Everything Horses and Livestock® Magazine Feb 2020 Vol 5 Issue 1

Everything Horses and Livestock Magazine ®

Horses as Ambassadors By Erin Glassman

If you’re here at Equifest, chances are you either have a horse or are maybe a little horse-crazy like the majority of attendees at this event. We won’t count the spouses that are just here because they got dragged along, but hey, thank you all for putting up with the lot of us! If we all meet this criteria of equine eccentrics or wannabes or what have you, well, I guess you can say we are all pretty lucky. Horses are probably hands down some of the most amazing creatures on the planet. We are especially lucky to be able to have contact with them in some way--they are giving, gracious, caring beings that if given proper care and approach return the investment at least a hundred fold by being our mirrors, friends, counselors, adventure mates and beyond if we let them. There are people out there, though, that have never been around horses, livestock, pets or critters. Some choose that kind of life; others don’t have that choice and maybe don’t even know any different. These people live in the exact same world we do and most likely those of us horsey types are in daily contact with them, although not necessarily while we have our horses with us.

A sad trend I see with those that don’t have contact with the livestock world is a lack of knowledge of how to act around animals, or even why some of them are around. Technology, computers, internet, gaming have replaced interaction with people and created enough distraction to draw people away from live beings. Technology also throws disconnects between us horsey types through bad social media interactions; we’ve all seen the posts on Facebook etc that create splits between strangers, groups and worse yet historically good friends. We’ve all probably even seen videos posted out there that are chock full of false information but spread like wildfire due to lack of fact checking and some extreme views out there. Across the nation, we are also seeing previously agricultural type land being taken up by development, rezoned for homes or commercial development or other uses and horses being shut out of previously friendly areas such as trails or roads; all of these issues threaten our ability to enjoy our equine lifestyle.

that it’s becoming a smaller world for us cowboys, cowgirls, equestrians etc; and that’s not a good trend for us. How do we reverse the trend? All of us, as I mentioned earlier, have interaction with people on at least a daily basis with others who may not have awareness, fondness or interest in our ways. We have opportunity to help educate, help promote and help befriend those people in our lives and maybe create a better acceptance and knowledge of horses. I think there are some big ways we can do this. One way is to engage youth and the public. Do you have the ability to host 4-H groups, Girl/Boy Scout groups and talk about your horses? Some kids have never seen a horse, let alone pet one or interact. If we can get more kids and parents involved in horse activities. If you’re out on the trail and a family is walking by, let the kids pet your horse with your guidance (if your horse tolerates being around new people). Ask if the biker or hiker has any questions about horses and if you’re a trail riding enthusiast, consider joining in with Back Country Horsemen of Kansas to help promote a positive image of horse owners

What I’m getting to here is

23 Everything Horses and Livestock® | February 2020 | EHALmagazine.com