South Wind Equestrian Center

08/31/2026

08/30/2026

So true. Horses are autonomous beings that were not created to be ridden. They allow us to do so for the most part, but it is not their divine purpose. Give your horse a pasture, herd mates, good food and safety. That is what they need.

Recently I saw a post about a horse for sale- their owner was selling the horse because it loved being ridden, and unfortunately they didn't have time; they felt their horse deserved a home where riding could be a priority.

This could be controversial, but as a behaviourist who has spent years studying equine behaviour, who horses really are and what they really need and want to be happy- I don't think there is a horse who NEEDS to be ridden or loves being ridden so much that they need to be rehomed. Do I think horses can enjoy being ridden? Yes, if done so in line with how horses learn, and if their bodies and minds are healthy. Do I think this is something that comes as a priority to them, and that they'd miss if it wasn't present within their lives? Absolutely not.

What do horses want from us humans? Friends, forage and the freedom to be horses. The primary things in their lives are forage and friends- they're highly social animals who need to eat for many hours a day to keep their bodies and minds functioning in a healthy way. They want to be turned out as they've evolved to be, with the freedom to act out the natural repertoire of behaviours which make them a horse, and to socialise with their friends as they please. They value shelter and health care that helps them be as free from pain as possible. Sure, they enjoy a good groom, a scratch and some kind, rewarding training with us humans, and we can build strong and mutually rewarding relationships with them, which riding can be a part of. But as far as behavioural science goes, the study of who a horse really is, no horse is standing in a field wishing they were being ridden. They are quite happy to just be horses instead.

It makes me sad when I see horses being rehomed because their owners believe they love being ridden so much- many of the behaviours we mistake for enthusiasm are actually stress and discomfort if we look deeper and seek to understand the horses in front of us better. There are horses being taken from homes where they are settled and bonded to other equines, where things feel safe and familiar, because of something us humans believe to be true that sadly isn't.

07/19/2026

I think we interrupt horses too much.

Not because we're unkind.

Because we're enthusiastic.

A horse finally lies down.

We walk over.

Two horses begin quietly grooming each other.

We reach for our phone.

One horse chooses to stand beside us.

We stroke them.

A curious horse starts investigating something.

We call their name.

A horse looks toward the horizon with complete attention...

and we ask for it back.

I don't think we mean to interrupt.

We're just excited to be part of whatever beautiful thing is unfolding.

I've caught myself doing it countless times.

Then one morning, I stopped.

Eclipse was standing quietly, watching something in the distance.

I have no idea what had captured his attention.

A bird.

A squirrel.

Another horse.

The wind.

For a moment I almost walked over to see if he wanted scratches.

Instead, I stayed where I was.

He never looked at me.

He never asked for anything.

After a while, whatever had held his attention passed, and he went back to grazing.

Nothing extraordinary happened.

Except perhaps this:

For once, I didn't interrupt a moment that didn't belong to me.

The more time I spend with horses, the more I wonder if love isn't always about joining in.

Sometimes it's about quietly protecting another being's experience from our own enthusiasm.

Maybe one of the greatest gifts we can offer those we love...

is the freedom to finish their own moments.

O

If today’s post resonated with you, you’ll find much more in my book, Chosen, Not Obeyed. It’s an invitation to see horses—and perhaps yourself—through a different lens.

📖 Get your copy here: ⁠ https://a.co/d/0dPCSVyv

07/17/2026

Please don’t let that horse that gave you the best years of its life starve to death. Starving is painful. As horses grow older and they lose teeth or their teeth get ground down, it is our responsibility to soak pelleted grass for them, add some mineral salts and fat, maybe even an arthritis supplement, for as long as they want to be happy and enjoying their time on the planet. starving is painful. They do not deserve to slowly starve to death in a pasture or with a pile of hay they can’t chew.

Blunt reminder: if you are going to own animals, you need to be willing and able to make ethical decisions regarding their end of life.

I’m sure everyone has heard the saying “let them go on a good day.” I don’t know that everyone truly understands the meaning.

Letting them go on a good day means not making the 32 year old arthritic broodmare suffer through one more winter just because “she’s still happy” even though her weight is dropping and those hills are getting harder on her.

Letting them go on a good day means exhausting all options and making the call for that 9 year old with a genetic disease that’s running its course even while others argue “but he could be happy in the pasture.”

Letting them go on a good day is knowing that late twenties bonded pair needs to go together, even if one isn’t as physically ready, the mental toll will be the downfall.

We are advocates for our animals. That means being the ones to give them a voice, even when that voice is saying “it’s time for me to go.”

And bluntly, if you cannot handle making that decision, if you are so selfish you cannot see the unnecessary suffering or pain, or if you are so uneducated as to not knowing what those markers are, you do not need to own a horse.

Good or bad, young or old, babysitter or outlaw, horses die.
It is your job to give them dignity in death.

Pictured: George, one of the ones we’ve had to make the call for over the years, and while he is incredibly missed, he’s also pain-free and grazing lush green grass on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge