Kanukadale Care Farm & Equine Fusion

09/05/2026

SHARED FROM EQUIMOTIONAL PAGE.

You cannot waste a horse.

A horse who doesn’t compete is not wasted.
A horse who isn’t ridden is not wasted.
A horse who lives quietly, grows old, changes jobs, slows down, or does nothing at all is not wasted.

Horses are not resources.
They are not projects.
They are not potential waiting to be exploited.

A horse does not owe us performance, progress, rosettes, or productivity 🐴

Their worth is not measured in outings, mileage, heights jumped, tests completed, or photos posted online. Their worth exists because they are alive.

If a horse eats grass, rolls in mud, stands in the rain, naps in the sun, forms friendships, says no, says yes, or simply exists peacefully… that is not waste.

That is a horse being a horse 🌱

And honestly?
If anything is wasted, it’s the belief that animals must earn their right to be here.

End of. 👏🐎

15/02/2026

SPOT ON ❤️🐎
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18H15qCxXF/

“If we hadn’t done this, the only other option would’ve been sending this horse to slaughter.”

I’m tired of this manipulation tactic that’s used to justify harsh training methods on damaged horses as a means of “saving” them from death.

We see this excuse used a lot, including from the likes of Olympic dressage trainers like Heath Ryan who justified whipping a horse over 40 times because it was a last ditch effort to “save” the horse from the meat packers.

Problems with this logic:

1. It implies that there are no alternatives between harsh and forceful  training or sending a horse to slaughter.

2. It implies that inflicting pain, fear and trauma on a horse is a justifiable and noble alternative to death.

3. It elevates obedience and usability of a horse as a riding horse with the greatest importance even above the wellbeing of the horse.

4. Lastly, it perpetuates the notion that it’s acceptable to ship horses to slaughter if we are unsuccessful in training them for riding.

Abusing a horse into submission is not a more noble effort than shipping them to slaughter.

Both are horrible ends for the horse.

Fortunately, we seldom ever actually have only two options.

These false dichotomies are created by people who don’t wish to seek out alternatives.

They’re created with the sole purpose of justifying their choice of tactics and painting the picture of them as a saviour with no other options.

But that’s not true in theory.

And, the truth of the matter is this:

Many of the most dangerous horses who fall through the cracks and end up in slaughter auctions are there because people failed them.

They become dangerous due to the harshness, force and lack of compassion that they’re treated with.

They get loud after a history of their quieter attempts to be heard are ignored.

We don’t fix those horses by punishing them more.

We don’t fix them with more trauma.

People that claim that’s the case are confusing shutdown and obedience with a well adjusted horse.

Which, again, is the root of the problem:

Prioritizing the use of the horse for human interest over the wellbeing of the horse.

Only valuing the horse when they’re obedient and responsive to people.

This attitude is what makes horses disposable to the point of being shipped off for meat when they aren’t rideable.

This attitude also justifies treatment and abuses that fail to recognize earlier problems until they explode into becoming a dangerous horse.

They’re two sides of the same coin:

Humans who only value horses based off of what the horse can provide for them, instead off of the beings that they are.

30/11/2025

Great article
https://www.facebook.com/share/1CaukEdfYs/

06/09/2025

💭 𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 “𝗪𝗵𝘆” 🐴

Why did you fall in love with horses?
Not the ribbons.
Not the scores.
Not the fancy tack or perfectly posed photos.

Go back further…
To the little kid who begged to muck stables just for a chance to be near a horse.

To the one who galloped around the backyard on a broomstick, convinced they were riding in the Olympics.

To the teenager who found peace brushing a horse after a rough day at school.

That was your “why.”
That innocent, unfiltered love.
The pure joy.
The connection.
The magic.

Somewhere along the way, as we grow up, we start asking more of ourselves — and of our horses.We chase goals, compare ourselves to others, get caught in the grind. And slowly, that childhood spark can start to fade under the weight of adult expectations.

But here’s the truth: Your truest happiness still lives in that young version of you. The one who didn’t care what the horse did — just that they were.

So today, take a moment. Put the pressure down. Brush your horse like you used to. Sit in the grass and just be with them. Reconnect with the “why” that started it all.
Because that — not the ribbons or results — is what keeps your heart in the saddle. 🧡

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Scootboot
Equine Products UK
Arena Saddles
Equine Light Therapy LTD

25/08/2025

“Are you trying to stop all horse riding, or all horse ownership? Why?”

I’ve been hearing variations of this question ever since I started sharing research about the risks of riding and my perspective on horse-human relationships. And I want to be clear: I’m not here to tell anyone what they should or shouldn’t do.

What I am here to do is open a conversation.

