There have been many cold, frosty nights at Sweet Pepper Ranch lately, but thankfully, there have also been many bright, sunny days to balance it out. The weather has kept us busy riding horses and working on winter preparedness projects like the ones in this month’s article, Fall Tips for Wrangling Winter Woes. I’ve also had several opportunities to learn how to improve resources offered through Horses for Clean Water, as well as my personal horsemanship skills.
Over the past twenty plus years, I’ve made a career of teaching best management practices (BMPs) for land managers. Last month, I was able to attend the Best Horse Practices Summit, which aimed to “[bring] together the best of equine research and sound horsemanship.” This innovative, groundbreaking event was set against the stunning backdrop of fall colors in the backcountry of Maine.
As a presenter at this event, I joined a lineup of impressively credentialed speakers. I used my time to provide hope and insight for choosing ways to manage horses that create healthy spaces for our horses, our neighborhoods, the ecosystem, and ourselves.
From other presenters, I learned the science behind how horses learn, including understanding the licking and chewing behaviors. Neuroscientist Dr. Steve Peters began studying horses via empirical data gathered from a colt starter friend. Peters’ premise is that if we understand the neural underpinning of how a horse thinks, we and our horses can better understand each other. Top selling equine author and dressage instructor Jec Ballou offered exercises and training tips that any horse person can apply to any horse in any discipline to bring about measurable progress, avoiding boredom and confusion. We also toured Compassionate Composting, a facility that uses composting as an option for disposal of horse carcasses (more on this in another newsletter).
In a perfect summation of this inspiring and educational event, organizer Maddy Butcher said:
“When we’re okay with being wrong, we become better listeners. We become more humble and open-minded. We get better at looking out at the world as well as looking in, to see our own biases and blind spots. When we acknowledge our unknowns and possible missteps, we not only learn more about horsemanship, we get to know ourselves better.”
I would encourage everyone to put the Best Horse Practices Summit on their radar for 2020.
Another BMP I often teach is firewise management. Last month, I also traveled to south Puget Sound for a training on wildfire assessment for rural properties. Interestingly, research and observation has changed our understanding of how home ignition happens during wildfire. We have learned that wildfires are ecologically important and fire suppression is not the answer to controlling them. A fire should be able to pass through the area and not cause a problem—if we have made our homes and barns less susceptible to intrusion by fire brands, the sparks carried by winds that ignite flammables near or on your home, eventually catching the whole structure on fire. I am eager to add these important new techniques to the education Horses for Clean Water offers on wildfire preparedness for horse owners.
Just weeks after the conclusion of my wildfire training, we sadly and soberly watched as wildfires raged in California. It’s particularly heartbreaking to watch videos of horses fleeing from flames, plastic fencing smoldering and barns burning to the ground while owners, neighbors, and generous souls attempt to rescue horses and other animals.
Those of us who live out West can’t afford to stand by and watch California burn, assuming this will only happen to California. What’s happening there is a result of several factors, many of which can and will be repeated in other parts of the world—particularly in the arid American West. We each have a responsibility to ourselves and our animals to learn and do what we can to reduce our risks.
Horses for Clean Water can help. We have a simple yet concise class on this topic, and a new online module will be available in early spring 2020. I am also available as a speaker to present on Firewise for Horse Owners, and the Horses for Clean Water website has free Firewise resource materials.
Just as fall is the time to prepare for an easier winter, it is also an excellent time to invest in our own learning and improve our ability to better care for our horses and properties. We have a great lineup of classes and workshops in the near future, and I look forward to being a resource for you. See you down the trail!
Alayne
