A Different Way of Looking at Horse Welfare

It wasn’t so long ago that there seemed to be a huge number of “save the horses” type organisations popping up all over social media.

On the surface, many seemed completely legitimate. We saw photographs of the horses they had saved, heard their stories and, of course, sometimes there was that heart breaking story that pulled at the heartstrings and made us want to help.

And many of the people behind these organisations undoubtedly started with the very best of intentions.

But good intentions alone don’t necessarily make something sustainable.

One of the problems we saw was organisations taking in more and more horses without necessarily having a strong plan for rehabilitation and rehoming. Before long, the number of horses grew, the financial commitment grew, the workload became enormous and volunteers who had initially been incredibly enthusiastic could no longer maintain that level of commitment.

Eventually, some of these organisations disappeared.

And what happened to all those horses?

To tell you the truth, I don't know — and I would hate to speculate about something as serious as that.

Thankfully, there are also organisations that have stood the test of time, and I think there is a lot we can learn from why they have survived.

There is one organisation in South Australia doing some wonderful work assessing, retraining and rehoming Standardbreds. I personally know someone who adopted through them and she couldn't have been happier with either the horse or the support she received.

But there is another important part to that story.

She was realistic.

She understood that bringing a horse into a new home doesn't mean that six weeks later everything will magically be perfect.

A horse may need time to decompress, settle into a completely different environment, learn a new routine, build trust and understand what is now expected of them. Sometimes progress comes quickly and sometimes it doesn't.

Understanding that before you start is half the battle.

The other organisation I particularly wanted to talk about is Project Hope Horse Welfare Victoria, and in the interests of complete transparency, I am a member of this organisation.

What I love about their approach is something that may sound a little backwards at first:

Sometimes the best way to rescue the horse is to help the owner.

Rather than automatically assuming that removing a horse is the answer, Project Hope works with horse owners to identify what has gone wrong and what support could help them get back on track.

And sometimes the problem isn't that someone doesn't love their horse.

Life happens.

People can find themselves overwhelmed. Their circumstances change. They may not have the knowledge they need. They might be struggling to find reliable services or simply not know where to turn for help.

So the solution might be helping them connect with a reliable local farrier who will come regularly.

It might be getting a nutritionist involved to help them understand what and how much their horse should be eating.

It might be helping them access hay or other resources.

Sometimes it can be something as simple as practical assistance with caring for the horse while the owner gets themselves back on their feet.

Instead of immediately saying, "You can't do this, we'll take the horse," the question becomes:

"What do you need so that you CAN do this?"

And I think that is incredibly powerful.

Taking a horse away can certainly be necessary in serious welfare situations, and there will always be circumstances where intervention is unavoidable.

But removing the horse doesn't necessarily address what led to the situation in the first place.

If someone hasn't been given the knowledge, resources or support to understand what went wrong, what prevents the same situation happening again with another horse?

That is where I think Project Hope has cracked a pretty remarkable code.

Help people become better horse owners rather than simply judging them for getting into trouble.

Because many people who find themselves struggling don't actually want to lose their beloved horse. Quite the opposite.

They may be frightened that is exactly what is going to happen.

Having someone arrive who is willing to listen, assess the situation and say, "Okay, let's work out how we can get you and your horse through this" can completely change the outcome.

And ultimately, isn't the horse remaining safely and happily with an owner who now has better knowledge and support a pretty wonderful result?

Perhaps this philosophy resonates so strongly with me because it is something I believe in within my own work.

I don't want people to be completely dependent on me.

When I work with your horse, I want you to understand what I am finding. I want to share my thought process with you. I want you to understand what you can do between sessions and recognise some of the little signs your horse may be giving you.

Knowledge gives people confidence.

And confident, educated owners are better equipped to advocate for their animals.

Project Hope takes that concept and applies it to horse welfare on a much larger scale.

Instead of rescuing a horse from a person, sometimes they are effectively rescuing the partnership between the horse and the person.

I think there is something very special about that.

And perhaps that is part of the reason Project Hope Horse Welfare Victoria is celebrating an incredible 50 years.

In an area where we have unfortunately seen many organisations come and go, fifty years tells you that something about the model works.

Horse welfare doesn't always have to begin with taking a horse away.

Sometimes it begins with turning up, listening and asking:

"How can we help you do better for your horse?"

And sometimes that little bit of help is exactly what saves them both.