I have been hearing an advert on Visionfm for Rural Aid recently and was curious. A little bit of research indicated that there are half a dozen linked websites that help out in this area. Their aim is to provide aid to rural properties and also the people in need who run them. This could be done in the form of providing Christmas Hampers for struggling families or supplying bales of hay for stock in a drought. And I got to thinking – why not a horse aid setup?

Definitely farmers find themselves at the mercy of the elements. A drought or flood can greatly impact the success of a crop or stock. And this in turn affects the ability to bring in income to support the family – and the business.

Horse Aid Initiatives

Well the same can be said for horse properties. I’m not sure if there is already something out there, but I love the idea of a business or organisation that is set up to help horse properties, specifically – horse aid. Whether it’s to help businesses gain funding for horse care, or maybe to provide horse feed in times of drought, this is necessary at times. Or perhaps emergency transport can be provided to help move horses in times of fire. Rescue of horses or sources of food could also be provided in times of flood.

I am sure that there are many ways in which horse businesses can be assisted in times of need. Although many people own horses for pleasure, many also do it for business. The racing industry in Australia is one of the top employers across the country – to have a horse aid setup to help horse businesses survive in times of trouble would greatly benefit many.

I am also sure that many people would be interested in helping such an initiative. Perhaps through donating funds or maybe through volunteering their time and skills to assist horse properties and businesses. Or maybe even through helping to spread the word about horses in need so others can assist. Horse aid – would you be interested in setting up such an initiative?

On a side note, if the idea of rural aid interests you, there are volunteering opportunities as well as the chance to donate.

I love reading horse books that give me ideas about other horse ventures people are participating in. I have been able to learn about a third horse business idea through Jenifer Morrissey’s book, the Partnered Pony. This time the focus was on the Horseman’s Jingle by Jerry Williams.

Now to me, a jingle is a little song that you might hear, advertising a product. But according to Jerry’s website, it indicates:

Taken from the great basin term, jingle, for gathering horses, The Horseman’s Jingle is the place where aspiring horsemen gather to learn, encourage, and support one another.

I love this idea! There is so much that we can learn from each other. We can also help others to be accountable for their actions, their words and even their aspirations. As Jenifer points out in her book:

Horseman’s Jingle founder Jerry Williams suggests that sometimes it’s better to invest a little time in ourselves because in the end we’ll be better partners for our equines. He emphasizes that 80% of success is mental; it isn’t always about ‘doing.’

Jerry promotes himself on his site as a mindset and communication strategist. I love that he uses horses to do this! He aptly says, ‘Everything starts with a thought… Make it count.’ We definitely need to hold our thoughts captive and make sure they’re positive and proactive. Interested in knowing more about what Jerry does? You can check out his website.

Focusing on the philosophy of true horsemanship developing from the inside of a person, out, the website boasts online courses, MasterClass clinics as well as private and group coaching. It is set up to help people stay on track (focused), to encourage them to develop new skills and to build upon what is already known.

“Horses are calmer than people. They also don’t throw things at cats.” ― Tamora Pierce

I love finding organisations that are horse focused. If it’s a ministry that reaches out to people, it’s even more appealing to me! This is the case for Spark of Hope, located in the Melbourne area, Australia.

Spark of Hope exists to provide hope in a world that at times, for some, seems devoid of it. Spark of Hope seeks to bring together both people and horses and explore the different ways that we, humans, can learn from the horse.

Using body language and understanding how horses communicate, Spark of Hope is able to make use of horses to teach people. They can learn how to overcome fears, develop healthy attitudes and also view the world differently. As it says on the Spark of Hope website, “all it takes is a single spark to change a life…”

One of the founders of this organisation – Anna – has long held a vision for this organisation. She hoped to one day be able to see horses being used to help people. Through using horses, it was hoped that people would better understand themselves – and also better appreciate the gorgeous equine animal.

Spark of Hope

Spark of Hope has some incredible purposes. One, to provide a home for horses that are considered at risk. This could be due to poor living conditions or neglect or not being deemed useful to their owners anymore. Secondly, they aim to create an equine based learning program.  It will help young people and adults emotionally, socially and spiritually, having a positive impact on their mental health.

On top of this, they aim to provide a respite environment for those who need rest and restoration and increase awareness regarding the importance of animal welfare. If any of these values – or all of them! – appeal to you, then you may like to read a little more about this organisation on their website.

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I have touched on horse applications before as a potential equine passive income stream.  I’ve just recently connected with someone on LinkedIn who is involved in Equimark.  This is an application that can be used to register equine markings of your horse.

Equimark has developed an App for all horse breeds that require markings to be recorded for registration and passport purposes. All Equine bodies may have their own specific forms added to the App for use by their members. Forms are digitally completed and mailed direct from the App to chosen email recipient/s. Currently, forms listed under South Africa are already active.

What I love about their website is that along with links on being able to purchase the application, you can also find out about:

• varying horse markings and their descriptions
• various methods of identification and the advantages and disadvantages of each
• a colour guide to help people identify what colour their horse is
• a labelled image to help with points of the horse

I am sure there are instances when people register their horses, but the forms are filled out incorrectly.  The above information on this site will help to avoid some of the more common errors when filling out forms.

According to their website, advantages of using the Equimark App include:

Equine identification forms are digitally presented
Forms are uniform and easily edited
Environmentally friendly reducing paper wastage
Accessible any time from any Country
Less time consuming

This sounds like a great application that so many people will benefit from and also be able to use!  It’s a good example of creating an app that will be utilised by many.  Be sure to check it out with the above link.

“I had been riding horses before my memory kicked in, so my life with horses had no beginning. It simply appeared from the fog of infancy. I survived a difficult childhood by traveling on the backs of horses, and in adulthood the pattern didn’t change.” ― Monty Roberts