Community.

NEWSLETTER Volume 3, Number 5, May 2006

One of the things that I appreciate most about being in the horse world is the sense of community that I feel. My husband Steve regularly points out that horsewomen (and men) are always quick to help each other out. Sometimes I take this for granted, and I’m glad for Steve’s reminders. I know that this is not the case for all horsepeople, but it does seem to be common. Just a quick reflection on the past few months makes me feel very grateful for the support system I find myself a part of. Here’s a partial list:

When a mare has trouble foaling in the middle of an unseasonably cold night, a more experienced horsewoman than her owner is there helping out and making the job easier for the veterinarian when he does arrive.

Someone runs out of immune stimulating supplements, a friend brings some over that day before the horse's respiratory infection has a chance to manifest itself.

A friend is moving from a farm she has lived in for over twenty years. Her new property doesn't have paddocks or fenced pastures. She knows it will take a couple of months or so to get the new farm set up and safe for her herd of three horses, so another friend takes them in without a pause.

There's a necessary trip to Washington State University’s veterinary teaching hospital – a challenging journey under any circumstances. Need help with your horse, a second set of ears, a trailer ride, moral support? You’ve got it.

Personally speaking, last fall when Bob got sick with “pigeon fever” I was out of town at a training seminar, so a friend drove 50 miles each day to hot pack my horse’s abdominal area with Epsom salts to relieve his pain and facilitate drainage.

A new horse proves to be more of a challenge than her owner expected her to be, and was prepared for, offers of help and training are made and followed up on - quickly.

A good horse is for sale and word quickly spreads so that he finds an excellent new home.

Lessons on how to administer shots are generously given.

Big name trainers come to the area, complimentary tickets are promptly shared, carpools organized, and a road trip is organized.

A rider takes a bad fall and needs to regain her confidence, so a steady, experienced horse is offered to help through the difficult times.

You need a trail-riding buddy to babysit your green horse. No problem!

Saddles are offered for trial use when someone needs a new one for a hard to fit horse.

There is a horse-related tragedy, and there is a shoulder to cry on.

I could go on and on, but you get the idea? If you are open to it, there is a community of horsewomen and men out there, and it is a tight, supportive community. There are unwritten rules of this community and occasionally someone will show the kind of lack of support that inevitably marginalizes them from the community, but in my experience that doesn’t happen often. I know this kind of support is not unique to the horse world, but there is something about the bond between humans and horses that seems to foster community building. The old expression about “the outside of a horse is good for the inside of a man (or woman)” does seem to hold true, but that is too simple an explanation. Linda Kohanov has written at length about the ways in which people have become awakened to the spiritual presence of horses. Horses, she tells us, “are true reflections of our deepest souls.” Perhaps it is this that helps us to bond not just with our horses, but also with like-minded souls who share a deep connection to these wonderful animals. Horses pick up on our incongruent emotional messages, on our subtle behavioral nuances, and on our needs. Horses demand honesty, responsibility, and leadership, and those practices can spill over in to our dealings with people too. Horses can, if we let them, make us better members of our own species.

Anna Banks, Editor womentalkhorses.com
editor@womentalkhorses.com
Moon Hill Ranch, Idaho