A lifetime with horses makes you aware of them each as an individual. Running a Sanctuary for horses drives that awareness into your very soul. We talk and teach about the “well of experiences” that shapes each horse (and human). Their experiences shape their expectations and responses (sometimes reactions).
A Sanctuary or Rescue rarely has the benefit of knowing an equine’s background. Things can be extrapolated from behaviors and condition, but really knowing can be a guessing game. You learn how to listen to the horses!
Even when you know some details (starved twice before the age of 3; abandoned in the desert; ridden until the back or legs gave out), it’s only a starting point in the journey to understanding. All horses come with baggage, just like we do. We must bend our methods and accommodations to suit each individual, rather than expecting them to acclimate to our expectations.
And you don’t have to be running a sanctuary to need this flexibility, all horses require our compassion and awareness of their point of view. It takes time to figure out the nuances of an equine’s perspective and needs. Horses are masters at hiding their vulnerabilities because, in a natural or wild state, being vulnerable can mean death. And while they all have the basic requirements of forage, friends and freedom (movement), some horses cannot function in a herd… some cannot function without a herd! Bonded pairs need each other for emotional health. Young horses need play for their physical health. Elder horses need movement to stay sound. Mares know when to wean their foals and newly gelded males need time to adjust to their new bodies. It’s dynamic. Providing for the individual needs of an equine is both art and skill, gleaned from experience and observation.
We have a bonded pair of elder Thoroughbred siblings here. They have lived together their entire, long lives. They also need to be in motion to keep them sound as each has had injuries that, if left to just stand around, will overcome them. We have a young mare whose double starvations as a filly have caused her metabolism to store every calorie consumed as fat now. Her body needs exercise and high fiber, low sugar/fat feed to keep her safe. We have a feral mule (older than we had expected) from a hoarding situation whose fear of being touched by a human is overpowering for her. None of these equines can be cared for in the same fashion as the others.
I think horses are also masters of resiliency. They can face abuse, neglect, confusion and illness yet rise to forgive humans and heal and go on, trying to figure us out as best they can. So, our stewardship, our husbandry must be customized to not only the population in our care, but to each member as an individual. That is the measure of our compassion.
Stablewomen 