Don’t Sacrifice tomorrow

Many of the rescues that have come into our program have come with degenerative disorders. When we have a horse like this we really have to make decisions and cost/benefit analysis all the time of what we do with them.

We know that everything we ask of our horses, every movement, every physical action, is borrowing from their future soundness and comfort. So, we need to weigh each action we ask them to do - is this improving their quality of life? Does this bring them joy? If this shortens their TIME with us, does it make their time Better?

But the reality is, this is something we need to consider with EVERY horse. While the situation is less dire and we don't have to weigh every action with such extreme cost, we do need to put the same thought into what we're asking them. Some people say the phrase "a horse has a limited number of jumps in them, don't waste them". What they mean by this is that when we ask our horse to do an extreme skill, it takes a toll on the body, just like any athlete. This borrows from their future soundness and ultimately shortens their life. If we jump them more than their body has the means to repair from, we are taking time off the other end of their life.

Every movement causes damage, damage repairs with time, rest, nutrition, and health. When the horse is young and growing, we need to take special care to allow them to mature as healthy as possible, without putting further strain on their development. As the body ages or becomes compromised by anything, the ability to repair from these damages is reduced. So, asking their body to perform extreme acts repetitively, will cause damages they aren't able to repair from. We used jumping as an example here, but it's not just big jumps, it's any extreme athletic skill, anything done repetitively or to an extreme that goes above the body's natural ability to handle and recover from, either because they are young or old or compromised OR simply because we are asking too much too often. Just because they can, doesn't mean they should. Just because they will do these things for us, they do so without knowing what it is costing them in the future.

Many horses LOVE to sport, because they were bred for it, but just like a child who loves to play sports - it's our job as a parent/guardian, to make sure they do so in a way that is safe and appropriate for their age, size, fitness level, and current ability. Without putting their future at risk. Being the fastest, strongest, biggest, highest jumper, fanciest mover, whatever, doesn't matter if it means you'll be sacrificing your ability to thrive later in life.

We need to balance our horse's training goals, with their healthy longevity and quality of life. When we decide what to do with our horses rather than thinking about "will this help us win?" or "how can we make it bigger, better, higher, faster, stronger". Don't focus on what will earn the next ribbon when it's compromising their future. If today's extreme athletics creates tomorrow's suffering, it's never worth it.

Think instead "how does this benefit my horse's wellbeing, fun, and natural ability?" It doesn't mean don't do athletics, it means choose what to do, how much to do it, and when to change things up, based on how they complement and support your horse's physical and emotional self.