NHM YHS Equine Initative Article

NATURAL HORSE Magazine www.naturalhorse.com

Lisa: Before we get into the details of the YHS Equine Initiative project, please tell me a bit about the YHS No-Kill Ethic for the dog and cat portion of the organization.

Ed: The “No-Kill Ethic” was introduced in July 2010. More than a policy and statistical objective, “no-kill” is a principle, an ethic, and once applied the practical consequences immediately began to fall into place. The principle is that YHS will apply the same criteria for deciding a homeless animal’s fate that a pet guardian or conscientious veterinarian would apply to a beloved pet. That is, healthy and treatable animals are not

With so many abused, neglected, and abandoned

equines needing help, new rescue organizations

are always welcome. i am very excited to intro-

duce the new Equine initiative program through the Yavapai

Humane society in arizona.

Following is an interview conducted with Ed Boks,

Executive director of the Yavapai Humane society, and

Nina Ekholm Fry, the YHs Equine Program director.

To The Rescue

Yavapai Humane Society executive director Ed Boks and Equine Initiative director Nina Ekholm Fry unveil innovative equine rescue model to community leaders and horse lovers at the Helping Our Horses event in Prescott, Arizona on October 24, 2015.

YavaPaiHumaNE sociEtYEquiNE iNitiativE:

An Integrated Approach to Helping Horsesby Lisa Ross-Williams with Ed Boks and Nina Ekholm Fry

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killed simply because we lack the resources to care for them.

Killing animals for lack of resources may be quick, convenient and, at least from afar, the easy thing to do. But I have never, in over 30 years in this field, heard anyone argue that it is the right thing to do. After all, the creatures who fill our shelters can hardly be faulted for bringing trouble upon themselves. People who seek to excuse euthanasia in shelters often say we have to be “realistic.” But at YHS we believe such realism is best directed at the sources of the problem and at the element of human responsibility.

Since embracing our no-kill ethic we have reduced the killing by 96 percent, effectively eliminating killing as a method for control-ling pet overpopulation in our community.

Lisa: Why did the YHS decide to look into starting an equine rescue, rehabilitation, and adoption program?

Ed: YHS launched this equine effort in response to recurring reports that our community struggles to find safe places for abandoned and neglected equines. Tragi-cally, the absence of a community program often requires these animals, with remaining quality of life, to be taken to slaughter.

As humane societies go, YHS was unusual in that we only addressed the needs of dogs and cats. For years the YHS Board of Directors was preparing to enlarge our circle of compassion to include other species. So, when the prospect to include equines in our mission presented itself in December 2014, the YHS Board stepped up and seized the opportunity. In the future we hope to contin-ue to expand our mission to include wildlife and farm animal rescue and rehabilitation.

Lisa: I understand YHS purchased an equine property in Chino Valley, Arizona. Tell us a bit about that.

Ed: As I mentioned, YHS was perpetually disheartened when we were unable to assist in the safe relocation of equines with remaining quality of life. In December 2014 we were notified that 7.3 acres in Chino Valley equipped with equine facilities was about to go on the market. We had recently received an estate gift restricted to “improv-ing or increasing care facilities for animals.” This timely gift enabled us to purchase the property outright and significantly below market value. It truly felt as though it was

meant to be. But we never felt we could do this without community support, and we truly appreciate our supporters who helped make this initiative a reality.

Lisa: The design for the Equine Rescue

facility is very different from most rescues. Can you briefly explain?

Ed: YHS is very excited about its unique approach to equine rescue and rehabilita-tion. The facilities and acreage are designed

Above: Yavapai Humane Society Equine Initiative Facility Layout.

Photo: HorseGuard Canada / La Sanglière.

By implementing a track system such as this one, equines have more space, opportunity and motivation to move because of resources spread along the track.

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Open shelters help horses thermoregulate by offering the choice for the horse to move in and out of shade and protection.

NATURAL HORSE Magazine www.naturalhorse.com

to meet the physical, emotional, and social needs of equines, including their need for unrestricted movement, frequent eating, social housing and interaction, comfortable resting areas, shelter from the sun and inclement weather, choice in sensory stimu-lation, variation in environment, and predict-ability in their interactions with humans.

Lisa: What are your goals for this program?

Ed: The mission of this initiative is to provide humane rescue, rehabilitation, and placement to unwanted, abused, and ne-glected equines. Initially, our goal is to create a safety-net to ensure equines with quality of life with nowhere else to go have a safe place to land. This will not be a sanctuary, nor will it be a place where people can relinquish their responsibility for their animals. YHS intends to serve as an equine placement coordinator to ensure truly homeless equines are provided the best chances for finding a loving home. To do this we will partner with equine rescue organizations throughout the southwest—just as we now do with our rescued dogs and cats.

Lisa: Planning this operation was a group effort with much community support. Can you explain how people got involved?

