At times I wonder if we didn’t have the joys of the internet, if some setups would be so easy to initiate and promote. Heather Mitchell-Matheson is the Alberta Stables Initiative Coordinator. This initiative is a great idea!

“The goal of the Alberta Stables Initiative is to create a professional association for stable owners and managers. This initiative will improve and increase the public profile and awareness of the stable industry in Alberta, build a network of stables, provide educational opportunities to industry members, inform and educate government and the public on the stable industry, increase accessibility for those choosing horses as their leisure activity and, most importantly, create a common voice for Alberta stables.”

For an area that recognises the challenges urban living places on keeping horses, this setup is a great idea. It allows people to research different equine housing possibilities within the area of Alberta, Canada. It is a collaborative project of three different setups. These include the Horse Industry Association of Alberta, the Alberta Equestrian Federation and also the Horse Industry Section of Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development.

Alberta Stables Initiative

The mission statement of the Alberta Stables Initiative is:

“To strengthen Alberta’s commercial stables by promoting safety, animal welfare and sound business practices as well as providing support, education and marketing opportunities for the stable industry.”

There are many great associations and federations set up for horses and their owners and carers. It’s great to see however that other initiatives are created collaboratively to fill a gap or meet a need. Would something like this be of benefit to where you live?

“When I bestride him, I soar, I am a hawk: he trots the air; the earth sings when he touches it; the basest horn of his hoof is more musical than the pipe of Hermes.” ― William Shakespeare

I had a baby on August first of this year. The date was a joy to my husband and I! For him, because the birthday 1/8/18 was appealing. For me because August 1 is the thoroughbred’s birthday here in Australia – cool, huh? With a new child came some gifts from various members of our church congregation. One couple provided a gift in a reusable Boomerang Bag. I loved the concept of this and thought, why not reusable bags with a horse theme?

The idea with these reusable bags is that you use them instead of plastic bags. Or alternatively, you gift them to someone else to use. According to the flyer included in the pocket of the Boomerang Bag we were given:

“In the span of its lifetime, one re-usable shopping bag will replace over 700 plastic bags.”

And what is the benefit of this? Using one of these bags instead of a plastic bag will help to:

• protect wildlife
• keep waterways and oceans clean
• reduce reliance on fossil fuels

Reusable Bags with a Horse Theme

Sustainability and eco friendliness is growing in importance in today’s society. Anyone could be encouraged to utilise reusable bags, but why not some bags that cater to the horse enthusiasts? These bags could have gorgeous horse images on them, horse quotes or even horse related gear printed on them. And of course, the website where you can order more bags could be included, too!

On a slightly different take on this, perhaps you could set up an online store to sell eco friendly horse related products. Others could design and create them and you could provide an avenue to sell them from. Did you know about the sustainable rocking horse?