Equus Education

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Inglis Equine Art Prize

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I’ve been very slack of late and promise I have quite a few posts to get up here – it’s just a question of doing so!

One that may be of interest to fellow Australian’s (and those from around the world who aren’t familiar with Inglis may want to check out the entry form)  who are artists may be Inglis’ Equine Art Prize.  Commencing in 2011, the competition focuses on depicting the Thoroughbred industry – be that the horses, stables or people involved.

Open to anyone from any country, this competition is a great way to have the winner’s equine works on display to a large part of the Thoroughbred industry in Australia.

The Inglis Equine Art Prize will be exhibited at locations in Sydney and Scone, New South Wales and Melbourne, Victoria.  Perhaps you’re an accomplished equine artist or maybe you’re just starting out.  Either way, why not check out this competition and it’s guidelines to see if it’d be worth entering.

“Amazingly fast, incredibly strong, tirelessly proud, fantastically gentle, he is a huge dark beast that touches the hearts of all who meet him.” – Anna Sewell

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Equine Land Management

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I’ve had an awesome day today at a free Jane Myers event put on by the ever kind, Melbourne Water.  Did you know that they help with funding for those wanting to protect waterways on their property within a certain area?

The day was focused around horse property management and directed at those that own land in the Cardinia area that has water frontage.  Now, arguably I fit neither of those criteria, but it was free, around the corner from mum and dad’s and I didn’t want to miss out!

I’m very much glad that I didn’t miss the day – it afforded the chance to learn so many practical ways to improve a property and make use of it’s strengths while turning the weaknesses into positives, also.  As Robert Kiyosaki says, “your greatest assests are your mind and your time.”  Today was definitely a good investment for both areas.

Managing Horses on Small Properties, Jane MyersFor those of you not familiar with Jane or Stuart Myers, do yourself a favour and take a look at their Equiculture website.   The site is focused around being responsible horse owners and how taking a little effort to look after a property will result in the property looking after your horses.

Although in Australia, they do travel around, both being from the UK originally and their ideas can be applicable to many horse owners and horse property owners.

I think I have a half dozen ideas for new articles on account of today!  For those interested in this topic, Managing Horses on Small Properties by Jane Myers would be worth the investment.

Horses comment on a car -“150 horsepower, big deal. I’d be impressed if it ran on hay.”

tag: , property management, equine nutrition, pasture maintenance, pasture management, Jane Myers

Horsey Cards to Clients for Christmas

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So I’ve recently stumbled across Send Out Cards, shortly after reading Jordan Adler’s Beach Money.  Initially the appeal was finding out how to build up a residual income – who wouldn’t want one?

But it’s since occurred to me the value of having online the opportunity to send out cards as you think to do so.  People often have the thought but lack the follow through.  Having a system set up online to be able to send out cards to a person or persons as you’re thinking of it is definitely the way to go.

But how does this relate to horses?  A lot of equine businesses send out cards to their clients for Christmas and New Years.  If they really get into it, they may even make sure the card has a horsey feel or even a photo of one of their own stallions, performance horses, a foal or the property.

Send Out Cards allows this, meaning that business owners can truly personalise cards in a cost effective manner (less than $1.50 USD to create, print and post the card) and set up databases that result in cards being sent by the click of a mouse.  Think of the possibilities:

  • Sending horsey Christmas/New Years cards to clients
  • Sending out a postcard with a photo of a client’s newborn foal to congratulate them on the safe arrival of their filly or colt
  • Sending out a card with a photo to mare owners of your stallion who has won at a recent show – add to the card a message reminding them about the upcoming breeding season
  • Send a gorgeous horse related card to a friend that you’re thinking of who also loves equines

There are many possibilities and of course the cards aren’t limited to equine enthusiasts.  It is no surprise however that this is where my mind goes.  Perhaps you’d like to take a closer look and even send a few cards for free to test it out…  Further information on Send Out Cards and it’s use can be found in an article I’ve written.

“You know you’re a horse person when… your mother, who has no grandchildren, gets cards addressed to Grandma, signed by the horses and dogs.”

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Equine Assisted Learning

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I took a trip down the coast with a mate from Sydney not too long ago with the main focus being to stop in at Free Rein Australia, a place that offers Equine Assisted Learning/Psychotherapy.

We stopped in for a chat on account of my curious mate researching this field with the view to enter it.  Of course, being something horsey, a business and completely foreign to me, I was up for joining in on the road trip.  The hour and a half or so there gave us the opportunity to see some gorgeous gardens, a lovely property and two people passionate about their horses and fairly recent career change.

Established in 2005, Free Rein Australia utilises horses to help people learn about themselves and their capabilities to work as a team based on how they interact with others.  Loosely based around EGALA, Cindy Jacobs informed us there were others nearby that utilised similar methods to work in a niche area, for example with troubled teams, victims of abuse and other people able to be helped by working with horses.  This far from exhausts possibilities.

For those interested in defining an area within this line of work and developing a focus and niche, Cindy Jacobs recommended reading Walking the Way of the Horse by Leif Hallberg. Not the be all and end all by any means, this book is a good eye opener for those considering therapy with horses.

For those keen, consider:

“A dog looks up to a man, a cat looks down on a man, but a patient horse looks a man in the eye and sees him as an equal.”

Tag: , , , , occupational therapy, Cindy Jacobs

Water and Horses

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Today is Blog Action Day; this year’s topic being Water.  Blog Action Day is an initiative to raise awareness on topics that are important globally.  Consider taking the time to sign the petition with regards to providing water to those in need.

Water is very much a relevant topic to horse owners.  An important source that isn’t inexhaustible, being water wise with regards to one’s property is a wonderful skill to have and something to strive toward.

There are many ways you can take advantage of water on your property and try to get the most out of it.  Some include:

  • planting treesin windbreaks that are drought tolerant
    • using trees along fence lines can also help to stop soil erosion from water running down the property
  • establish dams in areas where rain is known to travel down to
  • establish dams or other large water areas on the property where northerly winds can travel across them first and then the rest of the property
    • this will assist in cooling down the breeze as it continues across the property
  • make use of water run off or opportunities to collect wasted water
    • whether this is from gutters, water from the washing machine after washing horse rugs or excess water in the shower, this water can be used on plants on the property that provide fodder, shade and wind breaks

Water is such a vital resource that can’t afford to be wasted.  Consider how you can maximise it on your property.
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Last year Blog Action Day focused on Climate Change – check out the Equus post ‘Climate Change Effects for Horse Owners’

“You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.”

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About Equus Education

You will find equine careers profiled on this blog and people interviewed who are making a career in the horse industry.  Equus Education aims to show others that horses can indeed be a sustainable career.

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