Ed: Last January, YHS put out the call to the community for help in developing our business plan to rescue equines. Over 80 horse lovers, enthusiasts, and experts got involved and participated in a series of town

halls. They have assisted us every step of the way including the development of a business plan, budget, grant writing, and special events. It is remarkable how engaged and supportive our community is regarding this initiative. Volunteers included veterinar-ians, ranch managers, cowboys, event plan-ners, professors and teachers, people from a wide variety of backgrounds who brought important expertise to the table.

Lisa: Of course, getting the facility ready to take in horses is the first priority. Are there any long-term plans other than that?

Ed: Down the road we are hoping to develop and implement programs designed to enhance the quality of life for people through therapeutic, educational, and recre-ational activities with horses.

Lisa: Certainly, funding is one of your chal-lenges. Where are you with fundraising and how much do you need to complete the facility?

Ed: As with any startup, the initial costs are a challenge. We explained to the commu-nity that this initiative can only succeed with community support. We raised over $75,000 since the announcement of the program. We need another $100,000 just to get the prop-erty ready to receive horses.

Lisa: How can people donate?

Ed: People interested in helping this initia-tive can send their tax-deductible donation to the Yavapai Humane Society, 1625 Sun-dog Ranch Road, Prescott, AZ 86301. Be sure to note “equine program” on the check. Donations can also be made at www.yavapaihumane.org

Lisa: Any closing thoughts you would like to share?

Ed: The YHS equine initiative provides our community the opportunity to ask how we want to treat abused, neglected, and home-less horses. Do we want to include them in our circle of compassion? YHS is committed to making this effort a success, but we know

we can’t do it alone. It will take the support of the entire community to be successful, just as it does to care for our community’s homeless dogs and cats. It is our hope our community will respond with the same life-saving compassion for equines.

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Lisa: Nina, you have quite the extensive equine credentials such as Director of Equine Programs at the Institute for Human-Animal Connection at the University of Denver, member of the Certification Board for Equine Interac-tion Professionals, Certified Equine Specialist in Mental Health and Learning, Practitioner Mem-ber of the International Society of Equitation Sci-ence, and Equine Research Network member to name a few. However, it is obvious you have a passion for a more natural approach to horse care and handling. Tell us a bit more about this.

NiNa: As a student of the horse, it is im-possible for me to not be interested in ethical equitation and equine cognition, behavior, how horses learn and their mental states, and how this translates into equine man-agement, assessment, handling, and training practices. And the more I learn, the harder it becomes for me to accept care and handling approaches that clearly go against the basic needs of horses.

For me, a so-called natural approach to horse care has to do with understanding the horse as a species, and they happen to be a social mammal like ourselves. When people hear the word “natural” in the context of equine care, they sometimes mistake this to mean that we would try to exactly replicate the environment horses live in when not han-dled by humans, which would mean large amounts of land and resources. This can be overwhelming to think about and it can be easier to just go back to the thought of a traditional human-centered way of caring for horses, which might serve us but not the horse. Instead, I encourage people to think about basic needs of horses and how they can help the horse meet these in the envi-ronment available to them. As a psychologist I think about my fellow humans and their basic needs in this way as well.

Lisa: How did you get involved with the YHS Equine Initiative program?

NiNa: When I heard that YHS was plan-ning to include equines in their mission I wanted to be of help. I frequently work out of state and was excited to be involved in an equine welfare initiative in my own local community. I own property in the same town as the new facility for the YHS Equine Initia-tive and have lived in the area for the past five years. During this time I have become

Photo credit: www.free-range-stabling.info

Creating soft areas for resting and rolling, using sand, for instance, is another easy way to help our horses’ wellbeing.

Photo: ww

w.free-range-stabling.info

Variation in the environment we offer for our horses is also important for their physical and mental health.

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familiar with the equine welfare issues in our county and in our state.

Lisa: The YHS Equine Initiative is focus-ing on a unique welfare-enhancing environment for the rescue. Of course this involves many aspects of horse-keeping in order to meet the physical, emotional and social needs of equines. What are the top three basic needs and how will the facility set-up support these?

NiNa: Horses are biologically created to move and eat often. We know this from the anatomy of their gastrointestinal tract and their physical build. We also know that hors-es, like many mammals, including humans, are social animals and are most healthy when living together with other horses. Un-restricted movement, frequent eating, and social housing are the top three basic needs of horses, and all needs can be summarized in one word: choice.

Putting horses alone in small enclosures with water and food right in front of their noses leads to both physical and mental atrophy. By creating a track system at the new YHS Equine Initiative facility, which replicates paths that mammals such as horses and cows who display following behaviors take when moving unrestricted, and spreading resources along that track such as hay in low slow-feed-ers, water, shelter, and resting areas, move-ment and behaviors that more closely meet the basic needs of horses are encouraged.

