they are antiques. I have no sentimental feelings about my hobby items.
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Decision Making, Letting Go – We must make life and death decisions for our horses because often they do not die naturally, on their own. We are solely responsible for guaranteeing our horse(s) live a quality, pain-free life - we must make end of life decisions. Our last obligation and last act of kindness must be efficient and humane… Continue Reading Part II