For humans, the data is clear: horseback riding results in more hospital admissions per riding hour than motorcycle riding. The majority of horse-related emergency department visits happen while mounted, often involving the head, spine, and internal organs. Even experienced riders are not immune. These are not small risks—they are life-changing injuries.

Even without accidents, a survey of Italian equestrian athletes revealed extremely high rates of chronic low back pain—lifetime prevalence: 91.6%, and one‑year prevalence: 74.2%, significantly higher than the general population.

The repetitive pressure from riding concentrates forces on the rider’s pelvis, sacrum, and lumbar spine, contributing to ongoing pain and potential chronic injury.

But let’s not forget the horses. Riding injuries don’t just happen to people. Horses carry their own physical toll—lameness, spinal damage, stress injuries, and accidents that can cost them their lives. Beyond the body, there’s the emotional burden: being trained, pushed, or forced into situations that go against their natural instincts.

So when I question riding, it’s not just about keeping people safe. It’s about asking whether our enjoyment is worth the risk to them too.

After 20 years working as a professional trainer, I learned firsthand both the joys and the risks of riding. I also discovered something profound: some of the deepest, most transformative experiences with horses happened beside the horses—on the ground, in quiet presence, with no agenda but connection.

When I share statistics about riding injuries, it’s not to shame riders or to “ban” horse activities. It’s to highlight that we have choices—and those choices come with different consequences, not just for us, but for the horses.

Horses don’t need to be ridden to have value. They are beings in their own right, with rich emotional lives and their own desires. My passion is to show that we can honor them not just as “working animals,” but as partners and friends.

So no, I’m not against horse ownership. I’m for evolving what ownership means. Instead of defining a horse’s worth by what they can do for us, we can create relationships built on respect, autonomy, and mutual joy.

It’s not about giving something up—it’s about discovering more. More safety, more trust, more authentic connection.

💭 And that leads us to a deeper question: Is clinging to tradition worth the risks—to ourselves, and to them—or is it time to expand our view of what’s possible?

✨ We don’t have to saddle them to save them. We just have to love them enough to let them be.

https://www.mltj.online/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Ferrante-1.pdf

13/08/2025

08/08/2025

There's more and more evidence each year of the healing power of horses 🤗🐎🌿

14/06/2025

Said perfectly

Horses did not evolve to be ridden.
They did not evolve to go in circles.

They weren't designed for any of it.

WE decided that we would get on their backs and ride them into battle.
Then, we decided we'd ride them for sport.

We didn't know better. Not at first.

We tacked them up and threw ourselves on top of them. We labeled any and all misbehavior as some kind of rebellion, as if the horse was plotting against us. We "worked" it out of them with sweaty saddle blankets, tied up legs and leverage.

We broke the horse. Literally and figuratively.

Then, decades later, we learned more about their bodies. We learned about growth plates, development, the spine, the structures and how it all works together. We learned about their nervous systems, their social structures, how they learn, how they feel. We began to know better...

Yet we didn't do better.

And so we continue to break them.

We push them too far, too fast, too young. We accelerate training to meet the needs and desires of the human ego. We use gadgets and tools designed to create pain and leverage to put the horse into the "frame" that we deem desirable.

And we break them.

We do permanent damage to the spine that can't be undone.
We create lasting scar tissue to ligaments and tendons that support the most delicate and intricate structures of the horse.
We overdevelop muscles that create nerve impingements, continuous pain and hyped up nervous systems.

And for what?

A blue ribbon? The thrill of the ride? The jackpot? To be able to say we've conquered the beast?

Cool.

I'm not saying we can't do the things we love to do with our horses. I'm saying we need to do it WITH them. Not TO them. Our success in the saddle cannot continue to exist at the expense of the horse.

We know better now. So do better now.

Take the time it takes to properly develop the body.
Take the time it takes to heal the nervous system and teach it to regulate.
Take the time it takes to create an emotionally healthy horse who loves the work as much as you.

"Okay, well how long will it take to do that?"

As long as it fu***ng takes.

For one horse, it may be 6 months. For another, it may be 3 years.

They are individuals. Beautiful, imperfect, intellectual, spiritual, kind individuals. And they do not conform to the timelines of human existence.

Enjoy the journey instead. Savor the small moments of progress and fall in love with every single part of your horse that makes them who they are. Give up the need for dominance, for quick fixes and for human satisfaction.

I'm so tired of seeing horses who have bodies and souls that have been ruined by humans...sometimes past the point of "fixing" any of it.

So please, do better.
You can be the difference.
Be the human your horse deserves.

14/11/2024

Second last Retreat of the year!! Holiday, Fire, and Silly Season is on its way!

11/08/2024

Due to the demand of Wilderness Wellness activity day visits, I'm repurposing some of the glamping platforms into picnic platforms 🐎🐄🦚🐐. It's a charming spot for a picnic, overlooking the fields and with views of the mountains.