In addition, a track system helps people make the most use of their smaller proper-ties by maximizing the space horses have to move and creating motivation to do so.

Frequent eating of fibrous forage is very important for the health of horses. Since we do not have pasture readily available here in Arizona, simulating grazing behavior through providing forage in small-opening nets allows the horse to engage in eating behaviors longer.

The main argument against housing horses in groups typically has to do with injury and aggression. People are afraid that their horses will hurt each other and instead keep them separated. It’s good to know that aggression typically has to do with compe-tition over resources, which can be elimi-nated by creating multiple opportunities for accessing food, water, shelter, and resting areas. Horses are healthiest when they are together with members of their own species. If horses need to be separated, allowing them to at least see each other can help with the mental effects of physical isolation. Horses at the new YHS Equine Initiative facility will be housed in herds when possible. If a horse, because of its medical and behavioral state

cannot initially be placed in a herd, we will find solutions for social interaction that are possible for that particular horse.

Lisa: Within these three basic needs, there really are other enrichment options that further support these three main needs. Can you please explain these?

NiNa: A helpful way to think about welfare-enhancing strategies, that is, helping horses to stay physically and psychologi-cally healthy in their environment, has to do with choice. Horses, just like us, have different preferences for how they rest, with whom they spend time, and how they use their overall day. Examples of how we can offer horses choice in their environment is open shelters and variation in the terrain, including how food is delivered.

Open shelters help horses thermoregulate by offering the choice for the horse to move in and out of shade and protection. Blanketing is problematic for horses since they cannot easily take off their blanket when it is no longer needed (although some horses do!) and the practice affects the coat’s natural ability to work in concert with different weather. Since we restrict what environment our horses are in we sometimes may need to blanket them, especially in wet, high-wind conditions. However, multiple open shelters will take care of most weather-related needs for our horses.

Variation in the environment we offer for our horses is also important for their physical and mental health. An easy way to do this, especially if your environment is flat and without much vegetation, is to create hills for your horses to navigate, or logs to step over or around. Visual variation in the environment is important for both horses and humans. Creating soft areas for resting and rolling, using sand, for instance, is another easy way to help our horses’ wellbeing and offer options for sensory stimulation.

Horses are made to use their mouths in dif-ferent ways, including through grazing, eat-ing different plants, and picking leaves and bark. Grooming themselves and others, the latter possible for horses to do when group housed, are other important ways horses use their mouths. I already mentioned slow-feed-ing nets as a way to support frequent eating behavior in the horse, and there are different products on the market that encourage mind, mouth, and lip action to access tasty food. Having branches available that are safe for horses to chew on is good as well.

Lisa: Any closing thoughts you want to share?

NiNa: I have made several comparisons

between horses and humans in this inter-view. Comparative health sciences and com-parative medicine are interesting areas of study that help us relate to the health and wellbeing of our horses and other ani-mals. Anthropomorphism, the tendency for humans to ascribe human characteristics and motives to other-than-human animals, is a way for us to relate to the fact that animals have feelings, memories, important social systems, and such. My friend and colleague Marc Bekoff is internationally known for writing about the emotional lives of ani-mals, and I always encourage people to learn more about his work.

There is also another side to what is called anthropomorphism: the assumption that the needs of horses look exactly the same as ours and that we can deduce what horses are thinking based on our own thought process-es. A good example of this, which I mentioned before, is blanketing. Since humans wear clothes we assume that our horses need to as well, even though they have coats designed to function in concert with different kinds of weather. Where anthropomorphism also can become challenging is in handling and train-ing horses. When we start saying things like “the horse is being lazy,” or “the horse is giv-ing you the finger,” when we assume that the horse’s intent is similar to what we imagine other humans have toward us, we expose ourselves to the risk of unethical practices. I encourage all horse owners to learn about learning theory and how it is the base of any ethologically sound horsemanship method. I also want to encourage horse owners to think positively when it comes to improving their horses’ environment in small or large ways—you can do it!

It has been great sharing about the new YHS Equine Initiative and I would love to keep Natural Horse Magazine posted on how our rescue, rehabilitation, and adoption program develops and talk more about the principles behind what we do.

About the author:Lisa Ross-Williams is a natural horse care consultant and host of the If Your Horse Could Talk webcast available at www.naturalhorsetalk.com. She has completed the Basic Veterinary Homeopathy course through the British Institute of Homeopathy, holds a degree in environmental plant science, and is an Equine Iridology Technician. Lisa is the Publisher/Editor-In-Chief of Natural Horse Magazine and the author of the award winning book, Down-To-Earth Natural Horse Care available at www.down-to-earthnhc.com. Lisa is also the co-creator of Equi-Spirit Toys & Tools™, www.equi-spirit-toys.com