The field where my horses are able to run freely was not always the way it is now. The amount of time, effort and money that went into the safe home that they are in now was roughly a three-week job.
Firstly, there was never a fence around it. It was open for anyone to walk through and used to be a common short cut for pedestrians to get to the paved road. The fence was the priority, and the most obvious step to getting started first. To eliminate expenses, we used normal gum poles and a whole lot of wire to connect it all and ensure no entry or exit without permission. The gate near the riding track is steel and mainly wire, with a chain and lock pad.
My mother’s gardening staff were the ones working hard to finish before June. I have to say they did a very good job, especially with the fence finishing so quickly.
The next part of the transformation was to build a simple structure for the horses to stand under if they wanted. Again, simplicity is the key. We used four gum poles, and I asked for measurements of 3m x 4m. This design was to ensure that there was space for at least three horses, as only two were coming home. Shade netting was used as the cover. Since it is still winter and there is no rain, this temporary cover would more than suffice for my two horses.
I will admit that it’s not the prettiest structure to the eye, but it still carries its purpose proudly. I also accidentally made it rather high, but that is not detrimental to their coverage. In time, upgrades of their little home will be implemented, particularly nearing the summertime, which I am really excited for, but for now they have their legal shade netting and hay nets attached to the poles that they never even eat from because there’s so much natural grazing grass.
In the past, I would have preferred my horses to have their own individual stables and tuck them into bed every night on their soft, clean shavings, but I later realized that stabling horses is not beneficial to them in any way. It has become so normalized to domesticate horses so much to even take away their wild routines, by keeping them in stables for however long people do, or for the duration of the night.
Horses are herd animals, and animals that rely on movement and the capability to run whenever they feel like it. When horses are in individual stables, they are taken away from their friends and herd, which is not necessarily harmful, but can have a negative impact on them psychologically.
Why should humans determine when horses should sleep and when they can be with other horses or not?
I fully understand the equestrian industry, and that horses need routines and discipline and rest, but we have already taken so much of their free will away, why should we contain their spirits to the most extent?
Call me a “woke” hippie, but I am so grateful that I learnt that horses don’t actually need or particularly want to sleep in a confined stable by themselves all night long, before adopting my own horses. Often since I have taken Phantom and Da Vinci home, I have gone to check on them late in the night and have seen them peacefully sleeping in the middle of the field rather than under their shade netting structure.
So, when I do eventually upgrade to something better than shade netting, it won’t be a confined stable for each horse for me to lock up at night, it will be a better shelter to protect them from the rain in summer if they don’t feel like standing in the rain.
That is not where the transformation ended. After the fence and the shelter were built, the next project was an entire ditch of glass that needed to be removed or covered. Due to time constraints and lack of information on how to remove so much glass and if it would be collected from the main dumps, we decided it was best to just bury the glass totally.
It wasn’t as if there was a small amount, it was about a 2m length ditch, probably 2m depth and 1 or so meters wide. It was a challenging task to overcome, but a plan was quickly put in place. We covered it with some rubble, and then later on with a lot of soil. Obviously, the safety of my horses comes first, and I would never have allowed them to step foot on the land without ensuring it was 100% safe for them, but two days later and it was as if a small patch of soil was placed to grow some flowers.
That is still not where it ended. There was a bit of a fence on the other side, but it was rusty barbed wire that actually wasn’t much of a fence, it was a pathetic attempt at a fence.
It needed to be removed in order to be replaced. There was eventually a roll of barbed wire that needed to be removed from the property, which was done by the hands of my mother’s gardeners, with gloves of course.
By the time it was all completed, the only thing left for me to do was order their meal food, along with some hay bales. I ordered five just in case, because I saw how much they enjoyed eating from their steel hay holder at SAID, but turns out the grass is plentiful on the ground and so they have barely touched their hay nets.
Water is important, the most essential, in fact. Because I didn’t have a water trough yet, I opted for two large and deep black containers that we had lying around in the storeroom, before driving to fetch an old bathtub the day after the horses’ arrival, from a couple who was so kind to donate to me after it was posted on Facebook that we were searching for a water trough. That act alone gave me hope in my community in Kyalami.
The ring was an added addition for training and learning purposes only. Since I do not have my own arena, or too close to an arena, my family kindly decided to set up a simple ring. They knew the importance of training and exercising my horses and were aware that that was the setup at SAID, and so my very own ring was put up. I am very happy and grateful that I have a dedicated space for myself and my horses to learn and focus.
The whole experience leading up to taking my rescue horses home taught me a lot. I learnt that all horses really need is a safe ground to run on, a large space of that same ground, healthy grass to graze on, water and a minimalist structure if they want to stand or sleep under something.
Owning horses or having your own horses doesn’t actually need to be as complicated as a lot of people make it out to be. I’m sure I have mentioned it before, but horses truly don’t need fancy stables, or stylish boots or soft, expensive shavings to stand on. Their basic needs are so simple, and also allow them to live a happier life if we continue to just follow through with it without adding all the extras.
They will obviously still cost you money, especially if something happens overnight, but what’s not to say that about anything else? About your dogs, your cats, your family or yourself? In the end we all know that modern living is expensive. But that’s why I am saying that apart from the unexpected vet bills, farrier call-outs (not so often if you are not riding too much or competing) and monthly food, horses don’t have to cost you your entire existence, if you simply make sure their basic needs are met.
I like to believe, in the case of horses, that less is more. I have never seen two happier or healthier horses, than the ones I have recently adopted. They gallop at night when they feel like it, they have each other for warmth, comfort and to irritate, and they have me as the one who strives to give them the happiest life I can possibly provide.
Their happiness and safety means the world to me, and I can proudly admit that I have done my best and succeeded with their new home, and I cannot wait for all the adventures the three of us are yet to experience. I really hope more people will consider adopting rather than shopping, because there are truly so many beautiful horses out there with the most kindest souls at the animal shelters, just waiting for their forever homes. I am so glad I have the opportunity to rescue Phantom and Da Vinci.
